Your ref: D/DS22/5/1/17
J Mayne Esq
Ministry of Defence
DS 22
Main Building
Dear John,
{
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33/2/ii
SECRET
{
Defence Department
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London S.W.1
4 December 1974
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY No.26
4DEC1974
DP 55
1975 STATEMENT ON DEFENCE ESTIMATES
1. Thank you for your letter of 21 November, with which you enclosed the first draft of the Defence White Paper. We will of course want to look carefully at the draft of part I of chapter 1 on the Defence Review when it is available. we have the following comments on the various sections of the draft so far:-
Chapter 1 Put π
Paragraph 2
Meanwhile,
We believe that "recent developments in NATO" will merit more than one paragraph in the White Paper. It will probably be right, for example, to mention the discussion in the NATO Defence Planning Committee of the new US "long range defence concept", Alliance work on rationalisation and specialisation, and NATO-wide work on equipment collaboration and standarisation. (The references to these subjects should no doubt be based on the wordings agreed in the Communique which the DPC will issue on 11 December). It might also be necessary to refer to the problem of Greece and NATO.
Paragraph 8
We believe that the White Paper should contain a fairly extensive account of the Eurogroup's current aims and activities.
This would fit with the emphasis on our commitment to it which is apparent from Mr Mason's speeches and was confirmed in the Prime Minister's recent speech to the North Atlantic Assembly. should also like to see the inclusion of the usual ritual one-line reference to WEU.
We
Paragraphs 11 and 12
We believe that there will by March be a good deal to say about the CSCE, and that it will be necessary to have a substantive
SECRET
/paragraph
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.