HC Deb 17 October 1968 vol 770 cc170-1W
Mr. Judd

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement on operation "First Look" and the follow-up action he intends to take.

Mr. Mulley

Exercise "First Look" a joint Anglo-American arms control verification exercise, was held in southern England from June to September. The Exercise, the purpose of which was to test in the field possible means of verifying compliance with a hypothetical international agreement limiting conventional land and air forces, provided a valuable opportunity to acquire practical experience of verification problems and techques. Visits by observers from our North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies and from countries participating in the Eighteen Nation Disarmament Committee, as well as by a number of hon. Members, were arranged while the Exercise was in progress. The information produced by the Exercise is now being analysed and it is too soon to draw conclusions from it. But we shall naturally make all possible use of its results in the disarmament negotiations.

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