The V-bomber force and the Thor rockets in this country are always at a very high state of readiness. During the period of tension, though not, in fact, on the date mentioned by the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mr. Swingler). certain precautionary steps were taken, but more than this was not necessary.

As regards the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, we are discussing with our North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies a whole range of problems arising from the development of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation nuclear force foreshadowed in the statement on nuclear defence systems which I agreed with the President of the United States at Nassau in December last year.

Mr. Swingler: No doubt the Prime Minister will have seen the detailed allegations made by Mr. Stevenson Pugh, the Daily Mail Defence Correspondent, on 18th February. Is the Prime Minister calling Mr. Pugh a liar and saying that his detailed allegations are false or does the Prime Minister's Answer about precautionary measures contain a formula for concealing the fact that the Government were preparing a national suicide threat at the time of the Cuban crisis?