§ 38. Mr. LUNNasked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the British representative at Copenhagen has received from M. Litvinoff, on behalf of the Russian Soviet Government, an official proposal to the British Government or to the Governments of the Allies to open negotiations for peace; and whether this proposal has been transmitted to the British Government?
§ 79. Mr. NEWBOULDasked the Prime Minister whether an offer of peace has been made on behalf of the Soviet Government by M. Litvinoff to the representatives of the Allied Governments at Copenhagen; whether these terms have been communicated to His Majesty's Government; and, if so, what answer has been given?
The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. C. Harms-worth)His Majesty's representative at Copenhagen received a letter from M. Litvinoff, but, as he is not authorised to receive any communications from this source, it was returned unopened. The second part of the question does not, therefore, arise.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYIf His Majesty's representative at Copenhagen is not authorised to receive any communications from Litvinoff, how are the Soviet authorities to approach us with offers of peace, and is it our policy to reject his offers without even examining them?
§ 71. Mr. SWANasked the Prime Minister whether his attention has been called to a resolution passed by the seventh All-Russian Congress of Soviets which expresses once more Soviet Russia's desire for peace, and officially and directly proposes to all the Allied Governments the opening of negotiations for peace; and whether the Government will now act on these official and direct proposals from the Russian Soviet Government?
§ THE PRIME MINISTERWe have only received the report of Lenin's speech, which has reached us in a very mutilated and unintelligible form.
§ Mr. SWANWill the right hon. Gentleman make an endeavour to get that speech in its complete form, or in an intelligent form, so that we may understand what the proposals are?
§ THE PRIME MINISTERI have no means of securing a copy of that speech.
§ Mr. BILLINGIn order to avoid all these questions, will not the right hon. Gentleman make a statement that it is not the intention of the British Government to have any negotiations with the Soviet Government?