§ 2. Mr. THORNEasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the British Ambassador at Madrid reported to the Foreign Office, on 12th July, the assassination in the street of Lieut. Castillo, chief of the Madrid police, and the assassination on the same day of Sotelo, the leader of the Fascist party in Spain?
§ Mr. EDENOn 14th July His Majesty's Chargé d'Affairs in Madrid reported that Don José Calvo Sotelo had been kidnapped from his home in Madrid at 3 a.m. on the morning of 13th July, and that some hours later his dead body was found in a cemetery with bullet wounds in the head and the heart. At the same time he also reported that a captain in the Madrid assault guards had been shot in Madrid on the night of 12th to l3th July. This captain of the assault guards is the Lieut. Castillo referred to by the hon. Gentleman.
§ Mr. THORNEHas the right hon. Gentleman heard of the declaration made by the Fascists at the graveside of Sotelo and was he told of the violent speech made by José Maria Gil Robles in the Spanish Parliament, and what his party intended to carry out?
§ Mr. EDENI am afraid I cannot answer that without notice. As far as I recollect, the communication to which I referred was confined to the information I have given.
§ Major-General Sir ALFRED KNOXIs there any evidence that Sotelo was a Fascist at all?
11. Miss RATHBONEasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that the British Red Cross has sent no medical or nursing personnel to either side in Spain, and has not recognised the status of those medical units which have been sent by voluntary efforts; and whether, in view of His Majesty's Government's declared intention to promote humanitarian efforts for the relief of suffering in the Spanish dispute, he will do all in his power to secure for these units the status of Red Cross workers?
§ Mr. EDENI am aware that the British Red Cross has sent no medical or nursing personnel to either side in Spain and has not recognised the status of those medical units which have been sent by voluntary efforts. The question of approaching the opposing forces with a view to persuading them to apply the provisions of the Convention in relation to the protection of Red Cross units is under consideration.
§ Miss WILKINSONMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether the British Red Cross asked the advice of His Majesty's Government on the matter, and whether they have acted in accordance with the advice given?
§ Mr. EDENNo, I think this is really what happened, and I am obliged to the hon. Lady for drawing attention to this matter. The position is that the Geneva Red Cross Convention, 1929, does not apply to the civil war in Spain, and that is the legal position. I hope that it will be able to deal with the matter in the manner suggested.
§ Miss WILKINSONWhile thanking the Minister, he has not replied to the particular question that I asked. May I repeat it? Have the British Red Cross asked the advice of His Majesty's Government, and have they acted upon it?
§ Mr. EDENI am quite sure that we have not dissuaded anybody from taking action. Naturally, we wish to take all the action and to give all the humanitarian help we can in the interests of all concerned.
§ 13. Lieut.-Commander AGNEWasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any further progress has been made with plans for the exchange of prisoners in Spain?
§ Mr. EDENYes, Sir. Negotiations are at present taking place between representatives of the Basque Government and of General Franco, under the auspices of the International Red Cross Committee, for the complete exchange of all prisoners and hostages between the Basque and neighbouring territories. His Majesty's Government have been kept informed of the progress of these negotiations by His Majesty's Ambassador who is himself actively assisting the representatives of the International Red Cross Committee, and I am hopeful that they will result in the exchange of several thousand persons in the near future. As the negotiations are not yet concluded I am not yet in a position to give the House full details. I am able, however, to say that at the request of both sides His Majesty's ships have undertaken, as soon as the agreement has been signed and approved lists drawn up, to give their fullest cooperation in carrying out the exchange.
§ 14. Mr. NOEL-BAKERasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will lay upon the Table of the House the precise terms of the guarantee given to His Majesty's Government by the Government of Italy concerning the occupation of the Balearic Islands by Italian subjects?
§ Mr. EDENThe assurances to which the hon. Member refers were made verbally, and I am consequently not able to lay papers before the House. I can, however, give the following outline of the manner in which the assurances were given. His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires in Rome informed the Italian Minister 2435 for Foreign Affairs on 12th September, on my instructions, that
any alteration of the status quo in the Western Mediterranean would be a matter of the closest concern to His Majesty's Government.In taking note of this communication, Count Ciano assured Mr. Ingram that the Italian Government had not, either before or since the revolution in Spain, engaged in any negotiations with General Franco whereby the status quo in the Western Mediterranean would be altered, nor would they engage in any such negotiations in the future. This assurance was subsequently reaffirmed spontaneously to the British Naval Attaché in Rome by the Italian Ministry of Marine, and the Italian Ambassador in London has on several occasions given me similar verbal assurances.