§ 83. Mr. Goodhartasked the Minister of Defence whether it would be possible to obtain Polaris missiles from the United States of America under the Nassau Agreement before the construction of British nuclear submarines had 74W been completed, if it were thought desirable to mount these missiles on surface warships.
§ Mr. ThorneycroftThe Nassau Agreement did not specifically cover the use of Polaris missiles on surface warships. This possibility has been considered but surface vessels have a number of disadvantages compared with submarines, notably their greater vulnerability.