‘U.S. A-Weapons For N.A.T.O.’

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29764, 6 March 1962, Page 13

‘U.S. A-Weapons For N.A.T.O.’

(N.Z. Press Association— Copyright) WASHINGTON, March 5. The United States now appears ready to supply its allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation with a new atomic weapon, according to the Associated Press.

The news agenr- said the United States apparently hid altered its approach to making N.A.T.O. a nuclear power. It now appeared ready' to support the step. For a long period, the official United States position was that the initiative would have to come from NAT.O. Now, authoritative sources said the United States was prepared to participate actively for a positive decision.

Simultaneously, research work was reported to have reached an advanced stage on a new, mobile, middle-range nuclear rocket specifically designed to fit N.A.T.O.’* needs for the defence of Western Europe. Reportedly, the new weapon —as well as older ones—could be placed at N.AT.O's disposal as soon as there was a solution to the political question of the multilateral control of N.A.T.O.’s missile forces.

The change in the United States attitude meant that the Administration no longer insisted that the Allies should speak first and specify' how they wanted to participate in the joint control of the nuclear deterrent, A.P. said. Informants say Washington now realised that a one-sided dialogue would lead nowhere. As the United States Secretary of State (Mr Rusk) explained at a press conference last week, discussion on this issue “is not likely to move forward without our direct, interested and lively participation." Apparently this meant acceptance of arguments put forward by N.A.T.O.'s Sec-retary-General (Mr Dirk Stikker) who visited Washington last month to express his concern about Washington’s “hands-off attitude" and the resultant lack of action, the news agency said. The new missile had not yet been named. The United States Defence Department

announced last November that it had ordered its design “for the possible future use of N.A.T.0."

N.A.T.O. already has a great variety of nuclear delivery systems in Europe, ranging from fighter-bombers and atomic artillery to rockets. However the warheads ar* in United States custody.