§ 38. Mr. Masonasked the Minister of Supply what progress has been made under Article II (4) of the agreement with the United States of America to exchange atomic energy information for mutual defence purposes, following discussions on the possibility of a joint effort in launching an earth space satellite.
§ Mr. Aubrey JonesThe agreement mentioned by the hon. Member does not cover the exchange of information related to the launching of a satellite. We are, however, always in touch with the United States authorities on matters of this kind.
§ Mr. MasonIn view of the agreement about the carriers of warheads and the exchange of information thereon, and particularly having in mind that it concerns the intercontinental ballistic missiles which have at least half the launching capacity required for a satellite, is it not conceivable that we could have discussions within that agreement for a joint space satellite?
§ Mr. JonesThe Question refers to vehicle assistance, and there is an exchange of information between the Americans and ourselves on that subject.
§ Mr. PagetIn view of the wretched state of the equipment of our forces, as we have seen from our latest report, cannot we get on with that instead of wasting time and money over satellites?