HC Deb 17 April 1951 vol 486 cc1650-1
31. Mr. Driberg

asked the Secretary of State for War if his attention has been called to the official statement made in Washington by Lieut.-General Sir Richard Gale, Director General of Training, to the effect that Soviet intervention in the Korean conflict would be welcome because it would provide the British forces with an opportunity of killing Russians; why an officer whose views are not in accordance with the aims of the United Nations and His Majesty's Government has been sent on an official mission to Washington; and what steps have been taken to discipline him.

42. Mr. Emrys Hughes

asked the Secretary of State for War if his attention has been drawn to the official statement made by Lieut.-General Sir Richard Gale, at Washington, on 6th April, on the subject of the war in Korea; and to what extent it has his approval.

Mr. Strachey

As soon as reports of General Gale's alleged statement were received inquiries were made as to whether it represented correctly what he had said. A telegram has now been received from General Gale which reads as follows: I categorically deny statement. My remarks were made with reference to intervention by MIG aircraft and not (repeat not) to Russians. Thus I deny emphatically the statement as it stands.

Mr. Driberg

While welcoming very strongly that denial of a statement which has done a tremendous amount of harm because it has been quoted and misquoted throughout the world, may I ask my right hon. Friend to say whether any steps were taken by the British Information Services in America to get the statement denied as soon as this telegram was received and to check with the journalists concerned?

Mr. Strachey

The telegram from Lieut.-General Gale has only just been received. I think that the best start to the denial of the accuracy of the report is made by my statement in the House today.

Mr. Emrys Hughes

Is not Lieut.-General Gale still in America, and in those circumstances how is it possible that he could allow this statement to be made all over America while he was there without denying it?

Mr. Strachey

I cannot say what other statements Lieut.-General Gale may have made, but we made these inquiries of him and he made this very categorical denial to us.

Lord John Hope

Would not this Question have come rather better from the hon. Member who asked it, if he supported the foreign policy designed to prevent the Russians from killing us?

Mr. Driberg

Too stupid to answer.