§ 45. Mr. Peter Freemanasked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the fact that the declared policy of this country is for defence and not for war, he will change the name of the War Office to that of the Army Office and so place it on similar lines to that of the Air Ministry and the Admiralty.
§ Mr. H. MorrisonI have been asked to reply. No, Sir. This change would almost certainly involve legislation and my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister sees no need for it.
§ Mr. FreemanDoes not my right hon. Friend think that the use of this term is likely to cause continued misunderstanding abroad, and that a gesture of this description may be of material assistance to him in the difficult task he has ahead? Will he reconsult the Prime Minister on the matter?
§ Mr. MorrisonI follow my hon. Friend's point of view quite well. This is an old name, and I do not think it will cause misunderstanding abroad. If it does we can no doubt get the Overseas Service of the B.B.C. to put it right.
§ Mr. Godfrey NicholsonDoes the right hon. Gentleman not think that continuing to refer to the Ministry of Food by that name causes a lot of misunderstanding?
§ Mr. MorrisonThe copyright of that joke belongs to the hon. Gentleman's hon. and learned Friend the Member for Norwich, South (Mr. H. Strauss) who used it before.
§ Mr. YatesIn view of the fact that my right hon. Friend has recently described the Foreign Office as "a Department of peace" is it not a little inconsistent that 202 the name of another Government Department should run contrary to that and be known as a Department of war? Is not this the psychological moment at which to make an alteration?
§ Mr. MorrisonWith great respect, I am not quite sure that my hon. Friend would be wholly happy even if we called it the "Army Office."