HC Deb 03 July 1957 vol 572 c109W
47. Mr. Beswick

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if, in view of the progress of the present talks on disarmament, it is still the policy of Her Majesty's Government to insist on a settlement of some outstanding political problems before accepting any agreement for a progressive reduction in armed forces.

Commander Noble

There is general agreement in the Disarmament Sub-Committee that no political conditions should be attached to the initial reduction of armed forces as part of a first-stage disarmament agreement. This applies to reductions to 2.5 million men for the largest powers and 750,000 men for the United Kingdom and France. Any commitment to further reductions must, in Her Majesty's Government's view, be made dependent on progress in the political field.