§ Mr. Marlowasked the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has as to which countries possess a military nuclear capability, showing in each case the implications of such capability for the defence of the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. YoungerApart from our NATO allies, France and the United States, two other countries—the Soviet Union and China—are nuclear weapons states; both also possess the associated delivery systems which could threaten the United Kingdom. In 1974 India exploded a nuclear device. Several other countries have carried out research into nuclear weapons and a few of these countries may be close to developing the capability to make them.