HC Deb 24 November 1947 vol 444 cc1601-2
68. Mr. Gammans

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that an attempt is being made in this country to establish that the refusal of the Soviet Government to allow the wives and children of British ex-Service men to come to Great Britain arises directly from the alleged detention of Soviet citizens in the British zone of Germany and the alleged detention of Soviet children in British-controlled orphanages in Germany; and whether he will take steps to refute these charges.

Mr. May hew

The suggestion that the detention in the Soviet Union of the Soviet wives of British subjects is connected with and justified by the alleged detention of Soviet displaced persons in the British zone of Germany is false on two counts. In the first place we do not hinder the repatriation of any displaced persons who wish to return to their homes. We are glad to see them go. We have repatriated more that 1,140,000 Soviet citizens from zones under our command, and repatriations of volunteers are still continuing. On 7th September, 1945, the Soviet Press published a statement by General Golikov, the chief Soviet repatriation officer, who said that it was necessary to note with gratitude the great assistance rendered by the Allies in repatriating Soviet citizens freed by them from German captivity. In the second place, the Russians have been detaining some of these wives for as long as five years. The displaced persons question, on the other hand, only arose in 1944, three years ago. The same is true as regards the orphans, an issue which was only raised this summer, and which formed the subject of a statement issued to the Press by His Majesty's Government on 5th October. The Soviet Government cannot have based their decision to detain the wives on either of the two considerations which they have belatedly adduced to justify their conduct.

Mr. Gammans

Will the Under-Secretary of State explain to the Russian Government, and especially to Mr. Molotov, while he is here in London, that to us the acid test of liberty and democracy is the treatment of humble people like these?