CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
DRAFT
ANNEX C to OPD(75)
1.
My colleagues and I have studied with interest your letter
of[February conveying to the British Government the views of
the other members of the Defence Planning Committee on our Defence
Review proposals. I should like to take this opportunity to
express my thanks to the Defence Planning Committee and the NATO
Military Committee for the hard work that has been done to enable
these views to be conveyed to us within the timescale that we
proposed.
2. I am grateful for the sympathetic way in which you have
expressed your understanding of the economic difficulties which
the UK faces and which we regard as unique in terms both of our
rate of economic growth, our balance of payments and the burden
of defence spending which our economy bears. I also welcome the
tribute which you have paid to the important military contribution
which we make to Allied defence. It was, as I am sure you realise,
no easy task for us to propose reductions in our defence contri-
bution or to decide where such reductions could with least damage
be made. But our proposals were put forward on the basis that, as
you have noted, NATO is regarded by the British Government as the
linch pin of our security and will remain as the first charge on
British defence expenditure. Against this background our proposals
were designed to accomplish the savings which we had decided were
necessary in such a way as to ensure that the continuing British
contribution to the Alliance would be used where it would be most
effective.
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