§ 1. Sir JOHN LONSDALEasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if 1682 he has any information that numbers of Germans of military age have succeeded in returning to Germany from neutral countries in neutral ships, travelling under assumed names with false passports; and if effective steps are now being taken to prevent this proceeding?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Lord Robert Cecil)A large number of Germans of military age attempting to return to Germany with passports of neutral countries have been detected and arrested. No doubt a certain number have succeeded in getting through. Information to this effect has been received. Every effort is made to prevent them, but the habitual use of forged and false passports and of false papers purchased from neutral seamen makes the work of detection difficult. Various neutral Governments have been warned of the abuse of their passports by Germans, and such steps as are possible have been taken to make the acquisition of false papers difficult.