1.
GV LANCASTER HOUSE LONDON
0.05

2.
GV INT. US & SOVIET UNION AMBASSADORS ENTER WITH STEWART
0.22

3.
CU STEWART SPEAKS
0.46

4.
SV (SAME SCENE) USSR AMBASSADOR (LEFT) & US AMBASSADOR HAND DOCUMENTS TO STEWART
1.07

5.
SV OVERSEAS REPRESENTATIVES FORWARD WITH PAPERS (3 SHOTS)
1.23

6.
SV WILSON AT MICROPHONE
1.26

7.
CU WILSON
2.18


STEWART: "I SHOULD LIKE TO WELCOME THE PRIME MINISTER AND ALL THE DISTINGUISHED GUESTS WHO HAVE COME TO THIS CEREMONY THIS EVENING TO MARK THE RATIFICATION OF THE NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY. I WILL NOW INVITE THEIR EXCELLENCIES, THE SOVIET AND UNITED STATES AMBASSADORS TO OPEN THE PROCEEDINGS BY HANDING ME THEIR GOVERNMENT'S INSTRUMENTS OF RATIFICATION."



"WILSON: "LET US RECOGNISE THAT MUCH STILL REMAINS TO BE DONE. WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE TWO FORMS OF PROLIFERATION...VERTICAL AS WELL AS HORIZONTAL. THE COUNTRIES WHICH DO NOT POSSESS NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND ARE NOW UNDERTAKING AN OBLIGATION NEVER TO POSSESS THEM HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXPECT THAT THE NUCLEAR WEAPON STATES WILL FULFIL THEIR PART OF THE BARGAIN. WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT THE AMERICAN AND RUSSIAN NEGOTIATORS WILL BEAR THIS OBLIGATION IN MIND WHEN THEY GET DOWN AGAIN NEXT MONTH TO THE COMPLEX DISCUSSIONS ON THE LIMITATION OF NUCLEAR ARMS WHICH MAY WELL IN TURN PROVE TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT ARMS CONTROL NEGOTIATIONS UNDERTAKEN SINCE THE LAST WORLD WAR."




Initials RJ/V/MR/BB RJ/V/MR/SGM



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: THE INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY CAME INTO EFFECT TODAY (THURSDAY) WHEN THE UNITED STATES AND SOVIET UNION PRESENTED THEIR INSTRUMENTS OF RATIFICATION AT CEREMONIES IN LONDON, MOSCOW AND WASHINGTON. IN LONDON, PRIME MINISTER HAROLD WILSON HAILED THE TREATY AS THE FIRST STEP WHICH WILL POSSIBLY LEAD TO ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ARMS CONTROL NEGOTIATIONS SINCE THE LAST WORLD WAR...ARMS LIMITATION TALKS BETWEEN AMERICA AND THE SOVIET UNION.

THE NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY WAS NEGOTIATED 20 MONTHS AGO. IT WAS DESIGNED TO STOP THE SPREAD OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS. NEARLY 100 COUNTRIES SIGNED THE TREATY...BUT IT COULDN'T COME INTO FORCE UNTIL AT LEAST 43 NATIONS...INCLUDING BRITAIN, THE UNITED STATES AND THE SOVIET UNION... HAD RATIFIED IT.

AT TODAY'S CEREMONY IN LONDON'S LANCASTER HOUSE THE U.S. AND THE U.S.S.R. DEPOSITED THEIR INSTRUMENTS OF RATIFICATION.

BRITAIN'S FOREIGN SECRETARY, MR. MICHAEL STEWART HAD THIS TO SAY AT THE LONDON CEREMONY....
PRIME MINISTER HAROLD WILSON HAD THIS TO SAY ABOUT THE SIGNING....