Editing Michael Heseltine (section)

====NATO====
The Foreign Secretary, [[Geoffrey Howe]], spoke highly of Heseltine's contribution to NATO and [[WEU]] conferences. Heseltine was as angry as Thatcher at the [[US invasion of Grenada]], a Commonwealth country. He wanted warmer relations with the Soviets and was sceptical about the US [[Strategic Defense Initiative]] ("Star Wars"), putting in a brief and grudging appearance at [[Caspar Weinberger]]'s Ditchley Park Conference about the topic in 1985.<ref>Crick 1997, p. 257.</ref>

Heseltine came close to misleading the House of Commons over the meeting of NATO defence ministers at Montebello, Quebec, in October 1983. He stated that no "specific" proposals had been made to update NATO short range and tactical nuclear weapons. In fact a decision had been made ''in principle'' to do so. Crick describes Heseltine's answers as "highly disingenuous and deceitful". At the time NATO was claiming to be cutting back on such weapons, and the peace movement was still powerful in Germany where such weapons might be used.<ref>Crick 1997, pp. 262–4.</ref>