§ 47. Mr. Warbeyasked the Prime Minister what official message of sympathy he has sent to the widow of Mr. Patrice Lumumba, first Prime Minister of the Congo.
§ The Prime MinisterAlthough I am informed that it would not have been in accordance with custom to have sent an official message of sympathy, the hon. Member's Question allows me once more to express how deeply Her Majesty's Government deplore the circumstances that led to Mr. Lumumba's death. May I add how much we also deplore the report received yesterday of the execution of six other notabilities, who appear to have been the victims of a bitter intertribal warfare.
§ Mr. WarbeyAll hon. and right hon. Members will join with the Prime Minister in what he has said, but can he say why the usual custom was not followed in this case? Also, why was 312 it the first reaction of the Foreign Office to issue the very cold and unfeeling statement that the death of Mr. Lumumba added one more complication to an already complicated situation?
§ The Prime MinisterI think that that may have been somewhat of an understatement. This is a very difficult problem, as the House knows, and hon. Members will, no doubt, have seen the report of the action taken by the Security Council yesterday.
§ Sir A. V. HarveyWill the Prime Minister confirm that he was not influenced in this matter by the unwillingness of Mr. Khrushchev to send a telegram to Mme. Nagy, the widow of the late Prime Minister of Hungary?