§ Mr. Bennasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what representations were made to the Soviet authorities in reply to their Notes announcing the abrogation of the Anglo-Soviet treaty last year.
§ Mr. Dodds-ParkerNo representations were made to the Soviet Government following the receipt from the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 10th May, 1955, of the text of the Edict of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet annulling of the Anglo-Soviet Treaty. A full statement of Her Majesty's Government's views on this subject had been conveyed to the Soviet Government in a Note dated 26th January, 1955 (Command 9385). This contained a reply to a Soviet Note of 20th December, 1954, in which the Soviet Government had threatened the annulment of the Anglo-Soviet Treaty in the event of the Paris Agreements being ratified.
The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet had by its edict of 10th May denounced the Treaty unilaterally, and thus had not acted in accordance with Article VIII of the Treaty. It would have been open to Her Majesty's Government to regard the Treaty as still in force, but they chose to exercise their right to regard it as terminated. Representations to the Soviet Government were therefore not required.
For this same reason, no reply had been sent to a Soviet Note of 28th February, 1955, reiterating the views expressed in the original Soviet Note of 20th December, 1954 (Command 9385). A copy of the Soviet Note was placed in the Library of the House.