§ 68. Sir C. Osborneasked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the circumstances that led to the repudiation by the Russian representative of the agreement recently concluded at the Geneva disarmament conference regarding war propaganda; to what extent the recent official statements by West German Ministers regarding their desire for West Germany to be equipped with nuclear weapons were a contributory factor in this breakdown; and if he will publish as a White Paper a summary of the negotiations that led to this breakdown, together with English translations of all relevant documents.
§ Mr. HeathMy hon. Friend answered the first part of this Question yesterday, in replying to the right hon. and learned Gentleman the Member for Rowley Regis and Tipton (Mr. A. Henderson) and the hon. Gentleman the Member for Fife, West (Mr. W. Hamilton). As for my hon. Friend's inquiry about statements by West German Ministers, Her Majesty's Government do not consider that any such statements can in any way have contributed to the failure to reach agreement on a declaration against war propaganda.
Her Majesty's Government do not consider it appropriate to publish a White Paper specifically devoted to these developments.