§ Q4. Mr. Evelyn Kingasked the Prime Minister if he has been in correspondence with Mr. Ian Smith since the conference 772 on H.M.S. "Tiger" and if he will make a statement.
§ Q5. Mr. Winnickasked the Prime Minister what correspondence he has had with Mr. Ian Smith since the meeting on the "Tiger"; and if he will make a statement on Rhodesia.
§ Q9. Sir Knox Cunninghamasked the Prime Minister what steps he now intends to take to solve the Rhodesia constitutional crisis.
§ The Prime MinisterI would refer hon. Members to my Answers to Questions on 6th and 13th June.—[Vol. 747, c. 785; Vol. 748, c. 305.]
§ Mr. KingWill the Prime Minister accept that if in any future correspondence which he may have with Mr. Smith he continues to exist upon "Nibmar", failure is certain and that responsibility for that failure will rest with him and the extremists who sit behind him?
§ The Prime MinisterThe hon. Gentleman's question makes me recall that in my composite reply I did not answer one of the points in his Question. I have had no correspondence whatever with Mr. Smith since the conference on H.M.S. "Tiger" and have no plans for any correspondence with him at the present time.
§ Mr. WinnickWhat feelers did Mr. Smith put out to get talks starting again, in view of the difficult problems which he is facing with tobacco production? Will my right hon. Friend consider the possibility of publishing a White Paper listing the activities of hon. Members opposite who have had treasonable activities and links with the Smith régime—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The hon. Member must withdraw that remark at once.
§ Mr. WinnickI was trying—
§ Mr. SpeakerI asked the hon. Member to withdraw his remark. He must withdraw it.
§ Mr. WinnickI withdraw.
§ The Prime MinisterOn a point of order. My hon. Friend withdrew the remark which you asked him to withdraw, Mr. Speaker. However, there were earlier parts of his Question concerned with feelers from Mr. Smith. Would I be in order replying to them?
§ Mr. SpeakerYes.
§ The Prime MinisterI have had no direct messages from Mr. Smith, feelers in the sense used by my hon. Friend, but in the week since I told the House that there was no sign that he was interested in any discussions, certain signs have become visible, including, of course, the television programme of last week.
§ Sir Knox CunninghamIs the Prime Minister aware that many people who have read the British and Rhodesian Blue Books are appalled by his bullying behaviour and think that he should be ashamed of himself?
§ The Prime MinisterHon. Members who have read the truth about what happened on H.M.S. "Tiger" in the British Government's Blue Book and who have also read the Rhodesian account of the same thing will know that we went to the limit—and many hon. Members would say beyond the limit—in trying to reach an honourable settlement which could have resulted in independence for Rhodesia by this time—by the spring of this year—if the undertakings necessary had been carried out and the six principles had been fully honoured. There was no question of bullying. Whereas we insisted on a more representative Government, the decision to sack his extremist Fascist colleagues was Mr. Smith's own and an offer by him, not a demand by us.
§ Mr. WoodburnIs my right hon. Friend aware that most people will be satisfied that he has taken the opportunity to send someone to Rhodesia to check up on all the statements about the willingness of Mr. Smith to accept reasonable terms, and that the choice of Lord Alport makes it impossible for anyone to impute that he has chosen any kind of representative of himself, when it is clear that he has chosen someone whose opinions will obviously be accepted not only by 774 hon. Members opposite but, I hope, by the whole country?
§ The Prime MinisterWhatever evidence there may be to the contrary, I have never myself been in much doubt that Mr. Smith would like to see an honourable settlement. One of the things which we have to be satisfied about is not whether he wants one but whether he will be allowed to have one.
§ Mr. ThorpeAs the Constitution negotiated by the right hon. Member for Kinross and West Perthshire (Sir Alec Douglas-Home) and the right hon. Member for Streatham (Mr. Sandys) was unilaterally torn up by Mr. Smith, the 1961 Constitution, and as he made it plain on "Tiger" that if he failed to get a referendum in his favour he would do a second U.D.I., does not the Prime Minister agree that the only guarantee which we have to preclude the dishonouring of further pledges is to stick to "Nibmar"?
§ The Prime MinisterWe made it quite clear what would be the position if there were a second U.D.I., if, for example, the Rhodesians were willing to return to the 1961 Constitution while the fifth principle was being tested. We made it clear that some of the assurances which we had given in the past could no longer be counted on in that circumstance. As for "Nibmar", I have nothing to add to what I told the House two days ago.
§ Mr. John LeeIs it not now time to have a fixed timetable for the completion of the overthrow of the illegal régime by sanctions?
§ The Prime MinisterI notice that those on both sides of the House who were saying that sanctions would not work, would break down, would be a total failure, are very quiet today in view of the announcement in Rhodesia this week. How far that has affected the new apparent willingness to have talks, I do not know.
§ Sir S. McAddenIn fairness to his hon. Friends, will the Prime Minister be good enough to confirm that there are men of integrity and probity in his party who are acceptable to hon. Members on both sides of the House as representatives to talk to Rhodesia and that the justification for picking Lord Alport was not that he was the only one acceptable?
§ The Prime MinisterThere was no suggestion that Lord Alport was the only one acceptable. I would have thought that he was acceptable to hon. Members opposite, for he was a member of their Administration and he was a very distinguished High Commissioner in that part of the world. But, of course, it is true that there are many hon. Members, as there are those in another place and outside both Houses, who could have been chosen for this mission. We chose Lord Alport.