§ 7. Mr. Donnerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been drawn to the official Chilean announcement that State-owned lands in the Antarctic are to be leased to an industrial company for setting up whaling bases: that this action is taken under a decree signed by the Chilean President during his unauthorised visit to Greenwich Island; and whether he will give an assurance that His Majesty's Government will not tolerate this or any other attempt to establish foreign de facto occupation of British territory.
§ Mr. BevinI have seen reports in the Press to the effect that a whaling and fishing concession in the fiscal lands and territorial waters of Southern Chile has been granted to a Chilean Company under a decree alleged to have been signed by the President of Chile on Greenwich Island. As regards the last part of the Question, I would point out that the unauthorised activities and presence of parties of foreign nationals on British territory do not, in the view of His Majesty's Government, confer on the foreign powers concerned any legal title to sovereignty.
§ Mr. DonnerIn view of the repeated attempts of Chile and the Argentine to establish de facto occupation of British territory and to annexe British territory will the Government now consider more effective action than the sending of a warship to hand out paper protests, only to receive similar protests in return?
§ Mr. BevinWe are dealing with the whole matter, I hope, in the most effective way. I should not like to make a statement at the moment.