VISCOUNT TEMPLETOWNMy Lords, I rise to ask His Majesty's Government—(1) If the Foreign Office have a permanent official in charge of Russian affairs, what is his name, and how many senior officials there are in the Russian Department who have a personal knowledge of that country and who can speak the Russian language; (2) what official position Mr. Gregory holds in the Russian Department of the Foreign Office.
§ THE CONTROLLER OF THE PRISONERS OF WAR DEPARTMENT (LORD NEWTON)My Lords, Lord Curzon, being unable to be present this afternoon, has requested me to reply for him. The permanent official in charge of the Russian Department of the Foreign Office is Mr. Gregory. Mr. Gregory is an extremely competent and capable official, and I think that no one who has any acquaintance with his work will be likely to differ from that opinion. Amongst other things he is an admirable linguist, although so far as I know he not acquainted with Russian, but there are gentlemen employed in the Department who are extremely well acquainted with that language and with Russia. They include one gentleman who was born in Russia of British parents, and who knows Russian as well as his native tongue. It is, perhaps, hardly necessary for me to add that it is not the Russian Department of the Foreign Office which is responsible for the policy of the Government towards Russia, but it is the Secretary of State.
VISCOUNT TEMPLETOWNWill the noble Lord give me the name of the official who is so well acquainted with Russian?
§ LORD NEWTONThe particular official to whom I refer is Colonel Allen.