§ Mr. DILLON,in accordance with private notice, asked the Under-Secretary for India whether his attention has been drawn to the report that a military expedition to the Persian Gulf has been sanctioned by the Government of India; whether he can state the force which will constitute this expedition; what is the object of the expedition; what instructions will be given to the officers in command; whether these instructions will include permission to land on Persian territory without the consent of the Persian Government, or at Koweit without the consent of the Turkish Government; whether the Home Government was consulted before the expedition Was sanctioned, and, if so, what were the considerations which induced the Government to despatch a military expedition to the Persian Gulf at this juncture?
§ Mr. MONTAGULast year a force of Indian troops was employed to operate from two ships on the Persian coast in connection with general operations for the suppression of the arms traffic, and the employment of a similar force this year has been sanctioned by His Majesty's Government. Troops are landed only when necessary in order to cut off parties of gunrunners who may land arms or attempt to 1530 damage telegraph wires, and are then immediately re-embarked. The reference to Koweit is irrelevant, as the operations are not within some hundreds of miles of that port. As regards Persia, His Majesty's Government are acting under an agreement with the Persian Government in taking all necessary measures for the suppression of the traffic in arms which has been prohibited by that Government. The force is under the command of the Naval Commander-in-Chief, who issues the necessary detailed instructions. The renewal of these measures is necessitated at the present time by the activity of the persons engaged in smuggling arms into Persian territory.