HC Deb 13 July 1959 vol 609 cc24-5
33. Mr. A. Henderson

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will instruct his representatives at the United Nations to propose the setting up of a committee of experts to study the problem of detecting the existence of concealed stocks of nuclear weapons.

Mr. Profumo

No, Sir. As I told the right hon. and learned Gentleman on 2nd March, scientific opinion is agreed that there is no prospect of finding any satisfactory method of detecting the existence of concealed stocks of nuclear weapons, and I therefore do not consider that a United Nations study would serve any useful purpose.

Mr. Henderson

Does the reference in the Minister's reply to scientific opinion mean scientific opinion in this country and in the United States, or does it include scientific opinion in, for example, the Soviet Union?

Mr. Profumo

It means that all the nuclear Powers have agreed that there is not any prospect of doing this. In fact, the only instrument with which one could find a nuclear weapon in a crate would be a screwdriver.

Mr. Henderson

Surely Mr. Khrushchev has said that in the view of the Soviet Government it is possible to check hidden stockpiles of nuclear weapons?

Mr. Profumo

I think that the right hon. Member for Derby, South (Mr. P. Noel-Baker) would probably like to get something in here. I understand that in his discussions with Mr. Khrushchev, Mr. Khrushchev said that he knows of no way of detecting secret stocks.

Mr. P. Noel-Baker

Is the Minister of State aware that Mr. Khrushchev agreed that there were many things which could be done about secret stocks which would be effective? Cannot the hon. Gentleman confirm to me that his predecessor, Mr. Nutting, made this exact proposal for a United Nations scientific committee in the United Nations Disarmament Subcommittee in 1956, and if it was feasible then why is it not feasible now?

Mr. Profumo

What I am aware of is that a Labour Party pamphlet, which I understand is an agreed document, has just made proposals of this sort, and because it is an agreed document I am sorry to have to pour cold water on it.