HC Deb 12 December 1956 vol 562 cc423-5
33. Mr. Donnelly

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will issue a White Paper setting forth the communications which have passed during the last six months between Israel and Her Majesty's Government regarding the military situation in the Middle East.

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

I have nothing to add to the Answer which my hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Ashfield (Mr. Warbey) on 22nd November.

Mr. Donnelly

Can the hon. Gentleman say when he will have something to add, because it is not just as easy as all that? Is he aware that there are much more serious issues involved affecting the country, quite apart from individual members of the Government, with these charges of collusion, and does not he think he owes it to the country to do something about it?

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

I am asked if I will issue a White Paper setting forth the communications. As my hon. Friend has previously said, there have been no official communications with the Government by Israel in regard to the situation in the Middle East.

Mr. Swingler

Will the Joint Under-Secretary answer this plain question of fact? Were the Government informed, or were they not informed, either by Israel or by France, of the supply of French aircraft to Israel between 16th October and 30th October? Were they or were they not?

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

I am not prepared to answer that. [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] No. It is well known that these consultations between the signatories of the Tripartite Declaration are confidential communications, and we do not propose to reveal them.

Mr. Donnelly

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I beg to give notice that I will raise the matter on the Adjournment.

36 and 37. Mr. Stokes

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) if he will publish the text of all documents exchanged and the record of all official conversations between Her Majesty's Government and the French Government since 1st October in relation to Suez and the Sinai Peninsula;

(2) if he will publish the text of all documents exchanged and the record of all official conversations between Her Majesty's Government and the Israeli Government since 1st October in relation to Suez and the Sinai Peninsula.

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

No, Sir. Confidential communications of this kind between Governments are of no value unless they remain confidential.

Mr. Stokes

Confidential communications of this kind are of no value unless the Government are prepared to tell the truth. Is the Minister aware that our many friends in Arabia and elsewhere are perplexed by the disinclination of the Government to tell the truth about this affair and that so long as Her Majesty's Government refuse to tell us what happened on 16th October in Paris, this perplexity and suspicion will continue and nobody will believe the Government?

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

The Government have told the truth, and I would refer the right hon. Gentleman to numerous statements made by my right hon. Friends in recent weeks.

Mr. Stokes

While, in great deference to yourself, Mr. Speaker, I will agree that the Government have not told a lie, may I ask the Minister whether he is aware that they have not told the whole truth? What the people of the world want to know is what really happened. Everybody believes that there was collusion— [HON. MEMBERS: "No."]—oh, yes, they do—and those of our friends in Arabia who want to support us are being completely nonplussed by the disinclination of Her Majesty's Government to come clean.

Mr. Ormsby-Gore

What the right hon. Gentleman has actually asked is that we should publish the text of all communications, and that we are not prepared to do.

Captain Pilkington

Is it not time that the Opposition stopped smearing the Government of their own country?