On 21 March 1963, the Directorate for Political Affairs in the French Foreign Ministry outlines the main thrust of France’s position on disarmament. It notes that France is in favour of general, progressive and controlled disarmament so that the balance of forces will not be weakened. The government emphasises nuclear disarmament and suggests that this could be achieved by eliminating carrier vehicles. However, France maintains that the cessation of nuclear tests for military purposes does not really constitute a disarmament measure since it does not entail reductions in stockpiles of bombs and fissile material. Disarmament should be controlled by an impartial international organisation which has the resources required for its investigations.