Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–14, Part 2, Documents on Arms Control and Nonproliferation, 1973–1976

64. Telegram 8366 From the Embassy in the United Kingdom to the Department of State¹

London, July 3, 1974, 1750Z.

8366. Subject: Nuclear Test Ban Agreement.

1. Foreign Office spokesman has announced that HMG welcomes Soviet-U.S. agreement to ban underground nuclear tests with yields above 150 kilotons and stated that Britain will consider itself bound by the agreement.

2. British are clearly delighted that limited test ban arrangement was agreed at Moscow summit. In a debate yesterday (2 July) Defense Secretary Mason spoke at some length of efforts undertaken by successive British governments to check the proliferation of nuclear arms by supporting the partial test ban and the nonproliferation treaties. He pointed to the duty of all nuclear powers to seek the total abolition of nuclear weapons through multilateral and international agreements, and said he hoped that the Nixon-Brezhnev meeting this week would produce an agreement that would represent another step toward this “worthwhile and internationally required objective.”

Annenberg

1. Summary: The Embassy reported the British response to the Threshold Test Ban Treaty.

   Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D740177–0771. Unclassified. Repeated for information to Bonn, Moscow, Paris, and the Mission to NATO.