HC Deb 17 June 1959 vol 607 cc429-32
29. Mr. Shinwell

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what official information he has received concerning the refusal of the French Government to permit the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to retain nuclear bases on French soil; and if he will make a statement on North Atlantic Treaty Organisation intentions.

30. Mr. Frank Allaun

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what official proposals he has received from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation for the transfer of American atom bombers from France to Great Britain; what reply he has sent; and if he will make a statement.

38. Mr. E. Fletcher

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what official request has been received from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation for the transfer of a number of United States bombers from French territory to this country; and under what conditions it is proposed they should be transferred.

39. Mr. Healey

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what official communication he has received from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation regarding the transfer of American aircraft from France to the United Kingdom.

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

General Norstad has reported to the North Atlantic Council on the present situation regarding the arming and deployment of certain North Atlantic Treaty Organisation aircraft on French territory. General Norstad is still considering this matter and it remains on the Council's agenda. No official request has been made to Her Majesty's Government to accept further United States Air Force aircraft on bases in this country.

Mr. Shinwell

If General Norstad, the Supreme Commander, comes into this, why is it that the Minister of Defence did not reply to the Question which was originally put? That is the first question. Secondly, is there any danger at all, in the event of France resolving that it will not have these bomber bases on French soil, that any of them will be transferred to West Germany? Because is that not a very great danger?

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

As to the first part of the question, what I reported was what General Norstad had said to the North Atlantic Council. Therefore, it comes within the purview of the Foreign Office. As to the second part of the right hon. Gentleman's question, it is, of course, within the authority of the Supreme Allied Commander as to which nations he approaches with regard to the redeployment of these aircraft.

Mr. Allaun

Is it not obvious that the more bases we have here the further the vulnerability of our civilian population is increased and the danger of making us the number one target?

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

I should have thought it was probably the reverse.

Mr. E. Fletcher

Can we be told this? If the French refuse to have these bombers, is the choice then confined to this country and Western Germany? In that event, is it the policy of the Government that we should prefer to have them here rather than have them located in Western Germany?

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

The choice will be very largely that of the Supreme Allied Commander. [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] Yes, indeed; but if he were to ask that more of them should be redeployed in this country we believe that it would be in the interests of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as a whole that we should agree to his request, on the same terms as the other American aircraft are at present based in this country.

Mr. Bevan

But is not the distribution of these aircraft a matter of the highest political significance which ought not to be decided by the military Commander on his own initiative on military grounds alone? I should have thought that the right hon. Gentleman had got that slightly wrong.

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

No. I think, as regards these aircraft which are committed to N.A.T.O. as a whole, it is largely for the Supreme Allied Commander to decide where they can best be distributed. He will then have to have discussions with the Government concerned as to whether they will accept those aircraft.

Mr. Bevan

Is it not the right way to state it that he has the obligation to make up his mind where he would recommend they should be situated? The right hon. Gentleman has not said it in such a way. The Commander should not decide, but recommend—recommend to the political authorities.

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

I said that he would request a Government to accept certain American aircraft; it would then be up to the Government concerned to say whether they would accept them.

Mr. Healey

Is it not the case that there have been very large fluctuations in the last few years in the numbers of the American aircraft stationed in Britain and that there are now far fewer than there were a few years ago?

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

That is perfectly true.

Mr. Shinwell

Are we to understand that the Supreme Commander on his own volition, without any consultation with the Government of the United Kingdom, which is one of the member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, can transfer these bases from French soil to Germany without consent, without discussion in this House?

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

Certainly without discussion in this House.

Mr. Bevan

This is really a rather important matter. We ought to get the situation a little clearer than we have it at the moment. Do we understand the right hon. Gentleman to say that in the event of the Supreme Commander believing that, for reasons best known to himself, it would be better to have these aircraft situated in Western Germany, he could do so, and Western Germany could consent, and the job would be done without consultation first with the British Government?

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

Yes, that is correct.

Dr. Summerskill

Is it a fact that Burtonwood in the vicinity of my constituency has already been accepted as a new base?

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

That is a question which should be put to the Minister of Defence.

Mr. P. Noel-Baker

Is not the distribution of N.A.T.O. bases a matter of the highest possible political importance which must be settled by the N.A.T.O. Council itself?

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

If we are to have an effective N.A.T.O. Command and effective military dispositions, I do not think it is reasonable that all the Governments should have a say where particular aircraft are stationed, though, of course, we would have a say if it were a question of stationing foreign aircraft on British territory.