§ VISCOUNT MIDLETONMy Lords, I communicated privately with the Secretary of State for India and informed him that we should be glad if we could be told to-day when the Papers with regard to Mesopotamia will be published. I have heard, but not officially, that some difficulty has occurred. I would remind your Lordships that we have now been for months pressing for these Papers, and we were informed on Thursday last by the noble 607 Marquess the Leader of the House that the Papers were, he believed, in a form ready for publication. I hope that we may have some statement as to what the present position is with regard to these Papers, and when they are likely to be published.
THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (THE MARQUESS OF CREWE)My Lords, the noble Viscount has informed us that he has been in personal communication with the Secretary of State for India on this subject, that Office being primarily concerned with the publication of these Papers, since at the time to which they refer it was the Government of India that was responsible for the conduct of the military operations. I am given to understand that further examination of the Papers which it is proposed to publish has caused it to be thought that the military objections to certain portions are stronger than was at first believed. The delay in publication is due, I understand, to that cause and to that cause alone.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYWhen does the noble Marquess think he will be in a position to inform us of the date on which we may expect these Papers? I am sure that none of your Lordships desire to have published information which may be of advantage to our enemies. That goes without saying. At the same time there is a limit, I think, to the possibility of waiting for these Papers. The noble Marquess promised them to us weeks ago. I do not know whether he will be in a position to-morrow to tell us the date on which we may expect them.
THE MARQUESS OF CREWEI feel that I cannot complain of the pressure which is placed upon us by noble Lords opposite. I think they know that I am as anxious as they are that the publication of these Papers should not be delayed. On the other hand it is, of course, important to make them as full and complete as possible. I have no doubt that some Papers containing a small modicum of information could have been published long since by leaving out most of what the House and the public would consider to be the interesting features in the Papers. I will place myself once more in communication, or my noble friend behind me (Lord Islington) will, with the Secretary of State for India, and, if possible, we will give a categorical answer to-morrow.
§ VISCOUNT MIDLETONI would remind the noble Lord the Under-Secretary that he made a long explanation recently in this House of the difficulty of arranging these Papers between the various Offices. One would have thought that these points of difference, which apparently were not known last Thursday, would have cropped up in the earlier stages during the three months of the preparation of these Papers.