TNAG-1326-FCO40-1738-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-debates-1984 — Page 190

་

-

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,

-...

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.

12