§ 21. Mr. Emrys Hughesasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what documents dealing with the report of Sir Roger Casement into the conditions in Putumayo are still kept at the Foreign Office.
§ Mr. Dodds-ParkerAll the relevant Foreign Office correspondence is kept either in the Foreign Office or at the Public Record Office. It is not available for public inspection, but a great deal of it has been published.
§ Mr. HughesIn view of the fact that Sir Roger Casement investigated conditions in Putumayo some fifty years ago, will not the Minister consider allowing authors and historians to have access to these documents?
§ Mr. Dodds-ParkerNo, Sir. There was a very full Blue Book published in 1912, and the other documents, of course, are all documents which at the moment fall within the closed period, which is after 1902.
§ Captain OrrWould it not be better to let sleeping traitors lie?