On 23 February 1957, in preparation for the forthcoming Western European Union (WEU) Ministerial Meeting, due to be held on 26–27 February in London, the British Foreign Office prepares a brief for the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Selwyn Lloyd, on the Agreement implementing Article 5 of Protocol II on the forces of WEU. The note gives a background analysis on the agreement and its negotiation phase. The crucial part of the agreement is Article IV, which states that the WEU Council will accept the figures on levels of forces provided to it by the North Atlantic Council. The analysis concludes that the Secretary of State should sign the agreement.