§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether it is their intention to discover the Bush Administration's intentions in relation to the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (including to its strict interpretation) and if not whether British firms may now consider themselves free to engage in research, development, production and other related activities that are in breach of a strict interpretation of the treaty.
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Glenarthur)We look forward to learning the views of President Bush's Administration on all important foreign policy issues. Naturally this would include any change in US policy towards the ABM Treaty were such a change to occur. Although President Reagan's Administration advocated the so-called "broad" interpretation of the treaty, it undertook no activities beyond those permitted by the so-called "strict"interpretation. Therefore the question of participation of British firms in activities which might be admissable only under the "broad" interpretation has not arisen.