SECRET
80
Sir G Arthur
Private Secretary
cc Sir J Killick
Sir D Watson
Mr Campbell
Mr Male
Mr Cable
Mr Goodison, SEED
Mr Stuart, ÍKIOD
Mr Hickman, SWPD
Mr Thomas, SWED
Lord N Gordon-Lennox, NAD
Mr McLaren, WOD
Mr Clark, MED
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RAC
20 AUG 1974
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DEFENCE REVIEW: NON NATO COMMITMENTS
1.
10/9
D. Dinfiddy to e
PA
BD
22/8
In a letter of 8 August to the Prime Minister, Mr Healey suggests that because of the likely need for something about future defence policy to be said publicly before the end of September (or earlier to other Ministers and the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party), HMG should not delay consulting those concerned outside NATO about the proposed reductions "East of Suez and in the Mediterranean". He also suggests that the Secretary of State might find it useful to keep "the planned run down in Cyprus" as one of his objectives in negotiations with Greece and Turkey. The Secretary of State has asked for advice. He does not think we need hurry the matter for a week or so but asks when we should begin consultations.
2. We cannot support Mr Ilealey's proposals about the reductions Last of Suez and in the Mediterranean as they stand. Ministers agreed at the OPD on 1 August that consultations with our allies should wait until firmer conclusions about the Defence Review as a whole had been reached. This was in line with their public position since the beginning of the Review that decisions would not be taken piecemeal. Moreover, we have always intendito consult the Americans about the Review as a whole before consulting any of our other allies. This will be even more important now as an exam; le of how we intend to conduct our relations with the Americans under the new President. There is a considerable danger that the consultations will get off on the wrong Bot if we try to get the Americans to express opinions on our plans for non NATO areas if we cannot at the same time discuss our plans for the NATO area with them. Even if we were to do so, it is most unlikely that consultations on our plans for non NATO areas generally would
/advance
SECRET