N.A.T.O. May Change Nuclear Policy

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30631, 23 December 1964, Page 13

N.A.T.O. May Change Nuclear Policy

(N.Z.P.A.- Reuter—Copyright)

WASHINGTON, December 22.

United States officials said today that some new nuclear arrangement within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation seemed possible within the next six to 12 months. But they said the United States was not laying down any deadline for acceptance of her proposals.

Talks on the British proposals for a broadened Atlantic nuclear force are expected to continue for the next few weeks. Officials in Washington believe that by the middle or the end of January a clearer picture should emerge of whether a broad consensus can be achieved.

Any thought of concluding early agreement on the United States proposal for a multilateral nuclear fleet (M.L.F.) now appears to have been put in the background.

This coincides with yesterday’s disclosure of a National Security Council memorandum instructing diplomatic and military officials to do everything possible in the New Year to reunite the Atlantic alliance. Officials indicate that the ball is in the European court so far as the N.A.T.O. nuclear problem is concerned, Britain seeking agreement from Germany and Italy on its plan for a broadened force including British V-bombers, British and U.S. Polaris submarines and a mixed fleet to which present non-nuclear States could contribute. The officials said Britain was now conducting bilateral talks with Germany and Italy, and the Paris committee of Eight was also considering the British plan. This

is the same committee which for several months studied the original United States proposal for a mixed-manned fleet of 25 surface ships each carrying eight Polaris missiles.

France has so far opposed all attempts to set up a joint N.A.T.O. nuclear force, pre-

ferring to continue to build her own deterrent.

But Washington officials said the French suggested in last week’s top-level talks in Paris that they were prepared to consider co-ordina-tion of the N.A.T.O. nuclear forces. Mr Pierre Messmer and Mr Robert McNamara,

the French and United States Defence Ministers, would keep in touch with each other on this matter. Talks which Mr Dean Rusk, the Secretary of State, had with President de Gaulle in Paris have been generally welcomed in Washington as signalling a new warmth in Paris-Washington relations.

But officials said fundamental differences of view between the two capitals on N.A.T.O.’s future remain unchanged.