§ 4. Mr. CROOKSasked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any consideration has been given to the possibility and advisability of exchanging all interned German civilians for all British civilians now interned in Germany; and whether, although the number of the former may be much greater than the latter, steps will be taken to secure this exchange in view of the charge for maintenance thrown upon this country?
§ Lord R. CECILThis matter is the subject of active negotiations, and I hope my right hon. Friend will forgive me if I point out that the public discussion of terms of exchange does not facilitate the task of the negotiators.
§ 5. Mr. CROOKSasked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will give the names of the repatriated British and German subjects who have been individually exchanged since 25th May; and will he state in regard to each case what distinct public advantage has been gained by each such exchange?
§ Lord R. CECILThe names of the British subjects are Sir Timothy Eden, Captain Heaton-Armstrong, and Messrs. H. H. Holland, S. H. Urry and J. Moresby-White. They were exchanged as a group for the following German Consular Officers: Veit, Frendenberg, Suhl, Ottens and Harnack, in pursuance of a specal agreement for the release of British and German Consular officers concluded early in the War. It was provided that as the number of German Consular officers in our hands exceeded that of the British Consular officers detained in Germany, the balance should be made up with British civilians. The difficulty of making a selection in such cases is very considerable, and I do not think a public discussion of the names would be likely to lead to public advantage. But I shall be happy to discuss the matter fully with my right hon. Friend or any other Member of the House in private.