§ 1. Colonel WEDGWOODasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has received any information as to the massacre of fifty-six Polish Jews 166 at Pinsk by Polish soldiers on 5th April; and whether His Majesty's Government have yet made representations to the Polish Government that these pogroms must cease or all British assistance to Poland will come to an end?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. Cecil Harmsworth)The answer to the first part of the question is that His Majesty's Government have received information of the shooting of thirty-four persons believed to be Jews at the place and on the date mentioned by my hon. and gallant Friend. According to information furnished by the Polish authorities these persons are stated to have been implicated in a plot to seize, disarm, and kill a small Polish outpost stationed on the Polish Eastern frontier.
As regards the second part of the question I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply returned to the hon. Member for Whitechapel (Mr. Kiley) on the 15th instant, but as to the alleged pogrom at Vilna, His Majesty's Minister at Warsaw has just reported that he has no information in regard to any incident of the kind.
§ Colonel WEDGWOODIs the hon. Gentleman aware that these Jews who were shot at Pinsk were attending a meeting in the town of Pinsk, considering the question of Red Cross administration, when they were fallen upon by these Poles; that the major who was in command of the Polish detachment who did the murdering was reprimanded by the Polish authorities, but that nothing further came of it? In these circumstances will the hon. Gentleman see that representations are made to the Polish Government by the British Government stating that this country views with extreme regret the present action of the Poles in instigating the murder of Jews?
§ Mr. A. SHAWIs the hon. Gentleman aware that all the Scottish Members of Parliament have to-day received a telegram alleging among other things that thousands of Jewish men, women and children have been done to death by Turkish soldiers under the auspices of the present Turkish Government?
§ Mr. HARMSWORTHNo, Sir. That information is quite new to me. I shall be glad if the hon. Gentleman will give me particulars