CDS 1 1 4 0 /1
C lfk fi

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S eP 87
ii

P S /S e c re ta ry o f S ta te
a .

Copy t o :
P S / M l n l s t e r ( AF)
P S /M in ls te r( D P )

Ji

UK NUCLEAR DEFENCE POLICY AND WEAPONS PLAN 1987

Sty
C

••
(

R eferen c es:
A.
B.

CDS 1140/1 d a te d 9 Ju n e 198?.
MO 1 8 /1 /1 L d a te d 8 J u ly 1 9 8 ?

1,
When e n d o rs in g th e 1987 UK N u c le a r D e fen c e P o l i c y and Weapons
P la n fo rw a rd e d to th e S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e a t R e f e r e n c e A, h e n o te d
t h a t th e UK was becom ing I n c r e a s i n g l y d e p e n d e n t on t h e US f o r
c e r t a i n n o n - o p e r a tio n a l a s p e c t s o f th e UK's n u c l e a r program m e.
S u b s e q u e n tly , you a sk e d a t R e fe re n c e B f o r i n f o r m a t i o n on th e
o b l i g a t i o n s t h a t th e US a r e u n d e r to c o n tin u e p r o v i d i n g th e UK w ith
a s s i s t a n c e and in f o r m a tio n on n u c l e a r m a t t e r s , and how e a s i l y th e s e
o b l i g a t i o n s c o u ld be r e j e c t e d .
2.
A ll i n t e r - a c t i o n s w ith t h e US on n u c l e a r m a t t e r s a r e g o v e rn e d
by t h e US/UK A greem ent f o r c o - o p e r a t i o n on t h e u s e s o f A tom ic E nergy
f o r M utual D efence P u rp o se s s ig n e d in 1958 and w h ich h a s been
e x te n d e d to ru n to 1994. The a g re e m e n t c a n b e t e r m i n a t e d by
e i t h e r p a r t y a t one y e a r ’ s n o t i c e , and e i t h e r p a r t y may r e q u e s t
a re v ie w a f t e r 5 y e a r s ; any r e s u l t i n g c h a n g e s , a d d i t i o n s o r
d e l e t i o n s r e q u i r e fo rm a l a p p ro v a l by b o th g o v e rn m e n ts .
S in c e
1958 t h e r e h av e been e x t e n s i o n s t o th e a g re e m e n t i n th e form o f
A nnexes, and a lth o u g h t h e ite m s in t h e s e a n n e x e s a r e n o t p a r t o f a
c o n t r a c t u a l com m itm ent, t h e US h a s h o n o u re d them in f u l l .
3.
The c o n tin u in g exchang e o f in f o r m a t io n u n d e r th e a g re e m e n t i s
v e ry much d e p e n d e n t upon a US a s s e s s m e n t o f UK c a p a b i l i t y . When th e UK
c e a s e d n u c l e a r t e s t i n g betw een 1963 and 1971 t h e US w ith d re w
s u p p o r t from a l l b u t b a s i c te c h n o lo g y m a t t e r s .
P r e v io u s e x ch a n g e s
on n u c l e a r d e s ig n have now b e en c o m p le te ly r e s t o r e d and e x te n d e d
com m ensurate w ith th e UK's s t r i d e s fo rw a rd s i n c e re s u m in g t e s t i n g .
F or e x a m p le , th e s u c c e s s f u l d e m o n s tr a tio n by t h e UK t h a t we c o u ld
c o m p le te th e C h e v a lin e w arhead on o u r own, and t h e d e m o n s t r a t io n
o f ad v an c e d w arhead d e s ig n s in u n d e rg ro u n d t e s t s , b o th p ro v id e d us w ith
th e key t o u n lo c k th e n u c l e a r a s p e c t s o f t h e US T r i d e n t s y ste m .
4.
Q u ite s e p a r a t e t o th e 1958 A g reem en t, t h e US/UK P o l a r i s
S a le s A greem ent (PSA) was s ig n e d in A p r il 1963*
I t has tre a ty
s t a t u s and c r e a t e s c o n tin u in g r i g h t s and o b l i g a t i o n s u n d e r i n t e r n a t i o n a l
la w : i t i s n o t an a g re em e n t c o n c e rn e d w ith n u c l e a r m a t t e r s .

sO i

5.
A r t i c l e I I I o f th e PSA o b lig e s th e US Governm ent " to provide
. . . m i s s i l e s ( l e s s w arheads) equipm ent and s u p p o r tin g s e r v ic e s o f
s u c h t y p e s and m arks and in su ch q u a n t i t i e s a s th e Government of
t h e UK may from tim e to tim e r e q u i r e , and in c o n f i g u r a ti o n s and
i n a c c o rd a n c e w ith d e l i v e r y program m es o r t i m e t a b l e s to be agreed
b e tw e e n th e p r o j e c t o f f i c e r s . . . "
Formal j o i n t a n n u a l r e p o r ts of
a c t i o n o f p r o g r e s s made u n d er th e PSA a r e made to th e c o n tr a c tin g
g o v e rn m e n ts by N a tio n a l P r o j e c t s O f f i c e r s . T h is o b l ig a t o r y
m echanism s e r v e s a s a check t h a t th e c o n tin u in g r i g h t s and o b lig a tio n s
u n d e r th e PSA a r e b e in g m et.
6.
A greed m in u te s and e x ch a n g es o f n o te s in c o n n e c tio n w ith th e
PSA w ere a l s o I s s u e d a t th e same tim e .
I n t e r a l i a t h i s exchange
o f n o t e s e x p l i c i t l y acknow ledged th e c o n tin u in g n a tu r e o f th e
o b l i g a t i o n s u n d e r th e A greem ent, and a l s o c r e a t e d a lin k a g e between
t h e PSA and th e 1958 A greem ent. In S ep tem b er 1980 i t was agreed
t h a t th e PSA s h o u ld a l s o a p p ly t o th e T r id e n t weapons sy ste m .
7.
The l e g a l and c o n t r a c t u a l o b l i g a t i o n s t h a t th e US h a s u n d ertak en
i n t h e PSA a r e a s t i g h t a s th e UK c o u ld r e a s o n a b ly e x p e c t. The UK
h a s h a d , and s h o u ld c o n tin u e to h a v e , c o n s i d e r a b l e b e n e f i t s from
t h e o p e r a t i o n o f th e PSA and t h e s e b e n e f i t s a r e ju d g ed to be
a p p r e c i a b l y g r e a t e r th a n th o s e t h a t th e UK w ould hav e o b ta in e d
u n d e r t h e F o re ig n M i l i t a r y S a le s reg im e w hich now g o v e rn s th e supply
o f m o st US w eapons t o th e UK. S i m i l a r l y th e te rm s o f th e 1958
A greem ent a r e t h e b e s t th e UK c o u ld hav e o b t a i n e d . However, th e r e
can b e no g u a r a n te e t h a t i f , I n th e view o f t h e US a d m in s tr a tlo n ,
i t s own i n t e r e s t s a r e b e in g h arm ed , o r th e UK’ s c a p a b i l i t i e s and
com m itm ents a r e ju d g ed i n s u f f i c i e n t , th e a g re e m e n t w i l l n o t be
te rm in a te d .
8.
F i n a l l y , I s h o u ld a l s o add t h a t th e US h a s n o t b e e n , n o r i s
i t l i k e l y t o b e , d e p e n d e n t upon th e UK i n n u c l e a r m a t t e r s to any
s ig n if ic a n t e x te n t.
A lth o u g h th e UK r e c e n t l y lo a n e d th e US a
q u a n t i t y o f T r itiu m b e c a u s e t h e i r own p r o d u c t i o n c a p a c i t y had
b e e n r e d u c e d , i t was an e x tr e m e ly s m a ll p r o p o r t i o n o f th e t o t a l
US n e e d .
S i m i l a r l y , w h ile th e UK t e c h n i c a l i n p u t to th e US o ver
t h e y e a r s a s p a r t o f th e 1958 A greem ent h a s b e e n h e l p f u l , no
s i n g l e i s s u e c o u ld h av e b een u se d a s a b a r g a i n i n g c o u n t e r .

A ir C dre
PSO/CDS
MB6173 3353MB