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implement for Britain abandoning our nuclear tasks.
Such folly would leave Europe open to the full might of
It would give us Soviet conventional attack.
recourse save dependence on the willingness of the
no
United States to risk a full-scale nuclear war.
And,
this in the defence of Europeans who would already have
rejected much of that contribution to their defence.
In implemented, the Opposition's policies would, I
believe,
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hand the Soviet Union a major military, political
and propaganda advantage at no cost to themselves;
greatly diminish the value and credibility of
Britain's remaining contribution to the Alliance;
damage the unity of NATO, probably beyond repair,
and emasculate its strategy;
mark the end of the close relationship between
Britain and the United States;
severely weaken, and probably break, the American
commitment to the defence of Europe.
and strike at the whole basis of the peace and
security which NATO has brought to Europe for the
past 35 years.
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