§ 46. Mr. Swinglerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if, in his discussions with Chancellor Adenauer, he will urge the calling of a Summit Conference at the earliest possible moment to consider Germany's future on the basis of halting the arms race inside Germany.
§ Mr. Selwyn LloydI cannot conceive of a Summit Conference at which the future of Germany would not be discussed.
§ Mr. SwinglerIs the Foreign Secretary endeavouring to press for a Summit Conference at the earliest possible moment, or is the position now that as a result of pressure from Paris and Bonn he is abandoning this objective? Is he now using his opportunities of discussing matters with the Chancellor of West Germany to press for an early Summit Conference, or is it to be postponed for six months?
§ Mr. LloydI tried to make the Government's point of view clear on Monday. I said that the point is not to have a Summit Conference for the sake of a Summit Conference; it is in order to achieve some results. The main result we want to get is a continuation of the present relaxation of tension. Another factor which can contribute to that is personal visits between the heads of the various Governments. Mr. Khrushchev was offered the opportunity of going to France between 20th February and 31st March, and he decided to fix 15th March for his visit. I think that that is a good thing, and that it will help to reduce tension. I hope that we shall have a Summit Meeting as soon as practicable after that. The object is to maintain the momentum behind the relaxation of tension.