§ 47. Mr. Pickthornasked the Prime Minister whether his attention has been drawn to a letter printed in the "Daily Telegraph "of 18th February from the Director of Public Relations, Control Office for Germany and Austria; with what authority the letter was published; whether its contents represent Government policy; and if he will ensure that in future such pronouncements are manifestly made by, or on behalf of the Minister concerned and not over the signature of a civil servant.
§ The Prime MinisterThe purpose of the letter was to correct any misunderstanding of the state of affairs in the British zone of Germany to which an earlier letter in the same paper may inadvertently have given rise, and accordingly the letter was within the normal scope of the duties of a public relations officer. It contained no announcement of policy, and I can assure the hon. Member that any such announcement would normally be made only by, or on behalf of, the Minister concerned.
§ Mr. PickthornDoes not the right hon. Gentleman think that this letter did, in fact, contain a great many implications of policy, and that all statements of policy, whether implicit or explicit, had better be manifestly seen to be upon the responsibility of a particular Minister?
§ The Prime MinisterI quite agree, if it is a question of a statement of policy, but this was a statement, as I read it, on the facts of the situation.
§ Mr. PickthornThere was not a fact in it.