THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 1964-1974

Introduction by Geoffrey de Freitas Member of Parliament

Published in English and French by The British Atlantic Committee 36 Craven Street, London WC2N 5NG

THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY

1964-19 74

Introduction by Geoffrey de Freitas Member of Parliament

Published in English and French by The British Atlantic Committee 36 Craven Street, London WC2N 5NG

THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 1964-1974

by Fraser CAMERON

"The world we, in the West, build may depend less on technical discus• sions than on common dreams". Henry KISSINGER

"We must show that the North Atlantic Assembly is not merely a club or a glorified debating society". President Kasim GULEK PREFACE The North Atlantic Assembly - until 1966 known as the NATO Parliamentarians' Conference — celebrates its twentieth anniversary in 1974. The only forum where parliamentarians from both sides of the Atlantic meet regularly to discuss issues of common interest, the North Atlantic Assembly has made considerable progress since its foundation in the mid 1950s. On the initiative of distinguished parliamentarians from both Europe and North America, arrangements were made to hold a conference of members of Parliaments from the fifteen member countries of the Atlantic Alliance. This conference met in Paris, at the Palais de Chaillot, from 18-23 July, 1955. Although an unofficial body with no statutory powers, the Conference served from 1955 onwards as an important platform for discussions between parlia• mentary delegates from all NATO countries. During its first ten years of existence, the Conference held regular annual meetings, established a comprehensive committee system, arranged military tours for delegates and moved its Secretariat from London in order to be close to NATO headquarters in Paris. The conference was also instrumental in helping to arrange the Atlantic Congress in London (1959), sponsoring the Atlantic Institute in Paris (1961), and organising the Atlantic Convention of NATO countries in Paris (1962).* The present pamphlet deals with the activities of the North Atlantic Assembly throughout its second decade (1964-74). During this period, a sustained attempt was made to institutionalise the Assembly, the Secretariat was transferred from Paris to Brussels and the whole scope and range of the Assembly's activities multiplied.

•For the history of the first decade of the NATO Parliamentarians' Conference, see the two pamphlets published by the Hansard Society which cover the years 1955-59 and 1960-64 respectively. The intro• ductions to these two pamphlets are reproduced in Appendix One. INTRODUCTION

by The Rt. Hon. Sir Geoffrey de Freitas KCMG, Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)

One of the founders of the Assembly, a member of the Standing Committee, Leader of the British delegation

Like the earlier pamphlets referred to in Appendix 1, this pamphlet does not pretend to be a study of the develop• ment of the North Atlantic Assembly. They are all merely records of work done. I hope that the British Atlantic Committee will persuade Fraser Cameron* to write a real study of the Assembly. Dr. Cameron is a young Scot who follows the work of international parliamentary institutions with the considerable advantage of speaking and writing both French and German. The development of the Assembly has disappointed many of us. We had hoped that by now it would have become an official parliamentary body standing in relation to the North Atlantic Alliance as the Consultative Assembly does to the Council of Europe. This has not happened. There have been many reasons for this. First, the Assembly moves round from country to country for its annual meeting. This prevents it being regarded as an organ of the Alliance which has its headquarters in Brussels. To many Atlantic parlia• mentarians it thus becomes little more than an annual meeting on the level of the Inter Parliamentary Union. Second, The President has had only one year in office and therefore little opportunity of making any impression on the members of the North Atlantic *Dr. Cameron, who is lecturer in Modern History at the University of Kent at Canterbury, was educated at St. Andrews and Cambridge Universities and Europa Kolleg, Hamburg. 6 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY Council and on the Presidents of other parliamentary assemblies who usually have three years in office. (The new rules of procedure make it possible to have a wider choice of candidate and a longer tenure of office.) Third, the Assembly does not yet have the budgetary system found in other international institutions such as the Council of Europe. When such a system is adopted it will be easier to have the Assembly recognised by the North Atlantic Council as an official body. The new rules of procedure have already enhanced the reputation of the Assembly by ensuring that Committee resolutions coming before the Assembly are not only more concise but are directed to asking some body (usually the North Atlantic Council) to follow some particular course of action. Too often in the past the Assembly had adopted a series of resounding declarations addressed to all the world - and to its collective wastepaper basket. The Assembly has frequently recorded its wish for official status within the Atlantic Alliance and its wishes are more likely to be met today than at any other time in its life. The Assembly is now recognised under Belgian law as an international organisation and in recent years it has been treated by governments with courtesy and by Secre• taries-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation with both consideration and courtesy. Within the last few months the British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, who was once a delegate in Paris, has commended the Assembly in the House of Commons and at a meeting of the Heads of Government of the Alliance. All international organisations depend for their efficiency on their permanent staff. However, an organisation in which the membership of its directing committee changes frequently and which has a different President each year must rely almost entirely on the qualities of the head of the secretariat. Fortunately we have an outstanding Secretary- General in Philippe Deshormes and a first rate staff. The period since the Assembly followed NATO to Brussels and THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 7 Mr. Deshormes took up his appointment have been the most significant years in the development of the Assembly. In the introduction to the first pamphlet I asked whether the Assembly was in any sense a Parliament in embryo and if so whether its role was to learn from authority as did our Tudor parliaments or to question authority as did our Jacobean parliaments. Today the Assembly is twenty years old and it does not fall into either category. However, it is an established international assembly of Members of Parliament and under wise direction from the Standing Committee and Mr. Deshormes it has shown itself capable of being a forum for debating new problems which it was impossible even to imagine twenty years ago. Then the major factor was the overwhelming strength of the Atlantic Community and especially of the United States of America. In the last twelve months all that has changed and we have entirely different political and economic difficulties. Our Governments discuss them. As elected representatives of our people it is our duty to debate them not only in our national parliaments but in this international forum. Never before has our Assembly had greater importance and a greater opportunity.

October 1974 Geoffrey de Freitas

House of Commons, London SW1A OAA 8 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY THE YEAR 1964 The principal questions dominating the Alliance in 1964 were the proposal for a multi-lateral nuclear force (MLF) within NATO, the Cyprus dispute and the repercussions following the successful testing of the Chinese A-bomb and the change of leadership in the Soviet Union. Paris was the venue of the spring round of Assembly committee meetings.* The discussions in the Political and Military Committees both centred on the problem of control of nuclear weapons in NATO. The Scientific and Technical Committee heard experts talk on current research in the fields of quantum electronics and molecular biology whilst the Education, Cultural Affairs and Information Committee examined the range of information activities within NATO. In its discussions, the Economic Committee considered the progress of the Kennedy-Round negotiations and relations between the industrialised countries and the Third World. In September, a group of thirty Canadian and European delegates took part in a ten-day tour of American military bases. The parliamentarians visited the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, the Strategic Air Command (SAC), NATO's Atlantic headquarters (SACLANT) at Norfolk in Virginia as well as various bases in Florida including Cape Kennedy. On their return to Washington, the group had a working lunch with Mr. Dean Rusk, the US Secretary of State, and were received by President Johnson in the White House.

THE TENTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE: PARIS Held at NATO headquarters in Paris from 16-21 November, the Assembly heard speeches from Mr. Couve de Murville, the French Foreign Minister; Mr. Manlio Brosio, Secretary-General of NATO; General Lemnitzer, SACEUR; and Professor Richard Lowenthal of the Free University of Berlin. The dominant theme evoked by the speakers reflected the main concern of Western political leaders during 1964 — namely the control and management of the NATO nuclear *See the organisational note in Appendix Two THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 9 arsenal. Touching on this point, Mr. Couve de Murville stressed the need for an equitable solution by unanimous agreement. He felt that the Conference provided the ideal platform for confronting different viewpoints, but warned against the illusion that there were ready-made solutions to all Alliance problems. In their speeches to the Conference, Mr. Brosio surveyed the principal political issues affecting the Alliance whilst General Lemnitzer outlined recent military developments. A total of eighteen recommendations were adopted by the Conference reflecting the wide range of topics discussed by the various committees. From the Military Committee came recommendations on further co-ordination of research and development and production within NATO so as to organise an integrated logistics system and to contribute to the ACE Mobile Force. The Economic Committee wished to see closer co• operation between the OECD and their own committee. Furthermore, the Economic Committee recommended the establishment of a Code of Fair Practice in International Trade with the Soviet Bloc and proposed the creation of a Special Committee on Economic Development in the less developed NATO countries. In its recommendations, the Scientific and Technical Committee called on NATO for greater efforts to combat pollution. The committee also proposed the adoption of new methods for the rapid processing and transmission of information and of a programme of experimental research and development for telecommunication satellites. The most significant recommendation emanating from the Committee on Education, Cultural Affairs and Inform• ation concerned educational matters. The Conference requested all members of NATO and OECD to implement such measures as the mutual recogniticn of university admission requirements, degrees and diplomas, periods of foreign study as well as increasing the NATO Fellowship programme. Several recommendations from the Political Committee were adopted including motions on German reunification; 10 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY the Cyprus dispute; and the re-organisation of NATO. On this theme, the Conference called for a Working Party to study the subject in more detail. Continually anxious about its unofficial status, the Conference passed a resolution proposing inter-parliamen• tary discussions on creating an Atlantic Consultative Assembly. If, in the words of Mr. Soares de Fonseca of Portugal, the Conference was known, but not recognised, having no official existence or formal international status, the words of Mr. Couve de Murville were equally true. The Conference, he said, had become an integral part of the Atlantic Alliance, if not by virtue of texts, at least by force of practice. At its closing session, the Conference elected Senator Henri Moreau de Melen from Belgium as President for 1964-65. The following committee officers were elected:

Political Committee: Chairman : Mr. John Lindsay (US) Vice-Chairman : Mr. A. Duynstee (NL) Rapporteur : Mr. M. Boscher (F) Military Committee: Chairman : Sir Fitzroy Maclean (UK) Vice-Chairman : Colonel W. Wierda (NL) Rapporteur : Captain D. Groos (CAN) Economic Committee: Chairman : Mr. A. Kershaw (UK) Vice-Chairman : Professor F. Burgbacher (FRG) Rapporteur : Mr. T. Westerterp (NL) Scientific & Technical Committee: Chairman : Senator G. Portmann (F) Vice-Chairman : Mrs. E. Ross (DK) Rapporteur : Mr. G. Mundaleer (B) Education, Cultural Affairs & Information Committee: Chairman : Senator Karl Mundt (US) Vice-Chairman : Mr. H. Pohler (FRG) Rapporteur : Mr. R. Vivien (F) THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 11 THE YEAR 1965 The spring round of Assembly committee meetings were again held in Paris at the end of May. The Political Committee spent much of its meeting discussing French attitudes towards NATO but the committee also found time to have a joint session with the Military Committee. In their discussions, the Military Committee concerned them• selves with standardisation, the re-organisation of NATO and the MLF proposals. The Scientific and Technical Committee devoted their meeting to a discussion of the problems of oceanography, fishing and space law. The Economic Committee, mean• while, had met and passed resolutions on co-ordination of aid policies; trade with the Soviet Bloc; and given approval for a Working Party to study the impact of automation in industry. Count Adelman, Director of NATO Information Services, spoke to the Education, Cultural Affairs and Information Committee which was keen to develop cross- cultural contacts between NATO member countries. The Special Committee on Developing NATO countries also held a meeting in Paris under the chairmanship of Senator Javits (US) who outlined the substantial progress which had been made on the Greek-Turkish project. The annual autumn military tour took place between 23 August and 3 September. Twenty-three parliamentarians from ten countries travelled over 7,000 miles on a trip which took them from Bergen to Istanbul. Among the military installations visited were the Haansvern naval base in Norway, RAF Bomber Command in England, the US Second Cavalry Regiment in Bavaria, the Montijo air base near Lisbon, the La Spezia anti-submarine research centre and the Suda base on Crete.

THE ELEVENTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE: NEW YORK For the second occasion,* the annual conference was held in the United States. Meeting in New York from 4-9 October, delegates heard speeches from Mr. Brosio and Mr. *The first occasion was in 1959 when the Conference took place in Washington 12 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY Hubert Humphrey, Vice-President of the United States. The deliberations of the Conference were held against a background of debate as to how the role of the Alliance could best be adapted to changing world conditions. Vice- President Humphrey had some remarks to make on this point. "An effective partnership", he said, "must be based on the concept of equality: equality of effort and equality of responsibility . . . To fulfil the promise of this partnership, we must be ready to break new ground, as did the statesmen who first constructed the Alliance". Mr. Brosio's speech, by contrast, asked the question - why, and for what purpose is the Alliance still necessary? Although the Soviet military threat had receded, said Mr. Brosio, political pressure by Moscow still continued. It was absolutely essential, he went on, that NATO should remain united in the face of this pressure. Only when member states had clear ideas and firm convictions regarding the necessity of the Alliance and its objectives in the face of Soviet pressure could proposals for the reform of NATO be properly discussed. One of the most interesting reports presented to the Conference was that by the Working Party on the Reform of NATO. In the words of the Rapporteur, Mr. Hooson (UK), "It is possible to continue NATO, certainly under its present organisation, for perhaps not an unlimited period, but for the foreseeable future, with certain changes that are possible within its own organisation ... I think that the key to the development of NATO ... is to find a suitable formula which enables the European partners of NATO to take a real share in decision making". The Conference requested the Special Committee on Developing NATO Countries and the Working Party on the Reform of NATO to continue their work. One of the main resolutions passed by Conference concerned the lack of progress towards an Atlantic Consultative Assembly. The Conference instructed the Political Committee to prepare a report on the possibility of converting the Conference into a Consultative Assembly of NATO, in an official relationship to the North Atlantic Council. Further- THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 13 more, all members were urged to consider possible ways to improve the status and efficiency of the NATO Parlia• mentarians' Conference. The Economic Committee put forward two recommend• ations which were accepted by Conference. The first called for the successful conclusion of the Kennedy Round negotiations; the second was a plea for member govern• ments to co-ordinate within the framework of OECD their trade and finance policies towards developing countries. The Military Committee continued to press for standard• isation of military production within NATO and the Conference approved the establishment of a special committee to examine the possibilities in this field. The Scientific and Technical Committee recommended that all countries co-operate in research on oceanography and fishing technology. Welcoming the movement, demonstrated by the Atlantic College and the International Baccalaureate, towards an international university entrance examination, the Educ• ation, Cultural Affairs and Information Committee called for the strengthening of exchange programmes and support for Atlantic Studies. Recommendations were also proposed and accepted calling for the NATO Secretariat to provide an annual report to the Conference on cultural and information matters within the Alliance countries and for the creation of a study commission to explore the feasibility of establishing an educational centre for the training of civil servants and other administrators. Meeting the day after the Conference officially ended, the Standing Committee decided that the Conference Secre• tariat would have to be strengthened in view of the in• creasing volume of work. At the closing session, Mr. Soares de Fonseca of Portugal was elected President of the Conference for 1965-66. The following committee officers were elected: Political Committee: Chairman : Mr. A. Duynstee (NL) Vice-Chairman : Mr. M. Boscher (F) Rapporteur : Senator J. Javits (US) 14 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY Military Committee: Chairman : Sir Fitzroy Maclean (UK) Vice-Chairman : Colonel W. Wierda (NL) Rapporteur : Captain D. Groos (CAN) Economic Committee: Chairman : Mr. A. Kershaw (UK) Vice-Chairman : Professor F. Burgbacher (FRG) Rapporteur : Mr. T. Westerterp (NL) Scientific & Technical Committee Chairman : Senator G. Portmann (F) Vice-Chairman : Mr. P. Rodino (US) Rapporteur : Mr. G. Mundaleer (B) Education, Cultural Affairs & Information Committee: Chairman : Senator Karl Mundt (US) Vice-Chairman : Mr. H. Pohler (FRG) Rapporteur : Mr. R. Vivien (F)

THE YEAR 1966 1966 was a dramatic year both for NATO and the Parliamentarians' Conference. In South-East Asia, the United States became deeper and deeper involved in Vietnam whilst in Europe, the French withdrawal from NATO's military command and the repercussions thereof, dominated practically all discussions. The NATO Parlia• mentarians also had to consider their own future role vis-a• vis the North Atlantic Council as outlined in the de Freitas Report. The spring round of committee meetings were held in Paris in the middle of May. The Standing Committee discussed the impact of the French move and ways and means of strengthening the Secretariat. There was a dispute in the Standing Committee over the question of accepting a grant from the Ford Foundation to finance Conference activities. After a lengthy debate, the Standing Committee decided against accepting any private money lest it jeopar• dise the attempt to gain official status. The Political Committee discussed a draft report prepared by Sir Geoffrey de Freitas (UK) on the prospect of con• verting the NATO Parliamentarians' Conference into an THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 15 Atlantic Consultative Assembly. Time was also found to discuss the impact of the French withdrawal from NATO and the German Question. The French decision also dominated the deliberations of the Economic and Military Committees. Only the Scientific and Technical Committee ignored the matter and dealt with the problems of satellite communication and the dis• semination of information. In September, the annual military tour took place in the United States. Delegates visited various bases on the east coast of America, the NASA installations in Texas and ended their tour with a briefing at the Pentagon in Washing• ton.

THE TWELTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE: PARIS For their 12th annual conference, the NATO Parlia• mentarians met for what was to be the last occasion at Porte Dauphine in Paris from 14-18 November. With the Atlantic Alliance in a state of disarray, delegates heard speeches from Mr. Brosio, NATO Secretary General; Mr. von Hassel, West German Defence Minister; and Dr. A. Khalatbary, Secretary-General of CENTO. In his address, Mr. Brosio admitted he had been wrong in holding out hope the previous year in New York that NATO would find the time and the means to discuss French plans for organisational changes. Instead of receiving proposals from the French, said Mr. Brosio, "we received decisions". Despite his criticism of the French action, Mr. Brosio thought it best that NATO should adjust to it with the maximum possible goodwill and mutual tolerance. Com• menting on the de Freitas Report, the NATO Secretary- General was pessimistic about the North Atlantic Council agreeing to its recommendations. Despite the government crisis in Bonn, Mr. von Hassel found time to give an interesting analysis of German strategic thinking. He reiterated Germany's position of nuclear sharing within the Alliance and called for 'detente through firmness' with the Soviet Union. Dr. Khalatbary then addressed the Conference on the development and 16 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY current problems of CENTO which gave delegates an interesting insight into another Alliance structure. One of the highlights of the Conference was the Report of the Special Committee on Developing NATO Countries. After two years of intensive preliminary studies covering such questions as irrigation, fisheries, fruit and vegetable marketing, and tourism, Senator Javits' Committee announced the setting up of an Eastern Mediterranean Development Institute aimed at helping to speed the economic development of Greece and Turkey. The Con• ference gave overwhelming support for the establishment of the Institute which was to be financed by international and national banking and business organisations. Senator Javits' role in the Conference was not confined to his activities on behalf of NATO's developing countries. As Rapporteur of the Political Committee, he presented a wide-ranging report which identified the key problems facing NATO. Another highlight of the Conference was the presentation and debate on the de Freitas Report covering the prospect of converting the Conference into an Atlantic Consultative Assembly. The Conference adopted Sir Geoffrey's Report which outlined an action programme on two fronts. The first was the necessity of obtaining an official relationship with the North Atlantic Council. The best way of estab• lishing the Assembly would be for members of the Con• ference to agree upon a Charter for the Assembly and secure its approval by individual NATO governments. If some NATO countries did not wish to set up an Assembly, the others could proceed without them. The other objective of the Report concerned the organ• isation and functions of the Assembly. This included matters such as membership, sessions, budget, committees, rules of procedure as well as provisions relating to voting, recommendations and discussions. The principal functions were held to be: a) to make recommendations to the North Atlantic Council on any matters of common concern; THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 17 b) to receive regular reports from the Secretary-General of NATO; c) to submit questions to the North Atlantic Council; d) to invite representatives from NATO and the North Atlantic Council to appear before the Assembly's Committees and reply to questions. In adopting the de Freitas Report and draft Charter, the Conference forwarded the texts to the North Atlantic Council and recommended member governments "to draw up and adopt an agreement establishing such an Assembly as soon as possible". At the same session, the Conference took two important decisions which, it was hoped, would ease the way towards the establishment of a formal Assembly. Firstly, it was decided that the title of the NATO Parliamentarians' Conference should be changed to The North Atlantic Assembly. Secondly, it was agreed to enlarge and improve the Secretariat. A decision in principle was also taken by the Standing Committee at their meeting on 12 November to move the Secretariat from Paris to Brussels. Amongst the recommendations from the Political Committee were those supporting the work of the Mc- Namara Committee; a call to strengthen the South-Eastern flank of NATO; and a proposal to investigate the possibility of an informal meeting with representatives from East European Assemblies. The Working Party on the Reform of NATO was asked to continue its work in the light of the rapidly changing circumstances affecting the Alliance. The Military Committee put forward just one recom• mendation concerned with mitigating the effects of the French decision to withdraw from the integrated forces of NATO and to expel NATO forces from her territory. The Economic Committee called for progress towards European unity, warned of the dangers of protectionism in international trade and urged NATO governments to continue their efforts to find a solution to the problem of world liquidity. The Scientific and Technical Committee agreed to under• take a research programme to discover what was being done 18 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY in NATO countries to combat world famine whilst the Committee on Education, Cultural Affairs and Information called for a feasibility study on the question of establishing a educational centre for civil servants. A recommendation was also passed supporting increased resources for the NATO Information Service. At the closing session, Mr. J. Dubé of Canada was elected President of the Assembly for 1966-67. The following committee officers were elected: Political Committee: Chairman : Mr. A. Duynstee (NL) Vice-Chairman : Mr. E. Blumenfeld (FRG) Rapporteur : Senator J. Javits (US) Military Committee: Chairman : Sir Fitzroy Maclean (UK) Vice-Chairman : Colonel W. Wierda (NL) Rapporteur : Senator J. Cooper (US) Economic Committee: Chairman : Mr. A. Kershaw (UK) Vice-Chairman : Professor F. Burgbacher (FRG) Rapporteur : Mr. T. Westerterp (NL) Scientific & Technical Committee: Chairman : Senator G. Portmann (F) Vice-Chairman : Mr. P. Rodino (US) Rapporteur : Mr. G. Mundaleer (B) Education, Cultural Affairs & Information Committee: Chairman : Senator Karl Mundt (US) Vice-Chairman : Mr. H. Pohler (FRG) Rapporteur : Mr. J. Aano (N)

THE YEAR 1967 The military coup in Greece, the Middle East war, and the increasing American involvement in Vietnam, provided a grim background for the Assembly's work in 1967. Meeting in Lisbon in April, the Standing Committee confirmed their previous decision to move the Secretariat from Paris to Brussels, the site of NATO's new head• quarters. In accordance with the desire to expand and THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 19 improve the Secretariat, it was also decided to appoint a new Secretary-General and an assistant. The spring round of Assembly committee meetings were held in Paris in early June. The Political Committee concerned itself with events in Greece and the impact of the Middle East war. The Military Committee discussed a Report by Mr. Goodhart (UK) on Standardisation and Common Production in NATO whilst the Scientific and Technical Committee heard an account of the Conference on Transatlantic Technological Imbalance and Collabor• ation, held at Deauville in May. The continuing effort to achieve recognition by the North Atlantic Council came up again for discussion during the Standing Committee meeting in London on 17 July. The President of the Assembly, Mr. Dube, said he had met Mr. Brosio recently but had received little satis• faction on this matter. Mr. Wayne Hays (US) informed the Standing Committee that, according to Mr. Dean Rusk, the matter had come up at the last NATO Ministerial Meeting and only three countries - the US, Turkey and the Netherlands - had voted in favour of recognising the North Atlantic Assembly. Mr. Hays then proceeded to outline the difficulties the US delegation faced in a Con• gress hostile to the European members of NATO in general and France in particular. He said there would be no further American financial support for the Assembly unless the Secretariat was moved immediately out of France. The annual autumn military tour was a strenuous affair for the twenty-one Parliamentarians who took part. In 13 days, the party travelled over 11,000 miles from Kirkenes in northern Norway to Izmir in the eastern Mediterranean. The tour started at the old NATO HQ_ in Paris and then moved on to the new SHAPE near Mons in Belgium where the group were received by General Lemnitzer. From SHAPE, the Parliamentarians visited several Rhine Army bases before moving north to Kiel for a briefing on BALTAP activities. The tour continued with a flight to northern Norway and a visit to the Soviet border. Next stage of the trip was a visit to London to watch a demonstration of the 20 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY Hawker Siddley V/TOL fighter 'Harrier'. The last part of the tour took place in the warmer climate of the Mediterr• anean where the group visited bases at Izmir, Souda Bay and Malta. It was a hectic schedule for the Parliament• arians but everyone considered it extremely worthwhile and there was fulsome praise for the excellent organisation.

THE THIRTEENTH ANNUAL SESSION: BRUSSELS The thirteenth annual meeting of NATO Parliament• arians took place in Brussels from 20-24 November. It was an occasion of three firsts. Previous meetings in Europe had always taken place in Paris, at the Palais de Chaillot from 1955-59 and at the Porte Dauphine until 1966. Now it was to be the Palais des Congres in Brussels. Secondly, it was the first meeting under the new name - North Atlantic Assembly. The third 'first' was a regrettable one: the absence of a Greek delegation owing to the military take-over in Athens. Strangely, none of the three principal speakers mentioned Greece in their addresses. Mr. Pierre Harmel, Belgian Foreign Minister, warned the Assembly of the dangers of internal squabbling between NATO countries. General Lemnitzer, SACEUR, gave a candid and forthright report on the consequences of the French withdrawal from NATO's integrated forces whilst Mr. Brosio urged a cautious approach towards Soviet detente proposals. He also had bad news to report on the North Atlantic Council's reception to the Assembly's proposal for consultative status. During the past year, he said, the question had been discussed re• peatedly. From these discussions, however, it had become apparent that some governments felt extremely reluctant towards moving to institutionalise relations between the Treaty Organisation and the North Atlantic Assembly. Constitutional, financial and security objections had been put forward, said Mr. Brosio, but all NATO delegations, he continued, were unanimous in their wish to achieve an improvement in the practical relations between NATO and the Assembly. It was his intention, he concluded, to invite the President of the Assembly to examine with him ways THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 21 and means of improving working relations between the two organisations. This offer by the Secretary-General of NATO was warmly welcomed by the Assembly which instructed its Political Committee to prepare a plan for improving the Assembly's own organisation. Other political recom• mendations passed by the Assembly included a welcome for an enlarged European Community; a call for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East; and a condemnation of the military regime in Greece. Expressing solidarity with their Greek Parliamentary colleagues, the Assembly urged all members of the Alliance to make efforts to encourage the speedy return of democracy in Greece. The Military Committee urged the North Atlantic Council to seek a long-term agreement with France on matters of strategic and logistical importance and again called for measures to improve standardisation of military equipment. The Economic Committee also supported the prospect of an enlarged European Community; called on Governments to resist protectionism; welcomed IMF proposals for pro• viding supplementary international liquidity; recommended that a study be undertaken of the problem of balance of payments adjustments; and urged Governments to work for the successful outcome of the UNCTAD in New Delhi. The Scientific and Technical Committee welcomed the proposal to create a European Institute of Management and Technology; called for joint efforts to improve fishing technology; and set up a working party on the storage and dissemination of scientific information. The Education, Cultural Affairs and Information Committee recommended that their Committee work with the appropriate NATO authorities to set up a pilot training programme for civil servants at the College of Europe in Bruges. With the establishment of the Eastern Mediterranean Development Institute imminent, the Assembly decided to dissolve the Special Committee and nominated Senator Javits as a trustee of the Institute. 22 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY Following a vote of thanks to the retiring Secretary- General, Lt. Col. O. van Labberton (NL), it was announced to the Assembly that a new Secretary-General - Mr. Philippe Deshormes - had been appointed by the Standing Committee. A Belgian, Mr. Deshormes was a former Chef de Cabinet of Mr. Paul-Henri Spaak and had been Director of Studies at the Atlantic Institute in Paris since 1965. The advent of the new Secretary-General and the enlargement of the Secretariat signified the beginning of a new era of expansion and professionalism in the Assembly's activities. At the closing session, Mr. M. Mathieson of Iceland was elected President of the Assembly for 1967-68. The following committee officers were elected:

Political Committee: Chairman Senator J. Javits (US) Vice-Chairman Mr. Finn Moe (N) Rapporteur Mr. E. Blumenfeld ( FRG) Rapporteur ad hoc Sir Geoffrey de Freitas (UK) Military Committee: Chairman Sir Fitzroy Maclean (UK) Vice-Chairman Col. W. Wierda (NL) Rapporteur Senator J. S. Cooper (US) Economic Committee: Chairman Professor F. Burgbacher(FRG) Vice-Chairman Mr. E. Bishop (UK) Rapporteur Senator Birch Bayh (US) Scientific & Technical Committee: Chairman : Professor G. Portmann (F) Vice-Chairman : Mr. P. Rodino (US) Rapporteur : Mr. G. Mundaleer (B) Education, Cultural Affairs & Information Committee: Chairman : Senator Karl Mundt (US) Vice-Chairman : Mr. H. Pohler (FRG) Rapporteur : Mr. J. Anno (N)

THE YEAR 1968 The brutal Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, the election of President Nixon and the problem of devising THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 23 effective consultative procedures were some of the main points in a troubled year for the Alliance. In the spring, the North Atlantic Assembly's Secretariat moved from Paris to its present location in Brussels. The transfer of the Secretariat was accompanied by a complete renewal of its staff. With the new Secretary-General, Mr. Deshormes, at the helm, a total of 14 people, compared to 11 in Paris, now worked for the Assembly. Perhaps the most significant appointment was that of Mr. M. Palmer (UK), an experienced official with both the WEU and the Council of Europe, who, as Director of Committees and Studies, helped enormously to improve the quality of the Assembly's activities. A full round of Assembly committee meetings took place towards the end of May in Brussels. The Political Committee discussed the situation in Greece, the Middle East and the problems of arms control. The Military Committee ex• amined proposals for a European Arms Procurement Agency whilst the Economic Committee concentrated on problems of world trade and potential dangers to Europe's supply routes. Air pollution and ocean resources were the main subjects discussed by the Scientific and Technical Committee. Reporting to the Standing Committee, the new Secretary- General gave an account of the meeting in January between himself and President Mathieson on the one side, and Mr. Brosio on the other, to discuss relations between the Assembly and the various organs of NATO. A four point agreement had been reached covering the following areas: 1) The Secretary General of NATO agreed to make regular statements to the Assembly. 2) The Secretary General of NATO agreed that members of his staff should actively help the Assembly and its Committees in their work. 3) Recommendations and resolutions from the North Atlantic Assembly could be submitted to the North Atlantic Council for unofficial comments. 4) Relations between the Assembly and NATO should be conducted by NATO's political directorate. 24 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY Two further proposals put forward by the Assembly were rejected: a) The presence of Parliamentary observers at certain meetings of the North Atlantic Council. b) The submission by the Assembly to the North Atlantic Council of questions and subjects for debate. These arrangements were approved by the North Atlantic Council in May and two months later the Council devoted a meeting to examining the recommendations and resolu• tions of the 13 th Annual Session of the North Atlantic Assembly. In his annual report, the Secretary-General outlined ways in which the Assembly could improve its case for official status. Rather than concentrate primarily on the North Atlantic Council, the Assembly should seek closer co-operation with the NATO International Staff and the Permanent Representatives. A parallel effort was needed by Assembly members to impress upon their respective governments the importance of the Assembly's work. Finally, it would be necessary to 'dynamise' the Secretariat and improve the quality and output of the Assembly's activities. Mr. Deshormes also pointed out that negoti• ations were under way with the Belgian Government to secure official recognition of the Assembly's status in Belgium.

THE FOURTEENTH ANNUAL SESSION: BRUSSELS The Palais des Congres in Brussels was again the venue for the 14th Annual Session held from 11-15 November. Like the NATO Ministerial Meeting with which it partly overlapped, the Assembly took stock meticulously of the situation arising from the invasion and occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union and four of its Warsaw Pact allies. The principal guest speakers were Mr. Brosio, General Lemnitzer, Mr. Harmel and Mr. Halvard Lange, former Norwegian Foreign Minister and co-author of the Three Wise Men Report of 1956 on Non-military co-operation in NATO. THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 25 Both Mr. Brosio and General Lemnitzer very candidly emphasised the need for improvement in the Alliance's military defences. Owing to the uncertain situation arising from the invasion of Czechoslovakia, there should no longer be any talk of reducing the conventional strength of NATO. General Lemnitzer was particularly outspoken against those who maintained that the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia "made no change in the relative posture of the NATO-Warsaw Pact forces". Mr. Harmel and Mr. Lange both advocated closing ranks within the Alliance without however losing all hope of achieving detente as a step towards real peace and security. Such prospects might seem remote indeed, said Mr. Lange in his peroration, but the nations of the West must never give up their joint efforts to make common sense and humanity prevail in world affairs. At the plenary session, a total of seventeen recommend• ations were adopted by the Assembly. The most important of these dealt with the need for greater unity among the European allies and for an overall improvement in NATO's military posture. The Military Committee bluntly stated in the preamble to its recommendation on the Security of the Alliance that the present level of NATO conventional forces was inadequate to meet the defence objectives assigned to them and called on member governments to rectify these deficiences as a matter of urgency. Support for this position was provided by the Political Committee which recommended the setting up of a Joint European Arms Procurement and Defence Agency. Another recommendation of the Political Committee called for collective action in response to the Soviet naval build up in the Mediterranean, and for contingency plans to ensure the security of Europe's supply routes. Further recommend• ations of the Political Committee involved a warning to the Soviet Union not to interfere in the Federal Republic of Germany; support for arms control negotiations; and a call for member governments to assist Iceland's attempts to broaden its economic and industrial structure. The Economic Committee put forward recommend- 26 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY ations on problems connected with world trade; European unity; Third World development; whilst the Scientific and Technical Committee's recommendations dealt with ocean resources and air pollution. The Education, Cultural Affairs and Information Committee recommended the creation of a joint Assembly-NATO committee to study information problems and youth policy. Instructions were also given to the Secretariat to undertake the arrangements for a seminar on civil administration. As trustee of the Eastern Mediterranean Development Institute, Senator Javits gave the Assembly a progress report on the Institute's work. At the closing session, Dr. Kasim Giilek of Turkey was elected President of the Assembly for 1968-69. The following committee officers were elected:

Political Committee: Chairman Senator J. Javits (US) Vice-Chairman Mr. Finn Moe (N) Rapporteur Mr. E. Blumenfeld (FRG) Military Committee: Chairman Sir Fitzroy Maclean (UK) Vice-Chairman Col. W. Wierda (NL) Rapporteur Senator J. Cooper (US) Economic Committee: Chairman Professor F. Burgbacher (FRG) Vice-Chairman Mr. E. Bishop (UK) Rapporteur Senator Birch Bayh (US) Scientific & Technical Committee: Chairman : Senator G. Portmann (F) Vice-Chairman Mr. P. Rodino (US) Rapporteur Mr. G. Mundaleer (B) Education, Cultural Affairs & Information Committee: Chairman : Senator Karl Mundt (US) Vice-Chairman : Mr. H. Pohler (FRG) Rapporteur : Mr. J. Aano (N) THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 27 THE YEAR 1969 The twentieth anniversary of the Atlantic Alliance found NATO in a rather better state of cohesion than might have been expected in the mid 1960's. The impact of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia brought the Alliance partners together in a manner no internal move could have produced. The question of burden sharing and the Soviet proposal for a European Security Conference (CSCE) were the main points of debate in the Alliance in 1969. True to the arrangements made the previous year, the North Atlantic Council submitted in March their comments on the recommendations adopted at the 14th Annual Session of the Assembly. For the most part, the comments of the Council simply outlined NATO activities in the areas of concern to the Assembly. Support was granted for the proposed seminar on public administration but the request for a joint committee to investigate youth policy was rejected. The spring round of Assembly committee meetings took place in Brussels in early June. The Political Committee discussed the comments of the North Atlantic Council and considered the draft report prepared by Mr. Blumenfeld on Atlantic Political Problems. The Military Committee had a lengthy debate on the balance of forces in Europe. Taking part in the discussions were Admiral Sir Nigel Henderson, Chairman of NATO's Military Committee; General Jiirgen Bennecke, CINCENT; and General Andre Beaufre, Director of the Centre for Strategic Studies in Paris. The Economic Committee discussed an idea submitted by Senator Charles Percy (US) for establishing an automatic multilateral settlement system to deal with the effects of national military expenditure for NATO's defence effort on the balance of payments. The Scientific and Technical Committee considered a report by Mr. Mundaleer sug• gesting that the North Atlantic Council held meetings at the level of Science Ministers. An innovation in Assembly procedures took place on 13 June when a joint meeting of the Standing Committee and Committee Chairmen took place. The Committee Chair- 28 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY men briefed the Standing Committee on their activities thus enabling the Standing Committee to better co-ordinate the work of the Assembly. The Standing Committee also decided to appoint Col. John Driscoll (US), an expert on armaments production, as part-time consultant to the Scientific and Technical Committee. Discussing the situation in Greece, the Standing Com• mittee decided not to accept the Greek Government's contribution to the Assembly budget. The Standing Com• mittee also heard a progress report on the forthcoming Bruges Seminar and from the Working Party on Revision of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly. In April, the President of the Assembly and the Secretary General were invited to the ceremonies organised by NATO to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the signing of the Alliance. No further progress was made, however, on the question of institutionalising the Assembly. Two reports submitted in April by the Secretary General and by Mr. Radoux (B) analysed the difficulties involved in making headway on this matter and outlined possible initiatives for the Assembly's consideration. Another important event in the spring of 1969 was the appearance of the first issue of 'North Atlantic Assembly News' produced by the Assembly's Secretariat. Replacing the former newsletter, which was only circulated to members of the Standing Committee, the North Atlantic Assembly News covered the whole range of Assembly news and activities and reached a much wider audience. In August, the Bruges Seminar on Public Administration, the brainchild of the Education, Cultural Affairs and In• formation Committee, finally took place at the College of Europe. Aided by generous grants from the NATO Science Committee and the Ford Foundation, the seminar was a highly useful exercise for the participants - 35 senior public officials from eleven NATO countries. In September, a group of 25 Parliamentarians from twelve NATO nations made a tour of Allied Command Europe (ACE). Their 13 day trip took them to NATO THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 29 bases in Norway, England, Belgium, Germany and Italy. Amongst the highlights of the trip were visits to the under• ground submarine base at Bergen; the NADGE training centre; AFSOUTH HQ, at Naples; and the NATO Defence College in Rome.

THE FIFTEENTH ANNUAL SESSION: BRUSSELS Meeting from 16-21 October in the impressive surround• ings of the Belgian Senate, the delegates to the fifteenth Annual Session of the North Atlantic Assembly considered a number of important questions facing the Alliance in its twentieth year. Formal speeches were given by Mr. Brosio, General Andrew J. Goodpaster (SACEUR), and Mr. Denis Healey, UK Secretary of State for Defence. All the speakers touched on the need, as General Good- paster put it, for the Allies, if they wished to avoid paying the terrible cost of war, to meet the more modest costs for peace. Both Mr. Brosio and Mr. Healey called for an improved and better co-ordinated European military effort in the Alliance whilst General Goodpaster warned of the dangers of unilateral force reductions. A total of twenty recommendations and five resolutions passed by the Assembly bore witness to the increasing scope and work-rate of the various committees. The Assembly adopted recommendations submitted by the Political Committee on Atlantic Political Problems; establishing a Mediterranean Development Organisation; and a survey of public opinion on NATO in member countries. The Assembly also adopted four resolutions submitted by the Political Committee on Greece; the SALT negotiations; the official recognition of the Assembly; and relations between the Assembly and East European Assemblies. Three recommendations from the Military Committee were adopted dealing with NATO's defence posture; MBFR; and on NATO insignia. The Economic Committee put forward recommendations on the international mone• tary situation; the establishment of a European Peace 30 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY Corps; development aid policy; population growth; and space exploration. The Scientific and Technical Committee submitted five recommendations: on the discussion of environmental problems within the North Atlantic Council and the participation by the Scientific and Technical Committee in the work of relevant NATO committees; on pollution control of inland waters; on research in Arctic waters; the need for an ocean space treaty; and on conflict research. The two recommendations from the Committee on Educ• ation, Cultural Affairs and Information were accepted; on NATO and Youth; and on the establishment by NATO of a Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society (CCMS). A resolution of the Committee calling for a further seminar at Bruges was also carried. These recommendations and resolutions were, as usual, forwarded to the North Atlantic Council for their comments. During the fifteenth session, the first official meeting of national delegation secretaries took place. These were later to develop into regular meetings and greatly facilitated organisational matters. At the closing session, Mr. Wayne Hays from the United States was elected President of the Assembly for 1969-70. The following committee officers were elected:

Political Committee: Chairman : Senator J. Javits (US) Vice-Chairman : Mr. van der Stoel (NL) Rapporteur : Mr. E. Blumenfeld (FRG) Military Committee: Chairman : Sir Fitzroy Maclean (UK) Vice-Chairman : Col. W. Wierda (NL) Rapporteur : Senator J. Cooper (US) Economic Committee: Chairman : Professor F. Burgbacher (FRG) Vice-Chairman : Mr. E. Bishop (UK) Rapporteur : Senator Birch Bayh (US) THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 31 Scientific & Technical Committee: Chairman : Senator G. Portmann (F) Vice-Chairman : Mr. P. Rodino (US) Rapporteur : Mr. G. Mundaleer (B) Education, Cultural Affairs & Information Committee: Chairman : Senator Karl Mundt (US) Vice-Chairman : Mr. H. Pohler (FRG) Rapporteur : Mr. J. Aano (N)

THE YEAR 1970 Continuing tension in the Middle East, Mr. Brandt's pursuit of Ostpolitik and growing fears about American commitment to Europe's defence were the principal points of discussion in 1970. Meeting in Washington in the middle of April, the Standing Committee heard a report by Sir Geoffrey de Freitas on problems of institutionalisation. The Secretary- General also outlined developments in relations between the Assembly and NATO. From 28 June to 3 July, NATO hosted the spring round of Assembly committee meetings. It was the first occasion for some considerable time that all the Assembly member countries were represented. Numerous observers, from the NATO Secretariat, from permanent delegations to NATO and from various international organisations, followed the work of the committees which, owing to the large attendance - more than 100 Parliamentarians - was particularly fruitful. At its meeting on 29 June, the Economic Committee discussed international economic co-operation with regard to the enlargement of the EEC; the economic problems between the United States and Europe; and the develop• ment of East-West trade. The Scientific and Technical Committee welcomed the fact that the North Atlantic Council had agreed to the presence of an Assembly observer at the meetings of the Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society. In his draft report, Mr. Mundaleer, the Committee's Rapporteur, emphasised the rapid evolution 32 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY of concern about environmental problems during the past year. The Military Committee, meeting on 1 July, were honoured by the presence of Admirals Le Bourgeois (US) and Henderson (UK), both of whom contributed to the discussion on the draft report on the State of Atlantic Security prepared by Mr. Groos. Already in May the Military Committee's sub-committee on Reserve Forces and Home Guard Units* had held its first meeting in London under the chairmanship of Sir Fitzroy Maclean. A lively debate took place in the Political Committee on Mr. Blumenfeld's draft report on Atlantic Political Problems. The committee rejected his criticism of Mr. Brandt's Ostpolitik and discussed the possibility of American troop reductions in Europe. Two further reports were considered by the Political Committee. One by Col. Wierda on Public Opinion and NATO; the other by Sir Geoffrey de Freitas on the Institutionalisation of the Assembly and its internal organisation. The joint meeting of the Political and Military Commit• tees on 2 July discussed US troop levels in Europe and the question of European defence integration and co-operation. At their meeting on 3 July, the Standing Committee unanimously decided to pass a motion expressing the Assembly's thanks to the North Atlantic Council and the Secretary-General of NATO in particular for their in• creased co-operation with the Assembly. In the autumn, two major activities took place. Firstly, another Seminar on Public Administration was held at Bruges from 3-24 September. Sponsored by the Assembly's Committee on Education, Cultural Affairs and Information and financed by the NATO Science Committee and the Ford Foundation, the Seminar attracted 32 participants from eleven NATO countries who considered the Seminar a great success. The second event was the military tour which, in 1970,

*The report on Reserve Forces and Home Guard Units presented to the 17th Annual Session of the North Atlantic Assembly was later published as a pamphlet. THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 33 took place in Canada. 35 Parliamentarians traversed Canada from West to East visiting military bases and receiving top-level briefings. The tour began in British Columbia on 13 September and ended ten days later in Montreal. Following further initiatives by the Assembly, invitations were received from NATO's ACE Mobile Force inviting the Assembly to send observers to their exercises.

THE SIXTEENTH ANNUAL SESSION: THE HAGUE For the first time ever, the North Atlantic Assembly met for its Annual Session in the Netherlands. The splendid Hall of Knights in the Hague was the venue for the Assembly's work between 6-10 November. Speeches were given by Mr. Brosio, General Goodpaster, Mr. Luns, the Dutch Foreign Minister, and Mr. Helmut Schmidt, the West German Defence Minister. Both Mr. Brosio and Mr. Luns warned that the West would have to make the most careful preparations with regard to the Soviet proposal for a Conference on European Security. General Goodpaster detailed the continued build-up of Warsaw Pact forces and outlined NATO's response in several areas. This response, however, was insufficient, warned the Supreme Allied Commander. He claimed an erosion of confidence could occur as a result of these shortfalls and inadequacies. Mr. Schmidt stated that detente in Europe was impossible without balance by NATO. The base of Germany's Ostpolitik, he explained, was firmly rooted in the Atlantic Alliance. The wide range of the recommendations and resolutions presented to the Assembly by its various committees provided a clear indication of the spectacular development of the Assembly's activities. The Political, Military and Economic Committees put forward a joint declaration on the Future of the Alliance which was accepted by the Assembly. Further recommendations by the Political Committee covered the Middle East; the Mediterranean; East-West relations; Greece; and the institutionalisation of the Assembly. 34 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY Amongst the Military Committee recommendations were those on NATO's force posture; on the financial aspects of the common defence effort; and on preparations for the CSCE and MBFR. The Economic Committee's recom• mendations covered inflation; economic relations between Alliance countries; and a volunteer Peace Corps. Several recommendations were presented by the Scien• tific and Technical Committee. These covered air pollution by motor vehicles; Arctic ecology; the seabed; relations between the NATO Science Committee and the Assembly's Scientific and Technical Committee; and mutual technical aid between NATO countries in case of a natural disaster. NATO's information policies and the holding of another Bruges Seminar were the main subjects covered by the recommendations of the Education, Cultural Affairs and Information Committee. At the closing session, Mr. Romain Fandel of Luxemburg was elected President of the Assembly for 1970-71. The following committee officers were elected: Political Committee: Chairman : Senator J. Javits (US) Vice-Chairmen : Mr. H. Ruhnau (FRG), Mr. M. Boscher (F) Rapporteur : Mr. E. Blumenfeld (FRG) Military Committee: Chairman : Sir Fitzroy Maclean (UK) Vice-Chairmen : Mr. M. Rivers (US), Col. W. Wierda (NL) Rapporteur : Mr. D. Groos (CAN) Economic Committee: Chairman : Mr. E. Bishop (UK) Vice-Chairman : Mr. A. Dua (B) Rapporteur : Mr. J. Brooks (US) Scientific & Technical Committee: Chairman : Senator G. Portmann (F) Vice-Chairmen : Mr. P. Rodino (US), Lord Wynne-Jones (UK) Rapporteur : Mr. G. Mundaleer (B) THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 35 Education, Cultural Affairs & Information Committee: Chairman : Mr. H. Pohler (FRG) Vice-Chairman : Mr. A. Peddle (CAN) Rapporteur : Mr. K. Lomas (UK)

THE YEAR 1971 The year 1971 brought a further deterioration in re• lations between the United States and Europe. At the same time, the 'era of negotiations' gathered pace with talks continuing or about to begin on SALT, CSCE, MBFR and Ostpolitik. On 25-26 March, the Standing Committee met in Washington to approve the financial accounts and hear a progress report by Sir Geoffrey de Freitas on the Revision of the Assembly Rules of Procedure. At the invitation of Mr. Hays, the Standing Committee visited NASA instal• lations at Cape Kennedy on 27 March. In the last week of May, the Assembly's committees met in Brussels. The Scientific and Technical Committee discussed the problems of aircraft noise, narcotics control and pollution of the sea by oil spills. The main event at the meeting of the Committee on Education, Cultural Affairs and Information was a round table discussion between Committee members and representatives of the mass media on the theme 'NATO and the Press'. International monetary problems and the operations of the multi-national companies were the main topics dis• cussed by the Economic Committee. The Political Com• mittee held a general debate on the current state of the Alliance whilst the Military Committee heard a statement by Mr. Theo Summer of'Die Welt' on Forward Defence. Twenty-nine Parliamentarians participated in the aut• umn military tour which was held in Europe from 9-20 August. Following a briefing at SHAPE by General Goodpaster, the group visited defence installations in the Netherlands, West Germany, France, Portugal, Italy and Turkey. 36 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY THE SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL SESSION: OTTAWA Holding their 17th Annual Session in the prestigious setting of the Canadian Senate from 23-29 September, it was evident that the emergency measures announced the previous month by President Nixon to protect the US economy weighed heavily on the minds of the 150 dele• gates. In his opening address, Mr. Mitchell Sharp, Canad• ian Minister for External Affairs, said he had on several occasions expressed Canada's growing concern about the dangers of a trade confrontation between Europe and America, and the harm this would do to the solidarity of the Alliance. He urged that NATO should do everything in its power to try and ease the US balance of payments deficit so as to promote, rather than impede, co-operation between member countries. Mr. Sharp's words were echoed by Mr. Brosio and by other speakers. The Assembly adopted a total of fourteen recommend• ations, six resolutions and one order. The recommend• ations covered East-West relations; NATO's Press & Information activities; multi-national corporations; the international monetary situation; NATO's general politi• cal and military strategy; aircraft noise; narcotics control; and pollution of the sea by oil spills. The Assembly felt that the North Atlantic Council should give the most serious consideration to the possibility of potential Atlantic co-operation in the fields of Con• ventions (such as the Council of Europe); to joint initiatives within the framework of other international organisations; to co-operation of the type practiced by the Nordic Council; to concurrent Parliamentary motions; and to consider applying these specifically to the work of the Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society. A constant and adequate energy supply for the European members of the Alliance was the subject of a joint recom• mendation from the Military and Political Committees. The Parliamentarians assembled in Ottawa seemed to feel a strong need to examine, in the words of President Fandel, "the present and future needs of the Atlantic THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 37 countries and to give a firm lead to the North Atlantic Council in recommending changes in the role and structure of the Alliance in response to these needs". In a resolution submitted by the Political Committee and adopted by the Assembly, Senator J. Javits, the retiring Chairman of the Political Committee, was asked to chair a committee of nine prominent present or former Parliamentarians of member countries to conduct "a thorough study of the future of the Atlantic Alliance, and of the most appropriate and desir• able role to be played by the Assembly". At the closing session, Mr. Terence Murphy from Canada was elected President of the Assembly for 1971-72. The following committee officers were elected:

Political Committee: Chairman Mr. E. Blumenfeld (FRG) Vice-Chairmen Senator J. Javits (US), Mr. M. Boscher (F) Rapporteur Mr. van der Stoel (NL) Military Committee: Chairman Sir Fitzroy Maclean (UK) Vice-Chairmen Senator E. Kennedy (US), Mr. P. Thyness (N) Rapporteur Mr. D. Groos (CAN) Economic Committee: Chairman Mr. E. Bishop (UK) Vice- Chairman Mr. A. Dua (B) Rapporteur Mr. J. Brooks (US) Scientific & Technical Committee: Chairman Senator G. Portmann (F) Vice-Chairmen Mr. P. Rodino (US), Lord Wynne-Jones (UK) Rapporteur Mr. G. Mundaleer (B) Education, Cultural Affairs & Information Committee: Chairman : Mr. H. Pohler (FRG) Vice-Chairman : Mr. A. Peddle (CAN) Rapporteur : Mr. K. Lomas (UK) 38 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY THE YEAR 1972 As the preamble to recommendation 16 of the 18th Annual Session stated, 1972 was a year "of grave stresses and strains between the countries of the Western world." Despite the difficulties between individual nations, the scope and range of problems tackled by the North Atlantic Assembly continued to increase. The early months of the year heralded a spate of Assembly committee and sub-committee meetings. First off the mark was the Military Committee sub-committee on the Defence of the Northern Flank which met in Kiel on 13-14 January. The other Military Committee sub-committee, on the Soviet Maritime Threat, held its first meeting in Norfolk, Virginia, on 24-25 January. Early in March, the Standing Committee met in Wash• ington to hear a report on the work of the Committee of Nine and to adopt the Revised Rules of Procedure of the Assembly, drawn up by Sir Geoffrey de Freitas. The US Secretary of State, Mr. William Rogers, gave a reception for the Standing Committee, and several delegates also took the opportunity of visiting SACLANT. The spring round of Assembly committee meetings were held at the Egmont Palace in Brussels from 8-13 May. Some 120 Parliamentarians and 50 observers took part in the work of the committees - an indication of the rapidly growing interest in the Assembly's activities. The Education, Cultural Affairs and Information Committee spent much of its time discussing the mass media as part of their prepar• ations of a memorandum to the Secretary General of NATO outlining possible improvements between NATO and the mass media. The Committee also considered a draft report on the cultural and educational aspects of the CSCE prepared by Mr. K. Lomas (UK). The Scientific and Technical Committee heard an up-to-date report by three senior officials of the Inter• national Institute for the Management of Technology - a body which the Scientific and Technical Committee had encouraged be set up since the early 1960s. Atlantic economic relations and the prospect of Japan liberalising THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 39 her import policies were the main topics of discussion in the Economic Committee. The Military Committee heard a statement by Brigadier K. Hunt (UK), Deputy Director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, on MBFR. The Committee also discussed the draft reports from their two sub-com• mittees. Mr. Jorg Kastl, Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Political Affairs, briefed the Political Committee on the CSCE and MBFR. Having considered Mr. van der Stoel's draft report on Atlantic Political Problems, it was agreed that the Political and Military Committees should carry out a joint study of the problems involved in European nuclear co-operation. On 15-16 June, the Standing Committee held a special meeting in Rome to look at first hand at some of the prob• lems concerning the Italian delegation. The Standing Committee also visited the NATO Defence College and held a most useful discussion with Italian Parliamentarians on Italian foreign policy and defence problems in the Mediterranean. From 26-28 July, the joint Rapporteurs of the Military Committee's sub-committee on the Eurogroup*, Mr. C. Damm (FRG) and Mr. P. Goodhart (UK), visited London, Brussels and Bonn for talks with defence officials. The annual military tour took place in the United States from 10-21 July. Thirty delegates, led by Sir Fitzroy Maclean, Chairman of the Military Committee, visited several bases in the southern states of the US. The tour ended in Washington with a luncheon given by Mr. Melvin Laird, the US Secretary for Defence.

THE EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL SESSION: BONN The German Bundestag was the venue for the 18th Annual Session of the North Atlantic Assembly. Nearly 200 Parliamentarians assembled in Bonn between 19-24 November to hear speeches from Chancellor Willy Brandt, Mr. Luns, the new Secretary-General of NATO, and Sir •The Report on the Eurogroup was published later as an Assembly pamphlet. 40 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY John Peel. The Assembly's session took place against an international background dominated by the imminent opening of the CSCE in Helsinki and the MBFR talks in Vienna. The fact that the session coincided with the elections in the Federal Republic added an extra touch of interest for the participants. Chancellor Brandt, making his first major speech since his re-election, laid emphasis on the need to maintain stability in Europe and in East-West relations without loosening in any way the close ties with North America. Mr. Luns outlined NATO's attitude towards the various East-West negotiations and later, at a closed session, answered questions from Assembly members. In his address, Sir John Peel drew attention to the dangers for European countries that could result from the increasing trend towards bilateral dealings between the United States and the Soviet Union on a worldwide scale. This was indeed a principal theme taken up by many delegates and discussed in some detail by the Political Committee. Other points touched upon by the Political Committee were the future of the European Community in light of its enlargement and the interim report of the Committee of Nine. The Committee's mandate was renewed and a sub-committee was established under Sir Geoffrey de Freitas to examine trans-Atlantic inter• parliamentary links and the future of the Assembly. The Assembly accepted two further recommendations from the Political Committee. One dealt with East-West relations; the other with the need to strengthen Atlantic co-operation in the seventies. The Military Committee discussed reports on the Euro- group, the Soviet Maritime Threat, Defence of the Northern Flank, and the general report on the State of Atlantic Security. The Military Committee decided to establish two sub-committees to deal with MBFR and the prospects for Arms Procurement. The Assembly passed six recom• mendations of the Military Committee dealing with the reports mentioned above as well as the need to improve NATO's electronic warfare capability and for a tightening THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 41 of financial control over NATO's infrastructure. The Scientific and Technical Committee discussed reports on Atlantic co-operation in the space field; the effects of technology on employment patterns; modifi• cation of climatic conditions; and narcotic trafficking. The Committee also heard a review by Professor Randers, NATO Assistant Secretary-General for Scientific Affairs, on the work of the Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society over the three years of its existence. The Committee set up two study groups to investigate fishing in the north Atlantic, and the setting up of a data bank from which Parliamentarians could draw all the information they required in drafting legislation. A joint resolution by the Scientific and Political Committees on air piracy was adopted by the Assembly. Much of the Economic Committee's time was taken up discussing the troubled state of Atlantic economic relations. Disturbed by the rather reticent approach to this subject by the Committee of Nine, the Economic Committee decided to establish a sub-committee on Trans-Atlantic Economic Relations. Two recommendations from the Economic Committee: on improving economic relations between member countries, and on control of multi-national companies were approved by the Assembly. The Education, Cultural Affairs and Information Committee met against a threat to dissolve the Committee and amalgamate its work between the Scientific and Political Committees. Committee members strongly resisted this move and were rewarded by an Assembly order recognising the good work of the Committee and recom• mending increased secretarial assistance. Other points of discussion in the Committee were the cultural aspects of the CSCE and a study of the operations of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. At the closing session, Sir John Peel from the United Kingdom was elected President of the Assembly for 1972-73. The following committee officers were elected: 42 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY Political Committee: Chairman Mr. E. Blumenfeld (FRG) Vice-Chairmen Senator J. Javits (US), Mr. M. Boscher (F) Rapporteur Mr. van der Stoel (NL) Military Committee: Chairman Sir Fitzroy Maclean (UK) Vice-Chairmen Senator E. Kennedy (US), Mr. H. Schmidt (FRG) Rapporteur Mr. P. Thyness (N) Economic Committee: Chairman Mr. J. Brooks (US) Vice-Chairman Mr. A. Dua (B) Rapporteur Mr. E. Lange (FRG) Scientific & Technical Committee: Chairman : Mr. P. Rodino (US) Vice-Chairmen : Lord Wynne-Jones (UK), Mr. O. Giscard d'Estaing(F) Rapporteur : Mr. H. de Croo (B) Education, Cultural Affairs & Information Committee: Chairman : Senator J. Tunney (US) Vice-Chairman : Mr. J. Debucquoy (B) Rapporteur : Mr. P. Corterier (FRG)

THE YEAR 1973 The enlargement of the European Community, the Middle East war and the controversy surrounding Dr. Kissinger's 'Year of Europe' provided the main talking points in the Alliance in 1973. The spring round of Assembly committee meetings were more numerous and more widespread than ever before. The Standing Committee met in Washington on 2-3 April and in Brussels on 20 May. At both meetings, the Committee reviewed the various Assembly activities since the 18th Session. Of principal concern were the work of the Com• mittee of Nine, the Assembly budget and the continuing question of the Assembly's legal status in Belgium. THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 43 Instead of a week-long session of committee meetings, it was decided in 1973 to hold the committee meetings over a two-day period so as to facilitate the presence of North American delegates. Accordingly the Political and Econo• mic Committees both met in Brussels on 18 May. The Political Committee touched on the impact of the Water• gate scandal on US foreign policy, the current state of East- West negotiations, and heard an interim report by Sir Geoffrey de Freitas on the future prospects of the North Atlantic Assembly. The Economic Committee spent a considerable time discussing the forthcoming round of GATT negotiations as well as Japanese trade policies, energy supplies and the economic situation in the Mediter• ranean region. The Military Committee considered a draft report by Mr. Thyness emphasising the necessity for a re-examination of NATO's role and force posture. Addressing the Com• mittee, Senator Edward Kennedy stressed the continuing US commitment to Europe and the need for greater co-operation and integration of effort to solve the various issues facing the Alliance. The Committee also heard progress reports from the two sub-committees on MBFR and Joint Weapon Procurement. Environmental problems and the current state of co-operation in the fields of scientific and technical research were the principal items discussed by the Scientific and Technical Committee. Mr. Claus Koren, NATO's new Director of Information, spoke to the Education, Cultural Affairs and Information Committee on ways and means of strengthening public support for the Alliance. The Com• mittee also discussed a draft report by their Rapporteur on the prospects for improved cultural contacts and freer movement of peoples between East and West. During the first two weeks of September, thirty-one Parliamentarians from eleven Alliance countries partici• pated in a tour of NATO's northern flank. The group began their journey with a briefing at SHAPE before travelling to AFNORTH HQ. at Oslo to hear a detailed account of the tasks and problems facing NATO in this 44 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY area. A three-day stay in Copenhagen was followed by a brief trip to Kiel and then the party headed northwards again to Bardufoss in Norway. The final stage of the tour involved a visit to Iceland and, en route to London, a visit to the US Polaris Base at the Holy Loch in Scotland.

THE NINETEENTH ANNUAL SESSION: ANKARA From 21-30 October, Turkey hosted the 19th Annual Session of the North Atlantic Assembly. During the first week, the delegates met in the Turkish Parliament in Ankara. For the final three days, the Assembly moved to Istanbul to participate in the fiftieth anniversary cele• brations of the Turkish Republic. One event which occurred early in the session could have jeopardised the proceedings; political developments in Washington compelled most of the American delegates to return home before the session had hardly begun. Some of them, however, did remain including Senators Sparkman, Mansfield and Javits. In addition, the session took place against the background of the Middle East war less than 500 miles to the south. The Report of the Committee of Nine*, compiled after two years of effort, was the focus of numerous commentaries and of a substantial part of the discussions. Senator Javits presented the Report to the Political, Military and Economic Committees as well as to the Assembly in plenary session. As, however, the Assembly could not conclude the study of so substantial a document in one session, it was decided to continue study of the Report in individual countries and invite comments from the North Atlantic Council and other international bodies and resume the discussion at the 20th Annual Session. The principal speakers at the plenary sessions were Mr. Talii, Turkish Prime Minister; Sir John Peel, President of the Assembly; and Mr. Luns. The problem of public opinion was the theme chosen by Sir John Peel whilst Mr. Luns concentrated on the Middle East crisis. Soviet *The Report of the Committee of Nine was published by the Assembly in pamphlet form. THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 45 behaviour when the war broke out, he said, raised doubts as to Soviet intentions and about the genuineness of Soviet interest in a policy of detente. The NATO Secretary- General thought that the most important lesson of the crisis was the continuing vital need for Atlantic solidarity. This meant, he went on, a sustained US commitment of a kind which commands complete confidence in Europe and a growing European contribution as the capacity of those countries to contribute to their own defence and that of the North Atlantic area as a whole steadily increases. In their discussion, the Economic Committee concen• trated on the responsibility of the political institutions of the Alliance in the economic and social field, to strengthen the cohesion and understanding between member countries. This was stressed in the Report of the sub-committee on Economic Relations between Alliance Countries as well as in Mr. Lange's general report. In a survey of economic development in the Mediterranean basin, Mr. Aristide Gunella (I) underlined the responsibility of member countries towards their Mediterranean partners. A recom• mendation on improving economic co-operation in the Mediterranean was passed by the Assembly. The energy crisis was another preoccupation during the discussions of both the Economic and Scientific and Technical Committees. In his Report on The Energy Situation in the member countries of the Alliance, Professor Burgbacher underlined the importance of adequate energy supplies for NATO's defensive strength. During the energy debate in the Scientific and Technical Committee, the importance of NATO's Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society was stressed and a recommendation on improving the follow-up to the work of the CCMS was passed by the Assembly. Discussion in the Education, Cultural Affairs and Information Committee concentrated on three main issues: cultural aspects of the CSCE; support for Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty; and the image of NATO among young people. As a step towards informing them• selves on the subject, the Assembly agreed to a recom- 46 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY mendation from the Committee granting consultative status to the Atlantic Information Centre for Teachers. The Political Committee spent much of its time dis• cussing the Report of the Committee of Nine. Whilst there was general agreement with most of its conclusions, there was considerable controversy surrounding the recom• mendation regarding the development of a European nuclear force. Apart from the Committee of Nine Report, the Political Committee considered the public image of NATO, relations between the Super Powers and the importance of securing Soviet concessions on the 'human rights' issue at the CSCE. The Military Committee spent a large part of its pro• ceedings discussing what Mr. Thyness called "the pressing need for a reappraisal of the nature of the Atlantic Alliance". Following a lengthy debate, the Committee put forward a recommendation which was accepted by the Assembly calling for a re-examination of NATO doctrine. Joint weapon procurement, the state of the MBFR talks and the Middle East conflict were other topics considered by the Committee. One feature that bothered the Assembly was the ever increasing length of committee reports. Consequently a resolution was passed calling for conciseness and summaries of reports. The composition of the various committees was also rearranged to reflect more accurately Assembly membership and the post of First Vice-President was abolished. There would now be three Vice-Presidents and a President - one of whom must be a North American. At the closing session, Mr. Knud Damgaard of Denmark was elected President of the Assembly for 1973-74. The following committee officers were elected: Political Committee: Chairman : Mr. E. Blumenfeld (FRG) Vice-Chairmen : Senator J. Javits (US), Mr. M. Boscher (F) Rapporteur : Mr. P. Dankert (NL) THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 47 Military Committee: Chairman : Mr. P. Thyness (N) Vice-Chairmen : Senator E. Kennedy (US), Mr. H. Schmidt (FRG) Rapporteur : Mr. P. Wall (UK) Economic Committee: Chairman : Mr. J. Brooks (US) Vice-Chairman : Mr. A. Gunnella (I) Rapporteur : Mr. E. Lange (FRG) Scientific & Technical Committee: Chairman : Lord Wynne-Jones (UK) Vice-Chairmen : Mr. J. Jerome (CAN) Professor A. Salazer Leite (P) Rapporteur : Mr. H. de Croo (B) Education, Cultural Affairs & Information Committee: Chairman : Senator J. Tunney (US) Vice-Chairmen : Mr. M. Gessner (FRG), Mr. J. Debucquoy (B) Rapporteur : Lord Lyell (UK)

THE YEAR 1974 The twentieth anniversary year of the North Atlantic Assembly provided several major incidents. President Nixon was forced to resign over the Watergate Affair; the Cyprus situation exploded into open conflict; the military regimes in Greece and Portugal gave way to more democratic forms of government; Greece announced its intention to withdraw from the NATO Command; General Alexander Haig was appointed as the new SACEUR; Mr. Helmut Schmidt became Chancellor of West Germany; Mr. Giscard d'Estaing became President of France. The work of the Assembly proliferated in 1974 with a large number of committee meetings taking place on both sides of the Atlantic. One of the most important sub• committees was that established jointly by the Economic, Military and Scientific and Technical Committees on Energy Supplies. Meeting in Washington at the end of February, the sub-committee was briefed on the energy situation by senior US officials. The sub-committee paid 48 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY particular attention in their discussions to the impact of oil imports on balance of payments; alternative sources of energy; and the safeguarding of future oil supplies. The Standing Committee met in Brussels on 1-2 April and discussed, among other things, the possibility of expanding the role of the Assembly. Inter-parliamentary relations and finance were seen as two major factors in any such expansion. The Committee also heard a summary of reactions to the Report of the Committee of Nine. On 20 May, a fruitful joint meeting of members of the Military Committee and the Defence Committee of the WEU was held in Paris. It was generally agreed that this meeting established an important precedent and it was hoped to continue links between the two bodies. The spring round of Assembly committee meetings took place in Washington from 6-8 June. Both Mr. James Schlesinger, US Secretary of Defence, and Dr. Henry Kissinger, US Secretary of State, addressed members of the Assembly thus ensuring a massive press coverage as well as giving delegates the opportunity to meet and question two of the most important men in the US administration. The committee meetings also coincided with the Senate vote on the Mansfield Amendment. Both Senators Kennedy and Nunn, who played important roles in defeating the Amendment, briefed the Military Committee on the debate. The Economic Committee concentrated its discussion on the energy crisis, inflation and balance of payments diffi• culties. The Committee regretted the apparent lack of interest shown by NATO in such problems. The Political Committee continued their discussions on the Report of the Committee of Nine and, more particularly, on the future role and status of the Assembly. Mr. Deshormes informed the Committee that a document summarising all the reactions to the Committee of Nine Report would be produced for the 20th Annual Session. The Scientific and Technical Committee considered the impact of the oil crisis on environmental problems whilst the Education, THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 49 Cultural Affairs and Information Committee concentrated on cultural developments within the Alliance. Instead of just one, there were two military tours in 1974. One group of 34 Parliamentarians visited Canada for ten days. Following a briefing in Ottawa, delegates traversed Canada visiting installations of an economic and scientific nature as well as the usual military bases. At the end of December, a group of 12 Assembly members were due to pay a short visit to nuclear installations in France. The Assembly was further heartened in 1974 by the Belgian Government granting official status on the Assembly. This had been a lengthy process and secured certain advantages for the Assembly in Belgium. Indirect praise for the Assembly came with the signing of the Atlantic Declaration at the NATO summit meeting in Brussels on 26 June. Paragraph 13 of the Declaration stated that "(the members of the Alliance) recognise that the cohesion of the Alliance has found expression not only in co-operation among their governments, but also in the free exchange of views among the elected representatives of the peoples of the Alliance. Accordingly they declare their support for the strengthening of links among Parliamentarians". This text provided clear recognition of the value of inter-parlia• mentary activities within the Alliance and constituted a considerable tribute to the North Atlantic Assembly. As delegates assembled for the 20th Annual Session in London, they could look back on the Assembly's record with pride and look to the future with optimism. 50 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY THE RECORD 1964-74 1. Organised an Annual Session addressed by eminent statesmen, diplomats, scholars and military officers. 2. Provided a forum for a wider exchange of views than within NATO. 3. Arranged annual military tours for Parliamentarians to obtain first-hand information about NATO defences. 4. Established a highly professional International Secre• tariat. 5. Improved enormously its own procedures. 6. Developed close co-operation with the NATO Secre• tariat. 7. Achieved a useful working relationship with the North Atlantic Council. 8. Played a major role in the establishment of the Eastern Mediterranean Development Institute. 9. Sponsored 1967 Deauville Conference which led to the creation of the International Institute for the Manage• ment of Technology in Milan. 10. Arranged two valuable seminars on public admini• stration at Bruges. 11. Received widespread press coverage for Assembly activities. 12. Published an increasing number of reports on matters of topical interest within the Alliance. THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 51 Appendix One INTRODUCTION (to the 1950 pamphlet)

BY GEOFFREY DE FREITAS, MP (UK)

One of the founders of the Conference and an officer from 1956 to i960 I have been asked to write a note on the early history and a postscript on the future. Inevitably it is somewhat personal. This pamphlet begins by referring to the Norwegian initia• tive in the Council of Ministers. Of course, a lot had hap• pened before that. It was only the final step in the long campaign of a few parliamentarians to get their govern• ments interested in a forum for discussing problems of the Atlantic community. /' From 1951, at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, and in the House of Commons at Westminster, I had advocated an Atlantic consultative assembly to debate matters beyond the military problems in which NATO was concerned. The hope was that the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe—a non-military organization—would develop into an Atlantic consultative assembly. At Strasbourg, Mr. J. J. Fens, of the Netherlands, M. Pierre Olivier Lapie, of France, and Mr. Finn Moe, of Norway, supported this idea. At Westminster there was no support. In 1953 Senator Robertson got in touch with me through the Canadian foreign service and subsequently wrote to ask me to help in arranging a meeting of NATO Parliament• arians in 1955. Our conceptions originally had little in common. Senator Robertson believed that what was needed was an annual meeting of parliamentarians supporting NATO and that the suggestion of a consultative assembly would frighten off the North Americans. I felt that the political and economic affairs of the Atlantic community needed inter-parliamentary debate in a consultative assembly. It is not too fanciful to recall that this difference of approach had a parallel in English history. The Tudor 52 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY idea of parliament was of men coming together from all parts of the country to learn what the government was doing and to return to their cities and counties to explain what was happening. It was not until the Jacobean period that Parliament began to think of itself as a body of men coming together to criticize the government and to suggest alternative policies. In our conference the Tudor conception has prevailed. As a result, governments such as the British, which were hostile in 1955, are now reconciled to it. Senator Robertson had asked me to sound out the Govern• ment and the Speaker. I found that the Government was very much opposed to a conference, but that the Speaker and the Lord Chancellor were willing, if asked directly, to choose a delegation if the Foreign Office would pay its expenses. For this and other reasons, the invitations to the conference went from the Speakers of the Canadian and Norwegian Parliaments direct to the Speakers of the other Parliaments. Walter Elliot was not at first in favour of the conference. He had to be convinced that it would serve a good purpose. Clement Davies and I eventually persuaded him to accept the Speaker's invitation to lead the British delegation. Once he was involved he played a leading part in establishing the conference and he worked hard for it until his death soon after the 1957 conference. He was one of the three dele• gates who guaranteed the expenses of the first meeting. So little help was forthcoming from the staff at NATO Head• quarters that my own private secretary served the inter• national Standing Committee and many of the translations were done by friends from the Secretariat of the Council of Europe who had come to the Palais de Chaillot as spectators. At no time in the years covered by this pamphlet could the small secretariat have been maintained unless the Treasurer for the time being had guaranteed either the bank overdraft or the rent of the offices. It was not until last year that the Standing Committee altered the rules and gave the Treasurer the powers he needed to carry out his duties properly. It was not until this year that all countries THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 53 had paid off the arrears in their contributions. The job of Treasurer of an unofficial international organization is diffi• cult. On giving up my treasurership Uvo-menlhs^ago, I was able to tell members of the Standing Committee that for the first time our finances were satisfactory and that we had a few thousand pounds banked as a reserve. But I added this warning: "Many difficulties have been caused in the past by the failure of some governments to realize that the Conference has no financial reserves.... Unless these annual contributions are paid regularly, we could easily return to the difficulties of the past." The very next week I received a letter from the Foreign Office of one of the largest countries in NATO saying that they were making their contribution for the current year only on the assumption that the budget had been fully spent and that there were no reserves. Obviously, the accounting systems of our national treasuries are designed to drive the treasurers of international organ• izations to suicide. Mr. Douglas Robinson's role in the establishment of the Conference cannot be overestimated. His youthful imagina• tion, initiative and drive were tremendous and at the be• ginning these were far more important than the political and administrative experience and the languages which he lacked. It was only in 1959 that the Standing Committee decided that they needed as Executive Secretary someone with experience of working on an international staff and with a good knowledge of European languages.* This pamphlet deals with the period ending with the Conference of November 1959. It will be valuable to the historian because I am told that one of the consequences of the amateurish way in which the Conference was run is that the minute book of the Standing Committee cannot be found. Early in 1960 the Standing Committee decided to move the international office from London to Paris. There were many of us who feared that it would be housed in the new NATO building and that this would lead to the Conference •Mr. Robinson left early in 1960. His successor is Mr. Otto van H. Labberton of the Netherlands. 54 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY falling into the clutches of the NATO Secretariat and becoming no more than a public relations exercise for the military staffs. Fortunately, Senator Bethouart has found an office for the small secretariat in the building used by the staff of Western European Union and it moves there today. It will be housed among men and women who serve parlia• mentarians as well as governments. This is as it should be. The Conference was founded by parliamentarians for parliamentarians, and it will preserve its vitality only so long as it remains essentially parliamentary.

24 June, ig6o Geoffrey de Freitas

House of Commons, London SW1 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 55 INTRODUCTION (to the 1955 pamphlet)

BY GENERAL BETHOUART

From 18th to 23rd July, 1955, at the Palais de Chaillot, at that time the Headquarters of NATO in Paris, 200 dele• gates from the parliaments of all the countries signatories to the North Atlantic Treaty assembled under the chair• manship of the Canadian Senator, the Right Honourable Wishart McLean Robertson. The event marked the birth of our "NATO Parliamentarians' Conference". Sir Geoffrey de Freitas who had been one of its founders and was a member of the Bureau up to 1960 presented in that year the history of the life, the work and the main preoccupations of the Conference during the first five years of its existence from 1955 to 1959. Today, the honour falls to me of presenting the brochure devoted to the following five years*, from 1960 to 1964 during which I have participated in the work of the Confer• ence, the first year as President and subsequently as a member of the Standing Committee. Both in its annual sessions and in the meetings held several times a year by its Political, Military, Economic, Cultural and Scientific Committees, the Conference has followed the evolution of the situation in these fields and has communicated its views to the governments of the member countries. It has furthermore endeavoured to consolidate and streng• then the Alliance and, to this end, supported or promoted two important moves; the creation of the Atlantic Institute and the 1962 Atlantic Convention of Nato Nations. It appeared necessary in fact to create a body for the study of Atlantic questions. Its work, conducted quietly and with reflection by specially selected persons, themselves guided by a Council of Governors, would determine the •History prepared by Dr. G. Mally, former staff member of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, University of Pennsylvania, at present a consultant to the Atlantic Institute in Paris and the author of several studies on Atlantic affairs. 56 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY facts underlying the major Atlantic problems and the ele• ments of decisions which cannot be so deeply studied at the annual sessions. The Atlantic Institute, founded in 1961, and directed successively by Mr. Cabot Lodge and Mr. Walter Dowling, has since that date given excellent service. The Atlantic Convention which was originally suggested by the United States' Congress brought together from 8th to 20th January 1962, under the chairmanship of Mr. Christian Herter, 90 distinguished citizens nominated by the 15 parliaments of the NATO member countries. It set itself the task of finding and recommending means of strengthening the Alliance with a view to forming a true Atlantic Community. Its conclusions were published in the form of the "Decla• ration of Paris". One of these expressed the wish to see the NATO Parliamentarians' Conference transformed into an official consultative assembly for which no provision had been made in the Treaty, but which appeared necessary. This question recurred in every subsequent year. It had been raised when the Conference had first been created but had encountered hostility on the part of certain govern• ments. A special commission was set up and its work has continued, but in the face of the obstacles encountered the Conference has simultaneously attempted to improve its organisation and the effectiveness of its work by various measures which are described in detail in the text. During its ten years of existence, the evolution of the world situation has undoubtedly influenced the preoccupa• tions, the discussions and the recommendations of the Conference. Originally conceived to meet a military threat, it was natural that NATO should primarily concern itself with this aspect of the Alliance and aim at perfecting its organisa• tion; and then, progressively, the importance of non- military problems mentioned in Article 2 of the Treaty emerged and developed. At the present time, economic, cultural and scientific THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 57 questions form an increasingly important part of our work. Moreover, the situation has been changed as a result of the revival and expansion of the European members of NATO who had suffered so severely by the war. Utterly devastated, their defence and economy depended entirely on the United States. With the help of the latter they recov• ered and their potential is constantly increasing. Gradually, therefore, thoughts have turned towards seeking a balance between the two continents: the United States and Canada on one side of the Ocean, the European members on the other side — a balance which would provide a solution to numerous problems and smooth away many difficulties. This can only be obtained, however, once unity in Europe has been achieved. The future harmonious development of NATO thus becomes conditional on such unity. In other terms, far from being opposed to each other, a united Europe and NATO are complementary. Within a NATO reshaped in terms of this new concep• tion there should be complete solidarity, not only for defence, but also in relation to the lives and very future of its members. There is no doubt that the military danger seems to be diminishing and appears less of a threat than it did ten years ago. It is to be hoped that this danger, in spite of quite recent crises, may in the future be averted, at least in the form which it presented in 1949. But other dangers threaten the whole world, and the member countries of NATO who are the most advanced, the richest and the strongest nations, by this token bear a responsibility to the world for guarding against such dangers. In the countries least favoured by fortune, the popula• tion is increasing in a geometrical progression. Hunger, which is already rife and may well become more so, does not provide wise counsel for those who are in its grip and puts an obligation on those who are fortunate enough not to know it. In order to forestall the threatening revolt of the hungry, efforts should be made to solace the suffering through the exploitation of the vast uncultivated areas and the untapped riches of the earth. 58 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY For the accomplishment of this great work of human solidarity, the whole Free World must unite: for itself and for others, and in a not too distant future, it is a matter of life and death. The future of the world is henceforth being shaped in international proceedings. Their effectiveness depends on their homogeneousness, their community of interests, their internal organisation and the experience of their members. In all these respects, the NATO Parliamentarians' Con• ference can serve as an example. Throughout the past ten years it has done good work and stands in readiness for the future.

General Bethouart THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 59 Appendix Two

ORGANISATIONAL NOTE The North Atlantic Assembly is a body of parliamentary delegates who usually meet once a year in plenary session and who are selected from among the members of national parliaments of member countries of the North Atlantic Assembly by the procedure best suited to each country. A member of government cannot be a delegate to the Assembly. The Assembly, by virtue of its membership drawn from the various national parliaments, provides a link between the responsible NATO authorities and these parliaments. Through its discussions, it helps to promote a common feeling of Atlantic solidarity in the various legislative assemblies and to further the aims of the Atlantic Alliance. The Assembly operates under the authority of a Standing Committee composed of one representative from each country and which meets several times a year. The work of the Assembly is divided amongst five committees under the responsibility of a Chairman, Vice-Chairmen and Rap• porteur. Sub-committees and working parties are set up as required and their activities help to give the Assembly's work as a whole a more permanent character. The five committees are Political (46 members), Military (40 members), Economic (36 members), Scientific and Technical (28 members) and Education, Cultural Affairs and Information (22 members). The national represent• ation of membership of the five committees reflects the same proportional pattern as for membership of the Assembly itself. Committee meetings are normally held twice a year - during the spring and during the Annual Session. (Extract from article 18 of Rules of procedure) 2. A Recommendation is addressed to the North Atlantic Council asking it to take certain action in pursuit of the aims of the Assembly and in the expectation of a reply from the Council. 60 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 3. A Resolution gives formal expression to the opinion of the Assembly on a particular matter which does not call for action by the North Atlantic Council.

4. An Opinion expresses the view of the Assembly in answer to a formal request from the North Atlantic Council or from an international organisation.

5. An Order of the Assembly deals with matters of internal procedure. THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 61 Appendix Three

MEMBERS OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE 1964-74 BELGIUM: Mr. F. Dehousse (1964-65) Mr. H. Moreau de Melen (1966-68) Mr. A. Dua (1969-74)

CANADA: Mr. J. Dube (1964-66) Mr. P. Ryan (1967-68) Mr. J. Aird (1969) Mr. T. Murphy (1970) Mr. D. Groos (1971) Mr. I. Watson (1972) Mr. P. Langlois (1973-74)

DENMARK: Mr. P. Sagaard (1964-68) Mr. I. Thyregod (1969) Mr. A. Moller (1970) Mr. K. Damgaard (1971-74)

FRANCE: Mr. A. Bethouart (1964-70) Mr. M. Boscher (1971-74)

WEST Mr. G. Kliesing (1964-66) GERMANY: Mr. H. Kopf (1967-69) Mr. H. Ruhnau (1970-72) Mr. P. Corterier (1973-74)

GREECE: Mr. E. Tsirmokos (1964-65) Mr. M. Tsaldaris (1966-67) not represented since

ICELAND: Mr. M. Mathieson (1964-67) Mr. F. Thordarson (1968-70) Mr. B. Gudbjornsson (1971-74) 62 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY ITALY: Mr. P. Micara (1964-68) Mr. D. Vedovato (1969) Mr. F. Storchi (1970-74)

LUXEMBOURG: Mr. R. Fandel (1964-67) Mr. E. Schaus (1968-69) Mr. P. Elvinger (1970) Mr. R. Fandel (1971) Mr. P. Elvinger (1972-74)

NETHERLANDS: Mr. W. Wierda (1964-70) Mr. van der Stoel (1971-72) Mr. van Elsen (1973-74)

NORWAY: Mr. N. Langhelle (1964-67) Mr. O. Lyng (1968-69) Mr. G. Larsen (1970-74)

PORTUGAL: Mr. J. Soares da Fonseca (1964-69) Mr. A. Franco Nogueira (1970-74)

TURKEY: Mr. K. Gülek (1964-69) Mr. F. Firat (1970) Mr. N. Ok (1971) Mr. S. Kilic (1972-74)

UNITED Lord Crathorne (1964-65) KINGDOM: Sir Geoffrey de Freitas (1966-67) Mr. R. Edwards (1968-69) Mr. J. Peel (1970-71) Sir Fitzroy Maclean (1972-73) Sir Geoffrey de Freitas (1974)

UNITED STATES: Mr. Wayne Hays (1964-74) THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 63 Appendix Four

SENIOR MEMBERS OF THE ASSEMBLY INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT

Name and Position Date(s) of appointment Mr. Philippe Deshormes 1 January 1968 (Belgium) Secretary-General

Mr. Michael Palmer (UK) 1 June 1968 to Director of Committees and 31 December 1972 Studies

Mr. Alfred Jaeger (FRG) 15 February 1969 to Assistant Director of 15 May 1970 Committees and Studies

Mr. Klaus Schumann (FRG) 1 May 1970 to Assistant and later Director of 31 December 1973 Committees and Studies

Mr. Simon Lunn (UK) 12 February 1973 Assistant and later Director of Committees and Studies

Mr. H. Molineu (US) 15 August 1973 Director of Parliamentary Relations

Mr. Kurt-Jurgen Maass 1 January 1974 (FRG) Assistant Director of Committees and Studies

Mr. Keith Williams (UK) 15 March 1974 Press and Information Officer 64 THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY Appendix Five

NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY BUDGET 1964-74

1964: FF 700,000

1965: FF 1,000,000

1966: FF 1,100,000

1967: FF 1,200,000

1968: BF 12,700,000

1969: BF 13,262,000

1970: BF 12,992,000

1971: BF 14,772,000

1972: BF 15,500,000

1973: BF 17,275,000

1974: BF 20,588,000

Senator Pierre de Chevigny has served as Treasurer of the Assembly since 1967. THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY 65 Appendix Six

ASSEMBLY MEMBERSHIP AND BUDGETARY CONTRD3UTIONS

Country Number of Delegates Percentage Contribution United States (US) 36 24.20

France (F) 18 17.10

West Germany (FRG) 18 16.10

Italy (I) 18 5.96

United Kingdom (UK) 18 19.50

Canada (CAN) 12 5.80

Turkey (T) 10 1.65

Belgium (B) 7 2.86

Greece (G) 7 0.30

Netherlands (NL) 7 2.85

Denmark (DK) 5 1.65

Norway (N) 5 1.15

Portugal (P) 5 0.65

Iceland (ICE) 3 0.05

Luxemburg (LUX) 3 0.09

Printed by Penny Graphic (Ipswich) Ltd. at " The Ancient House Press" Cobbold Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, England