Book "The Groundnut Affair" (Hansard, 20 March 1950)

§ 25. Mr. Boyd-Carpenter
asked the Minister of Food if he will make a statement as to why his Department gave directions to the Overseas Food Corporation to try to prevent the publication of the book entitled "The Groundnut Affair," by Mr. Alan Wood; and what action was taken.

§ Mr. Webb
No directions of any kind have been given by my Department to the Overseas Food Corporation about the publication of a book by Mr. Alan Wood. The second part of the Question does not therefore arise.

§ Mr. Boyd-Carpenter
Does it follow from that answer that the fact that the right hon. Gentleman's predecessor personally informed the publishers that publication would be stopped, while Sir Leslie Plummer personally informed the author to the same effect, was merely a happy coincidence? In view of the implications of this matter with respect to freedom of discussion, will the right hon. Gentleman arrange for a public inquiry into the whole case?

§ Mr. Webb
As the hon. Gentleman pointed out, if any representations were made I do not know about them; they would be personal representations. As head of this Department, I could not take any responsibility for that kind of representation.

Mr. Stanley
How is it possible for a Minister while he is still in office to make personal representations about a matter that intimately concerns his own Ministry? Surely he can only do so in his part as Minister, and he and his successor must take the responsibility for it?

§ Mr. Webb
I am sorry. Obviously I can only take responsibility for what the Department does, and I have made most careful inquiries into this and at no stage has any communication, written or oral, gone from my Department to any responsible person on this matter.

Mr. Stanley
Does the right hon. Gentleman deny that a communication went from his predecessor, who surely was part of the Department at the time, to the publishers, and does not that constitute an official act? Are we to understand that in future we may get letters 1537 from Ministers written from their offices and afterwards be told, "This is only a personal thing; it is not a Department matter?"

§ Mr. Webb
I cannot deny anything on which I have no information. [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] Quite seriously, there is no record in my Department of any transaction of this kind. Therefore I have no record at all and I can neither deny nor affirm. All I can say is that my Department—and the Question is addressed to me on that ground—has at no time made any such representations.

Mr. Stanley
In view of the very unsatisfactory nature of this reply, may I ask the Prime Minister, who is responsible for all Ministries, whether he will look into this and see whether, in fact, any instructions were issued by the right hon. Gentleman's predecessor, whether unofficially or, as we are now told, in his personal capacity?

§ The Prime Minister (Mr. Attlee)
I will certainly ask the Secretary of State for War about this point.