§ 10. Sir FRANCIS BLAKEasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been called to a booklet entitled "The Secret Treaties," by F. Seymour Cocks, published by the Union of Democratic Control, which at page 40 gives a translation of Article 15 of the Treaty of London, by which it is made to appear that France, Great Britain, and Russia pledge themselves to support Italy in not allowing the representatives of the Holy See to undertake any diplomatic steps having for their object the conclusion of peace or the settlement of questions connected with the present War; and whether, having regard to the facts that the only thing that this Clause does is to say that if Italy objects to the Pope sending a representative to the peace conference we would support that objection, he can, in order to prevent this publication being used against us in Ireland and elsewhere, by quoting its exact terms make clear the meaning and construction of this Clause?
Mr. BALFOURThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the second part, the statement, as it appears in the text of the pamphlet, must be read with a footnote, in which is quoted the explicit statement made by my Noble Friend the Minister of Blockade, on the subject. With this I am in entire agreement. The text of the pamphlet is inaccurate and misleading.