70. Prittasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why, in the recent negotiations in Paris, His Majesty's Government have failed to act on the policy laid down in Article 4 of the Crimea Protocol that it should be accepted as a basis for discussion at the Commission for Reparations that the sum total of reparations payable by Germany should be 20 thousand million dollars, of which half should go to the U.S.S.R.
Mr. Noel-BakerI think that the hon. Member has been misinformed about the facts. Article 4 of the Crimea Protocol did not lay down the sum of 20 thousand million dollars as the accepted basis of discussion for the reparations to be paid by Germany. On the contrary, the British delegation to the Crimea Conference formally recorded their view that no figure for German reparation should be mentioned until the Moscow Reparation Commission had considered the matter. In any case His Majesty's Government have accepted no basic agreement about reparation from Germany except that which is contained in the Potsdam Protocol. As my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State said a week ago, my right hon. Friend is now preparing a statement on the subject for circulation to the Governments of France, U.S.A. and Soviet Union.
§ Mr. PrittIs it not a fact that the American and Soviet Delegations did agree in Article 4 of this Protocol to put forward at Moscow as a basis for discussion, the figure of 20 thousand million dollars; and would the right hon. Gentleman see that, as far as possible, public men and the Press do not talk about this 10 thousand million dollars for the Soviet Union as if it were a fantastic invention, and would he make them understand that it is something to which two of the three great Powers agreed as a basis for discussion?
Mr. Noel-BakerThe United States Delegation at the Crimea Conference agreed to it as a basis for discussion, but they made it plain in the meeting at Potsdam that it was only a basis for discussion and that they were not committed to it. In point of fact, the agreement made at Potsdam was not related at all to the figure of 20 thousand million dollars.
§ Mr. EdenAs tar as His Majesty's Government are concerned, for whom we are alone responsible in this House, will the right hon. Gentleman state that we flatly declined to be committed to anything?