§ 34. Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if, through the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, he will ask the West German Government to end the research work into nerve gases now being undertaken by the Bayer Dyestuffs factory.
§ Mr. Selwyn LloydNo, Sir. It is no part of the North Atlantic Treaty Oiganisation's function to serve as a channel for such a request. In any case, I have no evidence of such research work being undertaken.
§ Mr. AllaunThen will the Foreign Secretary examine the evidence that I can send him? Is he aware that this work is led by Dr. Schrader, who developed the Bladan nerve poison for the Nazis in 1939 and later the Tabun gas which was used for concentration camp exterminations? Is not this contrary to the 1954 Agreement?
§ Mr. LloydWhat I will certainly do is to examine any evidence that the work has actually been undertaken. I have no such evidence, and I do not think that what the hon. Gentleman has said constitutes such evidence.