§ 4. Sir A. Knoxasked the Prime Minister how many foreign countries, since the fall of Barcelona, have withdrawn their recognition of the Spanish Government?
§ Sir A. KnoxWhich States are they?
§ Mr. ButlerCzecho-Slovakia, Eire, Peru, Poland, Switzerland and the Argentine.
§ 7. Mr. Benjamin Smithasked the Prime Minister whether he will now make a statement on the Burgos authorities' reply to the proposals of His Majesty's Government for the assessment and payment of compensation claims arising from attacks made on British ships in Spanish waters?
§ Mr. ButlerThe Burgos authorities have now replied stating that, if the proposed Commission of Inquiry should in fact find an attack to be deliberate, they would agree to discuss the issues arising out of the finding after the end of hostilities. This reply has been communicated to the British interests concerned, together with certain proposals for pursuing the negotiations.
§ Mr. SmithAre the Government taking no action to expedite the claims? Are they going to sit supinely by and wait until the end of hostilities, and then conveniently forget it?
§ Mr. ButlerNot at all. We have been prosecuting this correspondence with great vigour, and the reply of the Burgos authorities is that, if the attack in question is deliberate, they will agree to discuss the issue of compensation at the end of hostilities. That, I think, is an advance on the previous position.
§ Mr. SmithIs the hon. Gentleman aware that a commission have in fact stated that they hold them guilty in certain cases; and, in the light of that evidence, are the Government going to 4 allow this to go on till the end of hostilities without making any other claim?
§ Mr. ButlerThe correspondence has been going on as to whether a commission should be set up or not, and, so far, we have made the progress I have indicated. With regard to the latter part of the hon. Member's supplementary question, it is usual for compensation to be paid at the end of hostilities.
§ Mr. ShinwellDo the Government propose to take any further and immediate steps?
§ Mr. ButlerYes, Sir. They are now awaiting the views of the interests concerned—the shipping companies concerned in this country—and then it is proposed to pursue the matter.
§ Mr. W. RobertsDo we understand that the Burgos authorities have withdrawn their undertaking to pay compensation, which they gave in July?
§ Mr. ButlerNo, Sir.
Vice-Admiral TaylorWill not earlier recognition of General Franco accelerate the ending of hostilities?
12. Mr. Edmund Harveyasked the Prime Minister whether representations have been made on behalf of His Majesty's Government to the Burgos authorities to urge the importance of a general amnesty in Spain as a means to a peace settlement of a lasting character?
§ The Prime Minister (Mr. Chamberlain)The attitude of His Majesty's Government towards terms of settlement remains as stated in reply to the hon. Member on 15th February.
Mr. HarveyIf His Majesty's Government are not able to obtain an assurance of a general amnesty, could they not urge the importance of permission to leave Spain being given to all those persons who are not included in the amnesty by the Burgos authorities?
§ The Prime MinisterIf the hon. Member will look at the answer I have given him, he will see that the British Government do not consider it advisable to sponsor any particular form of settlement.
Mr. Vyvyan AdamsWill the Government use their influence to prevent the Republican side from having to make an unconditional surrender?
Miss RathboneWill not any assurances received from Burgos be useless unless they are explicit assurances given before General Franco is granted recognition? Do the Government want thousands of men to be shot?
§ Sir Archibald SinclairIs it the policy of the Government that the Republicans should make an unconditional surrender?
§ 13. Mr. Arthur Hendersonasked the Prime Minister whether, before deciding to recognise the Spanish insurgent authorities as the de jure or de facto Government of Spain, he will undertake to make such recognition conditional upon all Italian and German troops being withdrawn and a general amnesty being proclaimed before such recognition takes effect?
§ 25. Mr. G. Straussasked the Prime Minister whether His Majesty's Government have yet come to any decision in regard to the recognition of General Franco?
§ The Prime MinisterI have nothing to add to the reply given to the hon. Member for Lambeth, North (Mr. G. Strauss), the hon. and gallant Member for Nuneaton (Lieut.-Commander Fletcher), and the hon. Member for Derby (Mr. Noel-Baker) on 15th February.
§ Mr. HendersonIs it a fact that in addition to the negotiations being carried on by M. Bérard, negotiations are being carried on by Sir Robert Hodgson on behalf of His Majesty's Government?
§ Mr. GallacherIs the Prime Minister aware that the people of this country are utterly opposed to the recognition of Franco?
14. Miss Rathboneasked the Prime Minister whether the Report of the Inter national Military Commission in Spain and the observations of the Council of the League of Nations thereon have been circulated, or if any were made avail able to Members of this House; and, if so, how and on what date?
§ Mr. ButlerI understand that the report, being an interim report, has not yet been published. The minutes of the council meeting at which the report was discussed will appear in the official journal of the League, which will be published shortly. In the meantime, for the 6 convenience of hon. Members, I am arranging for copies of the report and advance copies of the minutes to be placed in the Library of the House.
Miss RathboneIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that in reply to a Parliamentary question he referred an hon. Member to the resolution in question, and is it customary to refer hon. Members to a resolution which has never been made available to them in any form?
§ Mr. ButlerThat is precisely why I am making it available to hon. Members now.
Miss RathboneThen why was it not made available before the answer to which I have referred? Are the ambiguity and the unwillingness of the Government to give facilities due to their contempt for a Government which has never practised the art of selling its friends to buy its enemies?
§ 22. Mr. W. Robertsasked the Prime Minister whether the refugees from Minorca taken on the "Devonshire" to Marseilles were all those persons for whose safety the captain of the "Devonshire" had undertaken to provide?
§ The Prime MinisterNo such undertaking was given by the captain of His Majesty's Ship "Devonshire." This officer simply expressed his readiness to take any refugees on board in case of need.
§ Mr. RobertsIs it a fact that a list of persons whose lives would be in danger after the surrender of Minorca was given to the captain of the "Devonshire"?
§ The Prime MinisterI have no information on that.
§ Mr. RobertsMay I ask, then, whether some explanation of the statements by the captain of the "Devonshire," which have been published in all the Press, could be made?
24. Miss Rathboneasked the Prime Minister whether, in view of repeated attempts to throw doubts on the fulfilment by the Spanish Government of its voluntary undertaking to discharge non-Spanish volunteers from its combatant forces, His Majesty's Government will confirm their concurrence in the League Council's resolution which, inter alia, thanks the Spanish Government for furnishing to the Committee of Three all 7 facilities in its task, adopts that committee's report that all non-Spanish combatants in the Barcelona and central zones have been withdrawn from combatant units, and without prejudice to any opinion it may express after receiving the final report of the International Military Commission, takes note of that Commission's opinion concerning the extent and effectiveness of the withdrawal so far carried out by the Spanish Government?
§ Mr. ButlerThe resolution of the League Council, to which the United Kingdom delegate agreed, naturally represented the view of His Majesty's Government.
Miss RathboneIs this the resolution which was referred to in the right hon. Gentleman's reply to my previous question and, if so, may I again ask why the answer was so ambiguously made as to refer the House to a resolution which had never been made available to the House?
§ Mr. Speaker rose——
§ Mr. SpeakerThere is no point of Order. The hon. Lady's supplementaries are not couched in language which I can allow.
§ Mr. SpeakerThere is no point of Order. I will not allow accusations to be made against Ministers in supplementaries.
Miss RathboneAm I out of order in raising a point of Order? I merely want to ask for your Ruling, Mr. Speaker, on the question of whether it is in accordance with the custom of this House to refer hon. Members to a resolution which has never been made available when answering a Parliamentary Question about that resolution?
§ Mr. SpeakerI do not know enough about the circumstances to give a Ruling about that.
§ Mr. SpeakerCertainly.
§ 28. Lieut.-Commander Fletcherasked the Prime Minister whether he will make 8 a statement as to the progress of the discussions with the French Government concerning the recognition of General Franco and the Spanish refugees in Spain?
§ The Prime MinisterHis Majesty's Government are maintaining the closest contact with the French Government, and discussions with them are still in progress regarding these questions. No statement is, therefore, possible at this stage on the progress of these discussions.
§ Lieut.-Commander FletcherHave the Government had under consideration the sending of British representatives to France to discuss with the French authorities the situation of Spanish refugees in France, in order to see what could be done?
§ The Prime MinisterNo, Sir, I do not think we have done that.
§ Lieut.-Commander FletcherIs the Prime Minister prepared to take that into consideration in the immediate future?
§ The Prime MinisterThere are other means of maintaining contact with the French Government.
54. Sir Nairne Stewart Sandemanasked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs which of the Dominions have given de jure recognition to the Government of General Franco?
§ The Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs (Sir Thomas Inskip)It has been officially announced that the Government of Eire have formally recognised General Franco's Government as the legitimate Government of Spain.
§ Mr. GallacherOn a point of Order. Is the right hon. Gentleman in order in referring to Eire as a Dominion of this country?
§ Mr. SpeakerObviously.
§ 21. Mr. A. Edwardsasked the Prime Minister if he will state the nature of the complaint from the Italian Government regarding the assistance rendered to the Burgos authorities in negotiations regarding Minorca?
§ Mr. ButlerHis Majesty's Government are not aware of any complaint from the Italian Government on this subject.
§ Mr. EdwardsDo we understand it has the approval of the Italian Government?
§ Mr. ButlerThat is another question.
§ Mr. W. Roberts(by Private Notice) asked the Prime Minister whether he has any information about the capture of the British steamship "Stangrove" on 7th February, whether the British Government have taken any action to obtain the release of the ship, and whether he has any information about the safety of the crew and the Non-intervention Officer?
§ Mr. ButlerAccording to my Noble Friend's information the steamship "Stangrove" was seized on 5th February while proceeding from Valencia to Port Selva. The ship was taken to Barcelona and subsequently to Palma where she is still detained. The Acting British Agent at Burgos was at once instructed to protest against the detention of this vessel and its cargo, to demand the release of the vessel, its crew and the Non-intervention Officer, and to reserve the right to claim for losses incurred. A further telegram was despatched yesterday instructing Sir R. Hodgson at once to draw the Burgos authorities' attention to the continued detention of the "Stangrove" and to say that His Majesty's Government trust that the vessel and crew will be released without further delay. So far as is indicated by the reports received, the crew and the Non-intervention Officer are at Palma and are all well.
§ Mr. RobertsMay I ask for what reason the owners of this ship were never informed, and only became aware of the fact that the ship had been seized when concern was expressed by the Non-intervention Committee for the safety of their officer?
§ Mr. ButlerI cannot give the reasons why the Burgos authorities have not informed the company. We desire the immediate release of this vessel.
§ Mr. RobertsWhy did not the Foreign Office, who knew about this, inform the company?
§ Mr. ButlerI will make inquiries on that point.
§ Captain Peter MacdonaldCan my hon. Friend say what was the cargo of this ship and what was its destination?
§ Mr. ButlerAccording to our information, the "Stangrove" was carrying a cargo of chemicals consigned to the 10 Spanish Government, and the destination was Port Selva.
§ Sir Percy HarrisIs not the presence of a Non-intervention Officer for the purpose of preventing such a seizure, and is he not there to give security from attack to the vessel?
§ Mr. ButlerCertainly.
§ Mr. Noel-BakerDid the captain of the "Stangrove" make any appeal to the vessels on the Nyon Patrol, and was there any response from such vessels?
§ Mr. ButlerThe master of the "Stangrove" maintains that his position at the time of the seizure was on the high seas, while the Burgos authorities maintain that the vessel was within territorial waters. I have no exact information as to whether the master of the "Stangrove" applied for protection to the Nyon Patrol.
§ Mr. H. G. WilliamsIs it not a fact that during the Great War it was our practice to seize American ships carrying similar goods to Germany?
§ Mr. ButlerWe must regard this seizure as having been quite illegal.