Six Allies to Operate Test Ship in Multinational Mission
Six European allies Belgium Britain West Germany Greece Italy and possibly the Netherlands tentatively agree in principle to man and operate an American warship for a multinational training mission linked to President Kennedy's plan for a Multilateral Nuclear Force The test would involve about 25 surface vessels armed with eight Polaris missiles and would be staged next year if core decisions on crew composition language and mission location are resolved Officials say the project aims to ease European doubts about the concept and gain practical experience in mixed nationality crews and command structures