HC Deb 31 January 1955 vol 536 cc671-2
18. Mr. Lewis

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement giving details of the German officers and others who have recently made a tour of British defence positions in this country; the places visited; the military and political background of these men; and details of their past Nazi Party membership and activities.

Mr. Nutting

I presume the hon. Member is referring to the German officers who visited this country during the week of 10th-15th January. They visited the Admiralty and Her Majesty's ships and establishments in the Portsmouth area. During the late war, all these officers carried out the duties of regular officers serving in wartime. I will circulate their names in the OFFICIAL REPORT. None of them, to my knowledge, was a member of the Nazi Party.

Mr. Lewis

Is the Minister aware that at least one of them—and, I believe, more—received high decorations from the Nazi Party for his activities?

Mr. Nutting

Decorations were not uncommon in the German armed forces during the war for services in the field, any more than they were uncommon in other armed forces, but none of these generals or officers to whom the hon. Member refers was to my knowledge a member of the Nazi Party; and General Heusinger was arrested on suspicion after the Hitler Plot.

Mr. Shinwell

Have any of these German officers been furnished with information which has been denied to hon. Members on security grounds? [HON. MEMBERS: "Answer."] May I make my question more specific? Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that only the other day the Under-Secretary of State for Air refused to disclose information about guided missiles and the condition of the Royal Air Force? Can we be assured that these German officers were not supplied with that information?

Mr. Nutting

If the right hon. Gentleman wants to know exactly what type of information was supplied to these officers, and whether or not it was classified, perhaps he will be good enough to put down a Question.

Mr. Shinwell

Does that mean that the right hon. Gentleman does not know what the information was?

Mr. Nutting

What it means is that I would rather not give the House an answer on the basis of insufficient information.

Following are the names:

The officers concerned were:

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