§ 53. Mr. Iremongerasked the Minister of Defence where the nuclear explosions being planned with the Government of the United States of America will take place; and how far from Christmas Island itself these explosions will be.
§ Mr. WatkinsonAs was made clear in the joint Anglo-American statement which was quoted by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 8th February, it has been decided that preparations should be made in various places and that as part of these the facilities at Christmas Island should be made available to the U.S. Government. I cannot give details of the operational planning.
Mr. Hendersonasked the Minister of Defence what progress has been made in the joint study by United States and British scientists in their investigations into the means of detecting underground nuclear tests.
§ Mr. WatkinsonA considerable effort has been devoted to this task both here and, in particular, in the U.S.A. A large amount of useful information has been collected, which is being collated and evaluated, and work is continuing.