§ 20. Mr. OUTHWAITEasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether at the time his attention was called to an article which appeared in the "Morning 10 Post" newspaper from its Petrograd correspondent on the occasion of the reconstruction of the Kerensky Government in which some of its members were stigmatised as convicts; and, if so, did he take any steps to remove the impression conveyed to the Russian public?
§ Mr. OUTHWAITEMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he will have shown to him the article characterising members of an Allied Government as "gaol birds," and will he then prosecute, as was done in the case of Mr. Arnold Lupton for a very mild censure of the Government?
§ Mr. OUTHWAITEIf I send it to the right hon. Gentleman, will he take action?
§ Mr. WHYTEWill the right hon. Gentleman not take some action, short of a public prosecution, in order to convey to the proprietors and editors of these newspapers the harm they have done to the cause of the Allies by their remarks on the Russian Government?
§ Mr. PRINGLEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that one of the proprietors of these papers is going to be rewarded by being made a member of the Government?
§ 21. Mr. OUTHWAITEasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been called to the effect of attacks on the late Government of Russia, particularly by papers under the control of Lord Northcliffe and by the "Morning Post" newspaper, and of their support of the counter-revolution of Korniloff, upon the relations between this country and revolutionary Russia; and if he will state whether the Government intends to take any action to counteract the effects of this propaganda, which has aided the endeavours of the German Government to alienate the sympathies of the Russian people and armies from the cause of the Allies?
§ Mr. OUTHWAITEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that when attacks are made on the Russian Government in these newspapers, he is not aware of them, but that when any attack or criticism is made by any other organ, the Public Prosecutor takes action?
§ Mr. OUTHWAITEAre we then to take it that the Government are desirous of seeing these attacks continued for the purpose of restoring the Tsar and of destroying the revolution?