§ 18. Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish in the defence White Paper a list of major weapons systems separately classified as strategic, intermediate and conventional.
§ Mr. HeseltineThe Defence White Paper for 1984 will, as in previous years, have a section on the balance of forces, which will cover deployment of nuclear and conventional weapon systems and will include charts showing numerical comparisons.
§ Mr. ThomasWill the Secretary of State explain in the defence White Paper why land-based cruise missiles are classified as intermediate weapons, whereas sea-launched cruise missiles, which will be deployed in June, are classified as strategic weapons related to the American national deterrent?
§ Mr. HeseltineWe can try to deal with that in the White Paper, which will seek to explain specifically the large and comprehensive range of cruise missiles available to the Soviet Union, which must be set in balance with those of the United States.