§ Q6. Mr. Warbeyasked the Prime Minister what consultations he has had with President Kennedy and General de Gaulle in regard to the President's proposal that he or General de Gaulle should be delegated to decide, on behalf of the European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, when the proposed multilateral nuclear force should be used.
§ The Prime MinisterAs far as I am aware, President Kennedy has not made any such proposal. In any case, these questions are for decision by the North Atlantic Council as a whole.
§ Mr. WarbeyI take it, then, that the Prime Minister has not studied the suggestion made by President Kennedy at his Press Conference about ten days ago when he put forward this idea. May we take it that the President has now dropped the rather fatuous suggestion !that the West might elect a "press-button king", whether it be President de Gaulle, the Prime Minister or my right hon. Friend the Member for Huyton (Mr. H. Wilson)?
§ The Prime MinisterNo, Sir. I do not understand that to be the situation at all. I understand that the President was merely describing what might happen if other countries were to delegate their authority to Britain or France. He was not proposing that anyone should do so.