HC Deb 22 April 1964 vol 693 cc1297-8
30. Mr. Healey

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will now publish the alternative proposals for a multilateral nuclear force which he put before the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Ministerial Council on 17th December, 1963.

Mr. Thorneycroft

I have nothing to add to my reply to the right hon. Member for Easington (Mr. Shinwell) of 15th January and my comments during the defence debate on 26th February.

Mr. Healey

Can the right hon. Gentleman say why he allowed the Foreign Secretary to bury these proposals within hours of their being made? Is he aware that many Members on both sides of the House believe that the proposals he made, though perhaps imperfect, form a much better basis for discussion of nuclear sharing inside N.A.T.O. than the setting up of an entirely new multilateral force?

Mr. Thorneycroft

There is no question of their being buried. They are being actively pursued in Paris at the present time by our representatives there, where we are asking that full study should be made of the possibility of mixed-manning weapons, which nations are going to buy anyway, rather than those which will have to be constructed specially for the purpose.

Mr. Biggs-Davison

Will my right hon. Friend confirm that Her Majesty's Government have still made no commitment to join any such multilateral nuclear force?

Mr. Thorneycroft

Yes, I can give that absolute assurance. There is no commitment at all on the part of Her Majesty's Government.

Mr. Healey

: Since these proposals are apparently under discussion, could the right hon. Gentleman clear up a question which worries many of us? How does he think it is possible to introduce mixed-manning into the TSR2 aircraft?

Mr. Thorneycroft

It is not necessary to mixed-man a single aircraft. Experi- ence has shown in past operations that it is perfectly possible to have mixed-manning of squadrons if this is desired. This is a perfectly practicable thing. Nor were our proposals limited to aircraft. A certain number of manned missiles are being bought anyway in Europe some of them of long range—and these could be mixed-manned, too.

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