Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volumes VII, VIII, IX, Arms Control; National Security Policy; Foreign Economic Policy, Microfiche Supplement

77. Memorandum Prepared by British Embassy, January 19¹

January 19, 1962

NUCLEAR TESTS

The United Kingdom Cabinet, after thorough consideration, decided on January 18 that Her Majesty’s Government are willing in principle to agree to the use of Christmas Island on the following basis.

2. The Cabinet fully understood and were highly gratified by the desire of the President of the United States to avoid any formula declaring in terms that the United Kingdom and United States governments have decided to make tests. The Cabinet were also pleased that the President of the United States is taking the possibilities of an initiative on disarmament so seriously. The Cabinet considered that the British and American positions on this are very close together and the Cabinet are now prepared for work to begin on the Christmas Island Agreement. A draft of this Agreement is being sent to Her Majesty’s Embassy and it is assumed that work would go ahead simultaneously in Washington on this Agreement, on the form which the disarmament initiative might take, and on the wording of paragraph C of the draft announcement.

3. Her Majesty’s Government can broadly accept the revised form of paragraph A of the draft announcement, that is the amendment suggested by the United States Government so as to make the first sentence after the word “factor” to read “would justify the West in making such further nuclear tests as may be necessary for purely military reasons”. However Her Majesty’s Government would prefer the whole of paragraph A now to read as follows:—

“It is the joint view of the United States and the United Kingdom Governments that the existing state of nuclear development, in which the recent massive Soviet tests are an important factor, would justify the West in making such further series of nuclear tests as may be necessary for purely military reasons.

The United States and United Kingdom Governments have therefore decided that preparations should be made in various places, and as part of these the United Kingdom Government are making available to the United States Government the facilities at Christmas Island.”

4. The above formula, unlike that proposed in the annex to the Prime Minister’s message of January 16 to the President, will immediately prompt the question “Who will make the final decision?”. The Prime Minister anticipates this question being put to him in Parliament, and no doubt to the President in his press conference. The Prime Minister feels sure that the President would agree that the answer to this should be obscured so far as possible and that reference should be made to the continuous close consultation on both scientific and political aspects which would continue all the time. So far as Her Majesty’s Government are concerned, it would be a great help if it could be said that this consultation will include an Anglo/American Technical Committee to advise both the Prime Minister and the President on the scientific aspects so that they could be satisfied that the very similar formulae which they put out last autumn were really met. If the President were pressed as to what he would do if Her Majesty’s Government disagreed about the military necessity for tests, he could perhaps say that such a dispute was surely impossible in view of the Joint Statement and close consultation. If the Prime Minister were pressed on the same point he would say that of course if both Her Majesty’s Government and the United States Government agreed that further tests were after all militarily unnecessary, so much the better. But having reached agreement in principle as to the moral justification for making further tests, neither Government would stand in the way of the other if, in the end, it felt that further tests were militarily necessary. Meanwhile there would be close consultation between the two governments.

5. Once the formula for paragraph C of the announcement has been worked out, the two governments will, of course, have to consult together again about the timing of the announcement as a whole. Her Majesty’s Government agree that paragraph B of the draft announcement can be omitted if the United States Government prefer. Then work could start on Christmas Island just as soon as the draft agreement has been concluded.

1. Agreement on use of Christmas Island. Top Secret. 3 pp. Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Subjects Series, Nuclear Weapons Tests, 1/16/62–1/22/62.