BRITISH CONSUL-GENERAL, TANGIER. (Hansard, 10 November 1938)

§ Mr. Maxton
I wish to raise another matter, one which affects the Foreign Office.

§ Mr. Batey
On a point of Order. This other is a most important matter to us. I raised the question on Tuesday, and as it was not possible for the Minister to reply then, we understood he was to reply to-night. Very well, I will raise it on the Motion for the Adjournment to-morrow.

§ Mr. Maxton
I do not want to cut my hon. Friend out, and I did not know he wanted to speak. Although this is not a matter of home affairs, I am raising it to-night because I feel that it is an urgent matter and one that should be dealt with at once. It affects the international zone in Tangier and the actions of His Majesty's diplomatic representative in that area. It affects the whole British population and I think the general relationships with His Majesty's Government in foreign affairs. I have been aware for some considerable time that the international zone in Tangier was a very dangerous corner of the world. We have there Britishers, Frenchmen, Spaniards and Italians. It seems to me a place where our representative should be a man of considerable character, a man whose complete independence of political partisanship should be absolutely beyond doubt. I have recently received a letter from a correspondent in Tangier, a man in whose honesty I can place complete reliance, and in whose ability to 448 weigh up a situation of that kind I can place confidence. He makes certain allegations concerning the Minister in that place which I wish to put before the Under-Secretary.
He tells me that this particular representative, the Minister in charge there, is married to the widow of an Italian. He has two sons serving in the Italian army, both engaged at present in the Franco forces in Spain. I have been informed that there is now a rule at the Foreign Office that His Majesty's Ministers shall not make marriages with other than Britishers. That is a rule which obviously cannot be retrospective, but the fact that such a rule was made is an indication that the Foreign Office have realised that it is inadvisable that men who may have domestic reasons for being prejudiced in certain directions ought not to be in positions where that prejudice might interfere with the execution of their duty. My correspondent says: On his appointment there he announced to all who might be concerned that he was a Fascist. He made no secret of the fact that his political views were Fascist He publicly gave the Fascist salute and shouted Fascist salutations. His guests at the Legation were Franco agents, Italians and Portuguese. As the late crisis came to a head things in the zone looked black. Lorry loads of ruffians were rounded up. The Italian Minister issued arms to them. The Spanish Government Minister threw earthworks round the legation. Some 2,400 men were warned they would be required on 21st October. The French said they were ready for any eventualities. A call at the British legation on the 22nd of last month to ask what the British should or should not do revealed the fact that His Majesty's Minister had departed. That is when the crisis was rapidly steepening. The Italian. Minister had taken what he regarded as appropriate action. The Spanish Minister had taken appropriate action. The French had taken appropriate action. The British representative was absent. All the servants at the Legation knew was that the Minister had left Morocco some days before. The Legation was empty. The only official was a Consul, who had just returned from leave, who could not possibly be au fait with the local situation, who had only consular status, yet had to do the work of the diplomat besides the additional duties which were falling on his own office. A call to Gibraltar revealed the fact that the Minister had gone through Gibraltar and told the Admiral there he was joining his family in Franco-Spain. Franco-Spaniards confirmed this and said he was with a Blackshirt Italian Division. His Majesty's Minister!; I cut out the next, it is rather personal and refers to the salary that the man draws— 449 In Tangier most of the British business houses were wiring London urging the dangers of the situation. On Thursday a reply was received saying that the Minister would be back at his post, and he was there. On the 30th of the month, when the crisis had passed, Government Spaniards confirmed the statement that he had been with an Italian Blackshirt Division and that he had flown back to Franco's headquarters in Morocco in a Franco plane. This is His Majesty's Minister representing a policy of non-intervention. Arriving here he gave a large party to various Fascist leaders, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese. This place has thousands of Spanish, of anti-Fascist creeds, many wounded, but all armed. I know them well. They say 'Now we know now where we are. Your Minister has always been ruled by the Italians, who are killing our women and children with bombs. Now he goes over to them to tell them about us.' Ninety-nine per cent. of those people are illiterate, but the news travels round from mouth to mouth, and as long as this man is here it is a very grave danger. Before, the Spaniards were friendly. Now, they are furious against all British, and their antagonism is very acute. He asked me to raise the matter at once. We Britishers here are more or less on a powder magazine, and this man is the match. In case you think I exaggerate"— I will not read this, because it involves another Civil Servant who is not responsible— We believe here that the Italians were planning a coup, and that British people could not approach the Minister on the matter because he would go straight to the Italians. Two days ago the wife of the senior French official came to me and told me they were never going to call on the British Legation again, and 'Can't you get a change,' they said. We do not want two Italian Legations here. Do help in this situation. It is impossible now. He has gone so far as to insult the French. I ask the help of the British House of Commons, and at once, as the matter is very urgent. I raise this matter as speedily as the opportunity has presented itself. I do not expect from the Minister any detailed answer to the points I have raised just now. I want to ask whether, if the facts in this letter are substantiated, it is the policy of His Majesty's Government to keep that kind of representative abroad. Obviously he has not got the confidence of the British in the area and obviously it is also causing great antagonism between countries with whom we are supposed to be in friendly relations. If this had been an isolated case I do not know that I would have raised it publicly. I, and I know other hon. Members, in recent times particularly, have had grave reasons 450 for believing that in certain important places His Majesty's Government were not well served by their representatives. Information which should have been sent on has not been sent on, and a bias has been given to information that has been forwarded, which made it impossible for the right views to be formed of the facts of the situation in different parts of the world. Here you have a self-confessed Fascist as your Minister. It is not fair to the people who are living in that area or to us at home, as well as to the countries with whom we are friends, that this should be so, and steps should be taken to see that he is removed from a position where he can do no good but may possibly do the very gravest harm.

§ The Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Butler)
On an important matter of this sort it is necessary that the House should realise the position in which I am placed, as the Minister responsible for answering a charge of this kind. I received notice of this matter some time after eight to-night, and it was difficult, if not impossible, to obtain and examine the necessary papers and information. Moreover, I have not seen the document from which the hon. Member has been quoting. I cannot say what reliabilty should be attached to the evidence he has adduced, although I am ready to accept his word that he attaches special importance to the reliability of his correspondent. In these circumstances, it would be very wrong for the House to prejudge this issue, which deals with personalities.
I should like to say that the personality in question, the Consul-General in Tangier, has, from the information which I have been able to get at this late hour, a record which has been creditable throughout. He has served in many different situations with distinction and performed his duties satisfactorily. I do not want to go into too much detail tonight, because I should like to see the letter which I hope the hon. Member will submit to me, in order that I may examine it at the office in detail and consider it with my Noble Friend.
I should like to make one or two remarks on two of the points which the hon. Gentleman has raised. He says that if the facts in this letter are substantiated a serious view should be taken of the 451 situation, and he says that the Consul-General has forfeited the confidence of British residents. I should like to say that, from such information as I have been able to collect in this short time, I am rather doubtful whether all the facts can be substantiated as the hon. Gentleman put them. I want to make that safeguarding reservation at this stage. I am also doubtful whether the Consul-General has in fact forfeited the confidence of British residents in the International Zone. Further, I would not like it to be put abroad that the Consul-General was performing anything heinous in his visit to Spain. I am informed that his wife had two sons who, as the hon. Gentleman says, were serving with the Italian forces. We cannot here, at this late hour, go into the question of his marriage or the particular circumstances of his family, but I am informed that it was known that he was on leave, and the only point I want to make clear to-night, before I go into the letter which the hon. Gentleman is going to submit to me, is that he returned to his duty at the time 452 of crisis, at a time when His Majesty's Government expected all their representatives abroad to be at their posts, and there was no question of any dereliction of duty in the crisis on the part of this representative of His Majesty's Government abroad.

§ Mr. Maxton
Was it the arrangement that this duty should be performed by a Consul?

§ Mr. Butler
That is a point that I must look into, but I have ascertained that there was no question but that this officer returned to his duty when all His Majesty's representatives were expected to be at their posts at that very serious time. In conclusion, I should like to say that I would not like it to go out that our representatives abroad have any sympathies that they should not have, or do not perform their duties satisfactorily.