United States-United Kingdom Agreement on Atomic Energy for Mutual Defense Purposes Message to the Congress Transmitting an Amendment to the Agreement.

To the Congress of the United States:

I am pleased to transmit to the Congress, pursuant to Section 123d of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2153), the text of an amendment to the Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for Cooperation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defense Purposes of July 3, 1958, as amended, and my written approval, authorization and determination concerning the agreement. The joint classified and unclassified memoranda submitted to me by the Secretaries of Energy and Defense which provide a summary analysis of the amendment are also enclosed.

The amendment extends for five years (until December 31, 1984) those provisions which permit the transfer of nonnuclear parts, source, by-product special nuclear material and other material for nuclear weapons and special nuclear material for fueling military propulsion reactors.

In my judgement, the proposed amendment meets all statutory requirements. The United Kingdom intends to continue to maintain viable nuclear forces. In light of our previous close cooperation and the fact that the United Kingdom has committed its nuclear forces to NATO, I have concluded that it is in our security interest to continue to assist them in maintaining a credible nuclear force.

I have approved the amendment and authorized its execution and urge the Congress give it favorable consideration.

JIMMY CARTER

The White House,

November 28, 1979.