DRAFT OPD PAPER
CONFIDENTIAL.
OPD (75)
THE DEFENCE REVIEW - CONSULTATIONS WITH ALLIES
Kemorandum by the Secretary of State for Defence
Introduction
Following my statement in Parliament on 3rd December 1974
on the Government's provisional conclusions on the Defence Review,
we have conducted full consultations with our Allies. These
consultations will continue, especially within NATO, but we are
now in a position to take definitive decisions on most of the major
Defence Review issues.
Non-NATO consultations
2. The results so far of the discussions we have had with our
non-NATO associates about the withdrawals proposed under the Defence
Review are summarised at Annex A. In general, the reductions we
propose have been accepted with resignation, subject only to some
minor changes, which are in some cases still under discussion, and
with which it is not necessary for me to trouble the Committee
collectively.
3. There are, however, three significant outstanding problems on
which it will not be possible to record definitive decisions in the
Defence White Paper:
8.
Discussions with the Hong Kong Government on the basis of
the Committee's previous decisions have not yet yielded
a final result. The problem is being considered by the
Committee separately (OPD(75))
CONFIDENTAL,
;
Page 60Page 61