§ 11. Mr. Garro Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Air whether any copies of Jane's "All the World's Aircraft," just published, have been exported from this country; whether he has any statement to make on the matter contained in this annual publication, more particularly on pages 15A–26A, on offensive references to the United States of America, on the large amount of technical information published, and on the repeated claims that certain information will be of value to readers overseas; that it has been given by courtesy of senior officers of the Air Ministry intelligence department or other departments of the Air Ministry; and whether he is satisfied that the publication referred to contains no material of value to the enemy or detrimental to the public interest?
§ Sir A. SinclairI understand that before the publishers had decided to stop the issue of further copies of this book and, so far as possible to withdraw copies 1547 already issued, some 50 are believed to have left the country, a few of which may have been sent to the United States. I am satisfied that this publication contains no new information which would be of value to the enemy, most of the matter having already been published during the past year. No special facilities were given by any department of the Air Ministry to those responsible for its production. The greater part of the contents was submitted for censorship at the Ministry of Information, but not the offensive caption referred to by my hon. Friend, which has already been reported in the Press. The publication of this book could not have been prohibited on grounds of security. I feel sure that the House will join with me in condemning the irresponsible and outrageous reference in this publication to the welcome and increasing help which we are receiving from the United States of America.
§ Mr. Garro JonesWhile thanking my right hon. Friend for his reply, may I ask whether he is aware that the efforts of the publishers to recover possession of this publication have not gone so far as the Library of the House of Commons, at any ráte? Secondly, does he think it right that a writer who has, if I may put it this way, such liberal ideas about the Nazi regime that he was compelled to relinquish the editorship of the "Aeroplane" at the outbreak of the war, should be able to claim special access to high intelligence officers of the Air Ministry and to contribute articles about technical information and air strategy regularly every week to the technical journals and publications in this country?
§ Sir A. SinclairQuestions about a particular book lying in the Library of the House of Commons are a matter for the House rather than for me. As regards the second part of the Question, I did tell my hon. Friend in my main answer that it is untrue to say that officers of my Department gave special facilities or information to the author of this book. I am assured that the passage in the book to which I know my hon. Friend refers is inaccurate and unjustified.
§ Mr. Garro JonesWill the Minister do what I am unable to do in a Supplementary Question—ask hon. Members to look at the publication in the Library, and 1548 to say whether they are satisfied that the censorship and intelligence system at the Air Ministry is in proper working order?
§ Sir A. SinclairI should be very glad if hon. Members did that. I am told that there is no new information in the book. What I regret, and what I think all Members in all parts of the House-regret, are the outrageous opinions expressed in the book. We have no censorship of opinion, and I feel sure that my hon. Friend would agree that such would be undesirable.
§ Mr. WedgwoodIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that I have myself communicated to the Government an article by this man previously, asking that he should be prevented from getting information and that he should be interned? I really do not know why this has been going on for so long; it is nearly a year now.