§ 13. Sir JOHN POWERasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can arrange to publish, as a White Paper, copies of the more important Russian documents obtained in the course of the recent raid in Peking?
Mr. LOCKER-LAMPSONThe original documents are in the possession of the Peking Government, and are being published by them, with English translations, in instalments, three of which have now appeared. Copies of these have been supplied to us by the Peking Government. The documents have been quoted in the British Press, and have also been republished by an unofficial organisation, the Tientsin British Committee of Information. His Majesty's Government do not propose to republish them as a White Paper.
§ Brigadier-General Sir HENRY CROFTDo not these documents definitely prove that in 1925 and 1926 enormous quantities of ammunition were being sent into China by Soviet Russia, with the concurrence of Borodin?
Mr. LOCKER-LAMPSONI think it will be a good plan—and I propose—to put a copy of each of these documents in the Library of the House.
Lieut.-Colonel Sir FREDERICK HALLMay I ask whether, owing to the importance of this matter and the desirability of spreading this information, the Government will not reconsider the matter and have copies printed so that they can be circulated to all Members of the House?
Mr. LOCKER-LAMPSONIt would be quite unprecedented to lay a White Paper of a document belonging to another Government. I have already said I will have copies of these documents published by the Chinese Northern Government put in the Library of the House.
Sir F. HALLDoes not the hon. Gentleman recognise that the action of the Russian Government was also of an unprecedented nature, and cannot we have the information that it is necessary that we should have?
§ Mr. KIRKWOODArising out of the former reply regarding the export of munitions from Russia into China, is it not the case that this country under the Coalition Government spent £100,000,000 fighting against Russia without declaring war?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat question concerns a former Government.