§ 20. Mr. Swinglerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware that former Nazi judges and prosecutors have been appointed to judicial positions in Western Germany: and if he will ask the Federal German Government to investigate and report on this.
§ Mr. Ian HarveyMy right hon. and learned Friend is aware that allegations have been made by the East German Communist authorities against persons holding judicial appointments in the Federal Republic. As regards investigations by the Federal German Government, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Lewis) on 17th November.
§ Mr. SwinglerIs the hon. Gentleman aware that I have that reply with me and it reveals that investigations have been going on for more than twelve months? The Federal Government have only just got round to appointing a central co-ordinating authority to carry 1138 on further investigations. Does it not appear to be procrastination and evasion of the issue? Is the hon. Gentleman aware that he has been informed of 200 cases of quite specific charges which, as he knows, have immense propaganda value? Will he take some action to get an answer to those charges of Nazification of the judicial bench?
§ Mr. HarveyI do not accept the charge of procrastination, and the propaganda value is, of course, propaganda value to Eastern Germany.
§ Mr. S. SilvermanDoes the hon. Gentleman not remember that his right hon. and learned Friend promised me not twelve but eighteen months ago that an urgent investigation would then be made? Does he not think that at the end of twelve to eighteen months of investigation into a point of this kind—the answer to which ought to be readily available—if the Government are still not satisfied what the position is, that is evidence that they have not really been trying very hard to find out? Will he remember that these matters loom very large in people's minds when they remember what the effect was and how these people behaved in the years during the war? This is not a light matter. Will the Government treat it seriously?
§ Mr. HarveyI think the hon. Member failed to read my last Answer, in which I made it perfectly clear that this new court had been set up by the West German Government.
§ Mr. H. MorrisonWhen the Under-Secretary is inquiring into this matter, will he also inquire into whether it is the case that in Eastern Germany former Nazis have been appointed to official positions in the State?
§ Mr. HarveyI am much obliged to the right hon. Member for that intervention, I hope he will draw the attention of hon. Members on his side of the House to it.
§ Mr. S. SilvermanOn a point of order. May I draw your attention, Mr. Speaker, to the fact that the last two sentences of the answer which the Minister has just given involve a personal attack on those of us who have been asking for this investigation, because it quite clearly implies what the hon. Member must know 1139 perfectly well to be quite false—that we are not interested in this question unless it occurs in Western Germany. That is not true. We want an end of people with these records being given authority. I personally want an end of authority for these people, whether they are in East Germany, West Germany or on the other side of the House.
§ Mr. SpeakerI heard no personal attack made on anybody. I heard the Joint Under-Secretary of State ask the right hon. Member for Lewisham, South (Mr. H. Morrison) whether he would draw what he had said to the attention of his hon. Friends. Surely there is no personal attack in that.
§ Mr. BevanIs it the Government's intention to imitate the Communists in every respect in this matter?
§ Mr. SwinglerIn view of the unsatisfactory and tendentious replies by the Joint Under-Secretary of State, I beg to give notice that I will raise the matter on the Adjournment.