DEPARTMENT OF STATE CONFIDENTIAL March 28 1978 MEMORANDUM TO FROM SUBJECT T D - Mr Nye PM NPP - Allen Lockl' UK Inquiry on Exports of Inverters to Pakistan Michael Pakanham dropped off the attached with me this afternoon and indicated the OK side may wish to raise it in London this week with you This seems to be one of the Gray Area items which fits into our proposed NSG agenda item On the two questions raised in the paper I agreed with Pakanham that inverters may fall within the spirit if not the letter of the NSG trigger list if the British assumption concerning their end use is correct I took the second question saying that r believed any US machinery to control exports of inverters would be in the Comme e Department regulations with which I am not sufficien familiar in detail I told Pa kanham that we have no in ormation that the Pakistanis are doing any work with centrifuge enrichment The British are checking further in Pakistan in an attempt to get more information on this probl I have asked INR to look into this also Attachment As Stated CONPIDBN'l'IAL PM NPP ALocke jJIDD ext 2183S U l L LA i U' U V Authority NND b 'i g I i' o 76 I· EXPORT OF Il'lVERTERS TO J AKISTPJ'l In 1976 ne learnt that 1 1e Pekista lis wi -ied to b u y a nUii1ber f inverters - hich produce variable frequency alternati_g current to drive ac motors from 2 United Kingdo co pa 11y - Enerson Electrical Industrial Co trols Ltd - or u se in the R9i ' alpindi Ordnance Factory Al though there were reasons at the tibne to suspect that the inv-erters were destined for use in a ce 1t rifuge enric unent pla 11t ti1ere appeared to be no way u 11der United Kingdom le w by which this particular export could be prevented No steps were ti1erefore talce 11 by Her J ajesty' s Government to restrain the deal I I j Eraersons have - ecently received an lquiry froo 'Pakistan for a further export of the sszne sort of inverters The sp acifice tion las changed slightly and technical opinion in__ London illines further · o ' the view that the equipoent is probably for use in a centrifuge plant It appears that Emers on s are in co petition with a United States and a FRG firm both unknown Gi ve '1 ou r early JmowledGe of this intended contract i t no· -- seem possible thet there is ti le to stop it developing further a d by amending the relevant regulations to prevent the expo t if necessary I II We should be grate-i'u l to lmow I a w iether the United States Government regard inverters as being caught by the • SG Trig£er Li st and b if so iow t 1i s rele tes to US machinery for t ·1e possible prevention of their e port I I I time perr ii ts t J e United Kingdom side would li1ce to raise this issue in t 1e argins of t h e meeting in London on nonproli fera tion sc - eduled for 30 31 iiiarch • BRITISH 3i iEASSY • _ SH ING TON I 2 S i a rc 197 8 CONFIDE 1TIAL