HC Deb 07 June 1945 vol 411 cc1064-5
49. Mr. Stokes

asked the Prime Minister what agreements were arrived at at Teheran or Yalta with regard to relations with other European Powers not so far disclosed to the British public.

The Prime Minister

I have nothing to add to the official statements which have already been made on the results of these Conferences.

Mr. Stokes

Will the Prime Minister repeat the assurance given by the Foreign Secretary that no secret engagements of any kind whatever were entered into either at Yalta or Teheran?

The Prime Minister

I cannot give a guarantee that the newspaper reporters were there all the time.

Mr. Price

If it is a fact that there are no undisclosed conditions to the Yalta decisions, why is it that the Russian Government have acted in the matter of the broadening of the Polish Government in a way totally in conflict with the declared decisions of the Yalta Conference?

The Prime Minister

Certainly there were no secret engagements entered into there at all, except that we kept secret the addition of two members to Russia, Byelo-Russia and the Ukraine. Those were kept secret at the desire of the United States so that the President could get home and make the necessary arrangements on the spot. Otherwise, there were no secret engagements, but the conversations, of course, proceeded in a very intimate manner, and I am not prepared to says that everything discussed at Yalta could be made the subject of a verbatim report.

Mr. Stokes

With great respect to the Prime Minister, his answer was quite irrelevant. I was not talking about newspapers. Will he repeat the assurance given to the House by the Foreign Secretary that no secret engagements were entered into at either of those conferences?

The Prime Minister

Yes, Sir, I have, but I do not accept the view that it is absolutely necessary that there should never be on any occasion a secret clause in some arrangement, provided that is reported to a wide Cabinet. It may very often be necessary to do so. It would hamper very much the whole proceedings if no understandings could be made which had not to be immediately published. I should not approve of that myself, although I know that a lot of claptrap is talked about it.