HC Deb 17 June 1959 vol 607 cc409-11
1. Mr. Beswick

asked the Minister of Defence if he will now state the circumstances under which his plans provide for the operational use of thermo-nuclear weapons independently of the United States of America.

The Minister of Defence (Mr. Duncan Sandys)

Within the scope of an answer to a Parliamentary Question, I cannot usefully add to the many statements which have been made on this important subject in the course of our debates.

Mr. Beswick

Does the Minister of Defence remember that in the course of the last debate when this subject was raised and I challenged him on this point, first he said he could not answer until he had heard what the Leader of the Liberal Party had to say; then he said that he could not answer until the Prime Minister had returned from Moscow, although, he said, otherwise he was prepared to answer. Is it not a fact that there is no possibility of our using one of these thermo-nuclear weapons on our own? Is not the production and manufacture of these weapons by Britain simply what the soldiers are now calling an exercise in over-kill?

Mr. Sandys

I have no wish to provide the hon. Gentleman with ammunition to use against his right hon. Friend the Member for Ebbw Vale (Mr. Bevan) and others.

Mr. Hale

Will the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind that this House, through a history of many hundreds of years, has been the principal pillar of the principle that truth should be told and light should be cast upon events? Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that at this moment almost every vital piece of information relevant to the future lives of the people is being concealed by the Government? The people do not trust them. He ought to reconsider his attitude to this House and to the people and tell us what the facts are and let the people judge.

Mr. Sandys

People will be given an opportunity to judge quite soon, when I have no doubt the result will not please the hon. Gentleman.

8. Mr. Beswick

asked the Minister of Defence to what extent, under the amended agreement with the United States of America which relates to the exchange of information on non-nuclear parts of nuclear weapons, details have been given to this country of the circumstances under which an American missile was exploded prematurely in space by the pitch of a woman's voice talking to a fleet of taxi-cabs on short-wave radio.

Mr. Sandys

I understand the incident to which I imagine the hon. Member refers occurred in America about eight years ago. Present-day rockets are fitted with much more sophisticated signal equipment designed to minimise the risk of interference.

Mr. Beswick

Although this incident happened in the United States about eight years ago, is it not a fact that the conference of scientists which met last weekend at the United Nations still voiced apprehensions that the same kind of thing could happen again? Does it not illustrate the crazy structure which we are building up in the interests of so-called self-defence? Further, when the Minister gives these sweeping assurances about precautions taken when, for example, thermo-nuclear weapons are flown on trial flights, is he really in a position to give those assurances, because of the way these highly developed electronic devices may get out of our control?

Mr. Sandys

The hon. Member is talking about nuclear weapons. There was no suggestion that a nuclear explosion took place as a result of this lady's voice in a taxi-cab. I understand that there was some interference. We have heard about the face that launched a thousand ships, but I understand that in this case there was some interference with the communication between the ground and the rocket. I am not quite sure whether that resulted in the destruction element in the rocket being operated or whether the operator on the ground decided to destroy the rocket. There is no question of a nuclear explosion having occurred as a result.

Mr. Beswick

May I just clear the Minister's doubts on this matter?

Mr. Speaker

The hon. Member asked quite a long supplementary queston.