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Deputy Leader of the Opposition

NEWS RELEASE BY JOHN HOWARD HP D196/84

EXTRACTS FROM ADDRESS TO UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY LIBERAL  CLUB, GREAT HALL, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY, 1.00 PM,  MONDAY. 29 OCTOBER, 1984 ____________ . _________

COMMENTS ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT

I am in favour of multilateral universal disarmament -

as are all people who genuinely believe in peace.

But I am strongly opposed to unilateral disarmament -

because I believe it leads in the end to war, not peace.

The duty of all Western governments - including Australia -

is to work tirelessly to bring about effective

international disarmament agreements.

The Opposition strongly supports the efforts of the

United States to achieve this end.

It would be extremely dangerous to world peace if the

Western democracies were to unilaterally abandon their

nuclear or conventional weapons and leave the free world

at risk from dictatorships of the right or the left.

Even if the Western powers did disarm, this would not

lead to world peace. There would still be many armed

dictatorships of one kind or another which would be

capable of waging war - either nuclear or conventional.

I am very sympathetic to the genuine and sincere peaceÂ­

maker. There can be no nobler cause. However, I am

conscious that, in our quest for peace, we do not take

actions that will unintentionally encourage an aggressor

or potential aggressor. .

i : "  -

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Those who campaigned for peace in the 1930s were well-

motivated and sincere. But the unintended consequence

of the appeasement policies of the Chamberlain Government

was to encourage Nazi aggression and to facilitate the

Nazi-Soviet Pact by means of which Hitler and Stalin

brutally divided up Eastern Europe between 1939 and 1941.

The Soviet Union has demonstrated by itc actions in

Afghanistan and elsewhere that it is a militaristic

aggressive power.

There is no evidence that the Soviet Union would become

less aggressive if the United States and other NATO

forces disarmed.

The total unilateral disarmament of the NATO forces

would not rid the world of nuclear weapons. There is

no evidence to suggest that the USSR, China or even

France would follow suit.

The fact is that there could still be a nuclear holocaust

even if the USA and the UK were to immediately get rid

of all nuclear weapons.

In the four decades between 1914 and 1945 there wore two

world wars that caused the death of about 80 million

people.

In the four decades since 1945 there has been no

luleruaLiuual vuuflagi utluil.

The evidence suggests that the existence of nuclear

weapons has not led to war but, rather, appears to have

hindered it.

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11:32 29/10 1984 P.2

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Japan is the only country that has been the subject of

a nuclear attack.

Those who advocate unilateral disarmament should ask

themselves one central question: Is it likely that an

atom bomb would have been dropped on Japan, if the

Japanese had possessed nuclear weapons themselves and ,

the capacity#to retaliate?

If the answer to this question is in the negative (and I

sincerely believe it is) then this demonstrates that the

possession of nuclear weapons may well he the best means

of preventing a nuclear war - short of there being an

effective mutual disarmament agreement in existence.

Of course, we all earnestly seek effective mutual

disarmament. But if this cannot be attained immediately,

it would be foolish for the western democracies to throw

away their weapons in the hope that the anti-democratic

regimes (of either the left or right) will magically

change their spots.

The importance to Australia of the ANZUS alliance has

been underlined by the evidence of a substantial Soviet

build-up at its Cam Rahn Bay military base in Vietnam.

T h e r e  I s  n n  e v i d e n c e  w h a L s u e v e i  Lu auyyci i L LliaL Lhe

ever-increasing presence of the Soviet Union in the

Pacific region is motivated by an altruistic or

humanitarian concern.

It is important that Australia increases its defence

preparedness and does all in its power to maintain

a strong ANZUS alliance.

-oOo-

Contact: 02 239 3050 or 239 1858

