2. Lieut.-Colonel Dowerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will publish the terms of the secret German-Soviet Treaty in connection with the German-Soviet non-aggression pact of 1939, which has been discovered in the archives of the German Foreign Office.
§ 6. Mr. Thurtleasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if, in order that the British public may have an opportunity of reading it, he will arrange for the publication, in a convenient form, of the recently discovered text of the supplementary secret agreement concluded between Nazi Germany and the U.S.S.R. just prior to the Nazi attack on Poland, which led to the world war.
§ Mr. BevinThe text of the secret protocol attached to the non-aggression pact of 23rd August, 1939, has been published in the British Press. No advantage is seen in making any official publication of the text.
§ Mr. ThurtleDoes not my right hon. Friend agree that in view of the importance of this as a factor in precipitating the world war, it would be as well to have an official record of it?
§ Mr. BevinI think it was published in a reputable newspaper, the "Manchester Guardian," and may be taken as accurate.
§ Mr. WarbeyCan the Minister say how the Press got hold of a copy of a document under official-control?
§ Mr. BevinI have not the slightest notion. I have been trying to find out that process for a long time.
§ Mr. StokesOn a point of Order. Would I be in Order, Mr. Speaker, in calling attention to the fact that the Opposition Front Bench are completely absent?