§ Q6. Mr. A. Hendersonasked the Prime Minister whether President Kennedy and he have made further joint proposals to Mr. Khrushchev with a view to the achievement of a nuclear test-ban agreement.
§ The Prime MinisterI expect to approve later today the final text of a message which President Kennedy and I are sending to Mr. Khrushchev. I hope that the message will be delivered tomorrow.
§ Mr. HendersonI welcome the continued efforts of President Kennedy and the Prime Minister to end the present deadlock at Geneva, but may I ask the right hon. Gentleman again to consider consulting President Kennedy on the desirability of both our countries unilaterally declaring that they will not resume atmospheric and sea-water tests?
§ The Prime MinisterThat we have often discussed, but the object of our hopes is still to get it agreed by the Soviet Government, and I think that we had much better wait to see whether we can achieve a universal ban by agreement.
§ Q7. Mr. Dribergasked the Prime Minister if he will obtain from the President of the United States of America information on the nature and number of the new series of nuclear tests recently begun in Nevada; and if, in view of the fact that this resumption of testing was announced only two weeks after his and the President's letter to Mr. Khrushchev urging speedier progress towards a test ban agreement, he was consulted in advance on the timing and content of the announcement.
§ The Prime MinisterPresident Kennedy announced last November that underground nuclear weapons tests were continuing in Nevada. It was announced on 9th May that, as an extension of these tests, three sub-kiloton detonations, two of them nuclear, would be set off. One of very low yield was to be detonated at ground level; but it was announced four days later that these three tests would not take place.
§ Mr. DribergHas any test in fact taken place since 9th May? Further, when the Prime Minister says that a detonation was to have taken place at ground level, does that description not tend to disguise the fact that this would actually have been an atmospheric test?
§ The Prime MinisterThe important point is that, so anxious is the President not to do anything which would interfere with our present negotiations, these tests have been cancelled.