§ Mr. Cryerasked the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his reply of 11 November 1980 to the hon. Member for Keighley, if he will give the date of and publish in the Official Report the text of the agreement reached by Mr. Attlee and President Truman in October 1951 on the use by United States forces bases and facilities in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. PattieThe agreement was not reflected in any formal document, but was described as follows in the joint communique issued on 9th January 1952
Under arrangements made for the common defence, the United States has the use of certain bases in the United Kingdom. We reaffirm the understanding that the use of these bases in an emergency would be a matter for joint decision by His Majesty's Government and the United States Government in the light of the circumstances prevailing at the time.
§ Mr. Cryerasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will state the legislative authority whereby United States aeroplanes are stationed in the United Kingdom and carry nuclear weapons, the authority for the deployment and storage of these weapons and the dates on which Parliament by vote approved these decisions.
§ Mr. PattieThe use by United States forces of certain bases in the United Kingdom is regulated by a number of agreements, as I said in answer to a question by the hon. Member on 10 December 1980. These agreements form part of the commitment of successive Governments to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, which remains a central feature of our defence policy, subject to annual approval by Parliament.