§ 46. Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamiltonasked the Lord President of the Council whether, in view of the large numbers of subsidised books and pamphlets giving the Communist point of view, he will facilitate the production of cheap editions of books which give the other point of view.
§ Mr. EdeI have been asked to reply. No, Sir, my right hon. Friend has no reason to suppose that any special facilities are required.
§ Lord Malcolm Douglas-HamiltonIs the right hon. Gentleman familiar with the book which is called "A History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks)," which is described inside as a short course, is printed and published in Moscow, and is, I understand, a textbook of the workers of the Communist Party, and sells in this country for Is. 6d.? [An HON. MEMBER: "Has the noble Lord read it?"] Yes. Could we not encourage and facilitate the publication of books which put the other point of view, such as "The Coming Defeat of Communism" by James Burnham?
§ Mr. EdeI am not aware of the book that the noble Lord mentions, and I do not intend to waste my time reading it—even if he presented me with it. However, think that this matter is best left to private organisations, because I am quite 1068 certain that any State subsidised propaganda would be regarded with the very greatest suspicion.