§ 18. Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government regarding the details of President Johnson's proposal at Geneva to freeze strategic nuclear delivery vehicles.
§ Mr. P. ThomasI would refer the hon. Gentleman to the Answer which I gave to the right hon. and learned Gentleman, the Member for Rowley Regis and Tipton (Mr. A. Henderson) on 8th June.
§ Mr. AllaunHow does the right hon. Gentleman square that Answer, which was favourable to the President's proposal, with the British Government's insistence on going ahead with Polaris? Is it the British Government's position that they want to freeze the start until after the Polaris programme is completed, and is not that an invitation to every other Government to use the same argument and thus make nonsense of the proposal?
§ Mr. ThomasI do not think that there is any difficulty at all. The Americans have assured us that their proposals will not in any way interfere with their fulfilment of the Nassau Agreement.
§ Mr. AllaunIs not that exactly what I say—that the Minister says that we will postpone the agreement until we have got our oar in first? But is not that an open encouragement to every other Government to do the same, so that there will be no agreement on this proposal?
§ Mr. ThomasNo, Sir. With respect, I do not think that the hon. Gentleman understands the position. It is very complicated, and I think that he would find it helpful if he read the American 920 representative's speech to the Disarmament Conference, when he expounded what the American proposals are.