§ 2. Mr. NEIL MACLEANasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the participation of the British Government in the appeal of the 12 members of the League of Nations of 16th February and in the resolution of the Assembly of 11th March, he will notify the Japanese Government that any change in the administrative or political relations between China's eastern provinces, known as Manchuria, and the rest of China, effected or maintained by foreign support, or brought about as a result of external aggression, or foreign military occupation, is not compatible with Article 10 of the Covenant, Article 2 of the Paris Pact, and Article 1 of the Nine Power Treaty, and cannot be recognised by His Majesty's Government; and whether he will also urge upon the members of the League, in pursuance of the Assembly's resolution of 11th March, that it is incumbent upon them to take similar action?
§ Sir J. SIMONThe attitude of His Majesty's Government is already clearly indicated in the documents to which the hon. Member refers, and neither of the steps he suggests would serve any useful purpose.
§ Mr. MACLEANWill the steps that have already been taken run along the lines of the suggestions in the latter part of the question?
§ Sir J. SIMONI should like to answer the hon. Member if I can. I have not fully understood his supplementary.
§ Mr. MACLEANIn the reply which he has given, the Foreign Secretary has indicated that certain steps have been taken by the Government. I wish to ask whether these steps are in line with the last two parts of the question?
§ Sir J. SIMONMy hon. Friend will see that the resolution of 11th March, being a resolution adopted without opposition by a special Assembly is a resolution to which His Majesty's Government is an active party. Japan and China are members of the Assembly and are perfectly well aware of the terms of the resolution.
§ 3. Mr. MACLEANasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that the representative of the 1015 Japanese Government on the Council of the League of Nations has informed that body that his Government could not acquiesce in any system of government in Manchuria that jeopardised Japanese capital investments in that province; and whether he has called, or will call, the attention of the Japanese Government to the bearing of such an attitude upon their obligations under Article X of the covenant, and Article 1, paragraph 1, of the Washington Nine Power Treaty?
§ Sir J. SIMONThe hon. Member appears to be paraphrasing an isolated sentence from a passage dealing with Manchuria in the speech of the Japanese delegate at the meeting of the Council on the 19th of February. I find no sufficient ground in the Japanese delegate's observations for taking the action suggested.