§ MR. HICKS BEACH (Gloucestershire, Tewkesbury)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether a party of officers from the Naval War College went for a reconnaissance to the Isle of Wight a few weeks ago and found there some German officers engaged upon selecting suitable places for landing troops; whether the German Government grants similar facilities for reconnaissance to British officers; and, if not, whether the Government propose to prohibit foreign officers from exercising this freedom of investigation until their own Governments grant similar privileges to British officers.
§ MR. MCKENNAThe circumstances related in the first part of the hon. Member's Question are entirely devoid of foundation.
§ MR. HICKS BEACHWill the right hon. Gentleman answer the latter part of my Question?
§ MR. MCKENNAThe latter part of the Question falls to the ground if there is no foundation for the first part.
§ MR. HICKS BEACHasked whether it was the accepted policy of His Majesty's Government to allow foreign officers of any country to reconnoitre over any portion of this country at their will and not to make any representations to other countries to get similar facilities.
§ *MR. SPEAKERThe sea is the dominion of the right hon. Gentleman and not the land.
§ MR. ARNOLD-FORSTERMay I ask whether it is not the fact that all the naval fortresses of Germany are under the direct control of the naval department, and whether it is open to British officers to reconnoitre in their vicinity?
§ MR. MCKENNAWe have no evidence that any German officers have reconnoitred in the neighbourhood of British fortresses. Whether or not German fortresses are under the supervision of the German Admiralty has nothing whatever to do with the Question on the Paper.
§ MR. ARNOLD-FORSTERThat is not the Question I asked. The Question I asked was whether it is open to British naval officers to reconnoitre in the vicinity of German naval ports.
§ MR. MCKENNAIf they are believed to be reconnoitring for purposes of espionage they would not be allowed.
§ MR. HICKS BEACHasked the right hon. Gentleman whether he had addressed inquiries to the Naval War College as to whether the facts were as stated in the Question.
§ MR. MCKENNAI have, and I am told that the whole story is a mare's nest.
§ MR. WILLIAM REDMOND (Clare, E.)Has the right hon. Gentleman's attention been called to the statement in the paper to-day that the German Emperor is going for a trip on Count Zeppelin's airship, and will he take precautions?
§ [No Answer was returned.]