TNAG-0115-FCO40-151-Departmental-briefs-for-Commonwealth-Prime-Minister-s-and-ot-1969 — Page 129

of the other Warsaw Pact countries. The members of NATO

have since the Czechoslovak tragedy been re-looking at

their defences and we have already been able ourselves

to make some additional contribution to them.

26.

Since the defence of the NATO area still depends

vitally upon the continued presence on this side of the

Atlantic of North American forces we were all pleased to

have from the new American President assurances of his

country's continued determination in support of NATO.

That he should, so early in his Presidency, have taken

time to visit 4 of the European countries members of NATO,

and begun his tour with a visit to NATO's European

Headquarters in Brussels, and included in it a visit to

Berlin, where he renewed American pledges of support to

West Berlin, (again recently the subject of disturbing

moves from East Germany), has been much appreciated by

us and the other NATO countries.

We also greatly value

his assurances that the United States will not, in any

negotiations with the Soviet Union, fail to consult with,

or overlook the interests of, other members of the

Atlantic Alliance.

27. The Atlantic Alliance has, of course, a double

purpose. It is as eager, as and when fair and secure

progress towards this is possible, for detente as for

deterrent. We cannot, whilst Soviet forces still remain on

Czechoslovak soil, act in such a way as to seem to have

forgotten and forgiven aggression against a fellow member

of the United Nations. But with all the Warsaw Pact

countries we remain ready, as do other members of the

/Atlantic