HC Deb 25 May 1927 vol 206 cc2007-10
Mr. CLYNES

Arising out of questions and answers following the Prime Minister's statement yesterday, may I ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs a question of which I have given him private notice, namely, whether he can make any statement now on the conversations with M. Rosengolz following the beginning of the raid on Arcos?

Sir A. CHAMBERLAIN

I have brought down to-day a memorandum of the conversation which then took place which I dictated immediately afterwards. It is as follows: The Soviet Chargé d'Affaires handed me this morning a written protest against the raid on the premises of Arcos and the Trade Delegation. In amplification of what is said in the written protest, M. Rosengolz added verbally that the steps taken violated not merely the Trade Agreement, but international courtesy. To the details given in his note he wished to add some incidents which he had not cared to put in writing, for example, women detained in the building who had had occasion to use the lavatories had been accompanied to the lavatories by male policemen. The search of women had been conducted by male policemen. His wife, who is a doctor and worked at the Trade Delegation in connection with health and insurance schemes established for the benefit of their employés, had been detained although she had informed the police officials that she was the wife of the Soviet Chargé d'Affaires. The search warrant itself was directed against the Trade Delegation as well as against Arcos, and the first act of the police had been to go to the room of M. Khinchuk and to seize his cyphers and papers. The search was still proceeding and it was apparently the intention of the police to open his safe, all this in spite of the fact that M. Khinchuk enjoyed diplomatic privileges. M. Rosengolz said that only two days ago an agreement had been made with the London and Midland Bank and other authorities for a credit of £10,000,000 with a view to increasing trade with this country. He could only suppose that the raid had been undertaken in order to bring this agreement to nought and to make still worse the relations between the two countries, which were already bad. M. Rosengolz also complained that the warrant was not produced until some time after the search had begun and that the search was carried out in some of the rooms at any rate in the absence of any Russian representative, and he appeared to suggest (as he spoke Russian I had to depend upon the translation supplied by a gentleman whom he brought with him) that in these circumstances documents might be found in the rooms which had not been there before the police arrived. When this statement was made I at once interrupted to inquire whether M. Rosengolz suggested that the police were planting documents in the rooms. He replied that he did not make this suggestion but that, as they were not represented, they had no guarantee that such a thing was not done. I told M. Rosengolz that I had as yet no report from the Home Nice and could say nothing of the particular incidents which he had brought to my notice until I had communicated with the Home Secretary. For the moment all that I desired to make clear was that the raid was not an administrative act but a process of law taken in pursuance of a magistrate's warrant such as would have been issued in a similar case against any other company established in this country.

Mr. CLYNES

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware whether M. Rosengolz endeavoured to see the Foreign Secretary and the Home Secretary before he made any attempt to approach any representative of the Opposition?

Sir A. CHAMBERLAIN

I did not know of any attempt to see the Home Secretary, and I am not aware at what time he endeavoured to see Members of the Opposition. A message came that he wished to see me shortly after seven o'clock on the 12th—this conversation took place at 11.30 on the morning of the 13th—the message came soon after seven o'clock, when I had left.

Mr. CLYNES

I only trouble to put the question because of the endeavour to make party capital out of it.

Sir B. PETO

On a point of Order. When a question of that kind is addressed to the Foreign Secretary, and he says, in reply, that he has no knowledge at what hour the interview was sought and given to this Russian gentleman by the Opposition, is the House not entitled to know from those who can tell it at what hour the interview took place?

Mr. SPEAKER

That may be an interesting question for to-morrow, but I do not see how it arises now.

Lieut. - Commander KENWORTHY

Did the right hon. Gentleman make no reply to Mr. Rosengolz with reference to the complaint of searching the room of the head of the Trade Delegation and taking the cyphers? Did he make no response to that?

Sir A. CHAMBERLAIN

No. I have read a full account of what passed between us—I do not mean to say every word that was spoken, but I think it is a full account of his representations to me and certainly a full account of my answer to him.

Captain GARRO-JONES

Did Mr. Rosengolz tell the right hon. Gentleman that the credit of the Midland Bank for £10,000,000 had been entered into or did he suggest that it would now be cancelled as the result of the Government's action?

Sir A. CHAMBERLAIN

I quote from the Memorandum that was dictated immediately after the interview in order that I might communicate this statement to the Home Office and have a report. M. Rosengolz said that only two days ago an agreement had been made with the London and Midland Bank and other authorities for a credit of £10,000,000 with a view to increasing trade with this country. I observe that there was some confirmation of that statement by Sir Allan Smith and a flat contradiction of it issued by the bank.

Mr. H. WILLIAMS

Is it the practice for British representatives abroad to enter into diplomatic relationships with persons other than the Government of the country to which they are accredited?

Sir A. CHAMBERLAIN

No, all the official business of our representatives abroad is transacted with the Governments to which they are accredited.

Mr. KELLY

Has the right hon. Gentleman any knowledge, apart from what M. Rosengolz told him, of the negotiations with the Midland Bank?

Sir A. CHAMBERLAIN

No, I was not aware of them. This was the first I heard of it, and when M. Rosengolz suggested that the object of the raid had been to upset this agreement, I shrugged my shoulders, as I thought it needed no further reply.

Mr. KELLY

Has the right hon. Gentleman received anyone at all at the Foreign Office with regard to these negotiations?

Sir A. CHAMBERLAIN

No, Sir, I have not.

Sir W. DAVISON

Is it possible for the House to be informed of the time when this gentleman called on the Leaders of the Opposition? It is very important for the consideration of the matter that we should know, especially as it was raised by the Leader of the Opposition asking the Foreign Secretary when he saw M. Rosengolz.

Mr. SPEAKER

How on earth can the Government answer that?

Sir W. DAVISON

By the leave of the House I thought the right hon. Gentleman who raised the matter might desire to inform the House what the facts were.

Mr. THURTLE

Is it not a fact that, while our representatives abroad conduct their official business with the Governments concerned, at the same time they often conduct unofficial business with representative members of the opposition parties?

Sir A. CHAMBERLAIN

No. They may have social relations with members of other parties, but their business is done with the Government.

Mr. LANSBURY

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that Mr. Kuhlmann, who was attached to the German Embassy, attended a review of the Ulster Volunteers?