§ 43. Mr. Marloweasked the Secretary of State for War what information he has as to the safety and the whereabouts of Mr. E. C. Powell, 79 Shirley Drive, Hove, an employee of the civilian contractors in the Suez Canal Base.
§ The Secretary of State for War (Mr. John Hare)As was announced on Saturday, the Protecting Power, Switzerland, has notified that the employees of the Suez contractors have been interned by Egypt. We are pressing for more specific information.
§ Mr. MarloweApart from this individual case, does my right hon. Friend appreciate that there is a large number of relatives who are very anxious for news about friends and relations in this situation? As it is reported in the Press today that General Burns is already in contact with Nasser, would my right hon. Friend ask General Burns to press upon the Egyptian Government the necessity to let us have full details about these people at the earliest opportunity?
§ Mr. HareI certainly share my hon. and learned Friend's anxiety in this matter. Our Embassy in Berne has been requested as a matter of urgency to ascertain what has been happening, and we are, I can assure my hon. and learned Friend, pressing in every way possible to get the information we all want.