§ Q3. Mr. Zilliacusasked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the declaration by the Warsaw Alliance Powers on 20th January concerning the proposed multilateral and Atlantic nuclear forces, he will now propose to President Johnson that both these projects be withdrawn and priority given to the need for negotiations with the Soviet Union.
§ The Prime MinisterNo, Sir.
§ Mr. ZilliacusDoes my right hon. Friend recall that on 23rd November he told the House that in any defence measure proposed by the Government it was paramount that it should not only not make disarmament more difficult but, so far as was possible, facilitate agreement, and that any defence policy which did not bear in itself the seeds of a 543 programme of disarmament was no longer appropriate? In view of the complete rejection of the A.N.F. on the same grounds as the M.L.F., and the statement by the Warsaw Powers that proceeding with this scheme would increase tension and lead to countermeasures, is it not time that my right hon. Friend dropped this proposal?
§ The Prime MinisterI am grateful to my hon. Friend for the close study he has given to what I said in the House in November. If he will now give equal study to what was, I am afraid, a very lengthy speech which I made on 16th December, he will find the whole theme of our defence and foreign policy and our proposal for an A.N.F. is to stop substantial proliferation and spreading and acquisition of nuclear weapons.