§ 26. Mr. Stokesasked the Home Secretary whether he will state the name of the single person on whose evidence Mr. Benjamin Greene, late justice of the peace, was detained under Regulation 18B; and whether any other persons are detained on evidence provided from the same person?
§ Mr. H. MorrisonAs, I stated in my reply to the hon. and gallant Member for Cleveland (Commander Bower), on 22nd January, Mr. Greene was not detained on the evidence of a single person. It would be contrary to the public interest to publish the names of persons who give confidential information. There are no other persons detained on the basis of information provided by the person to whom my hon. Friend refers.
§ Mr. StokesWas not the evidence laid by this one man the main evidence on which Mr. Greene was detained, and is it not true that the person who laid the evidence subsequently admitted that it was untrue? Does the right hon. Gentleman propose to take proceedings for laying false evidence?
§ Mr. MorrisonI answered that point last week. The evidence he gave was not the sole evidence on which Mr. Greene was detained by an Order made by my predecessor. I have read the papers, and I should not regard his evidence as necessarily being the evidence which solely determined the detention. There were, and there remain, other allegations against Mr. Greene of hostile association which were not in themselves unimportant.
§ Mr. StokesWas not the whole of the evidence before the Advisory Committee, and were they not satisfied that none of the substantial evidence was true? Is the right hon. Gentleman going to take any proceedings against this man for laying false evidence?
§ Mr. MorrisonNo, Sir, and, as I said last week, I do not think that arises.
28. Commander Bowerasked the Home Secretary whether, when ordering the detention of Squadron-Leader Rutland, under Regulation 18B, by reason of alleged hostile associations, he took into account the useful services recently rendered by this officer, about which information has been supplied to his Department?
§ Mr. MorrisonI have taken all relevant factors into consideration.
Commander BowerIs it not a fact that this very gallant officer, who much 906 distinguished himself in the last war, was given special facilities to fly back from Washington in order to reveal the fact that he had associations with prominent Japanese individuals, in the hope that this information might be valuable to the authorities here? Why should he be put away for having hostile associations which he came over specially to declare?
§ Mr. MorrisonI cannot accept the implications of the statement made by the hon. and gallant Gentleman. Very important considerations are involved in the case, and it is undesirable that he or I should go further into the particulars.