§ VISCOUNT GREY OF FALLODONMy Lords, I understand that the noble Marquess, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, is prepared to make a statement on the subject of the situation created by the German Note. I do not ask the Question for the purpose of initiating a debate; your Lordships will decide after you have heard the statement whether you wish to have a debate on the subject. I will simply ask the noble Marquess whether he is prepared to make a statement.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (THE MARQUESS CURZON OF KEDLESTON)My Lords, in reply to the Question put by the noble Viscount the Leader of the Opposition, it is only necessary for me to make quite a brief statement in regard to the subject which he has raised. The German Note, which has already appeared in the Press, 3 was handed by the German Ambassador to me at the Foreign Office on the afternoon of May 2. It was a Note addressed not merely to the French and Belgian Governments, but to the principal Allied Powers. As such, it was the view of His Majesty's Government that the best and moat natural course of procedure would be to return a concerted reply from the Governments of Great Britain, France, Italy and Belgium, the more so as the German Note was in response to a suggestion which had been made to the German Government publicly and officially by the Foreign Minister of the British Government, and as the problem, namely, that of Reparations, is one in which the Allied Powers, and not France and Belgium alone, are deeply concerned. Nor, in the opinion of His Majesty's Government need any insuperable difficulty have been experienced in drawing up the collective reply, reserving for separate treatment by the French and Belgian Governments, if they so desired, the questions arising directly out of the recent occupation of German territory by their military forces.
His Majesty's Government had reason to believe that these views were shared by some of their Allies and they were quite prepared to make proposals to this effect, having already communicated their general ideas to the Allied Governments, when they were officially informed that the French and Belgian Governments had already drawn up a joint reply from themselves alone, the text of which was communicated to His Majesty's Government on Saturday afternoon, with the intimation that it would be presented twenty-four hours later to the German Ambassadors at Paris and Brussels. His Majesty's Government regretted what appeared to them to be the unnecessary precipitancy of this step as well as the loss of the opportunity which in their opinion had been presented of once more testifying by a joint communication to the solidarity of the Allied Entente. They do not, however, feel dispensed from the obligation of stating their own views in reply to the German Note and this they propose with the least possible delay to do. There is reason to believe that the Italian Government, whose attitude is in general accord with that of His Majesty's Government, contemplate a similar procedure. 4 As soon as the British reply has been communicated to the German Government it will be published.
§ THE EARL OF BIRKENHEADMy Lords, I had intended to ask leave to make some observations upon this subject to-day; but, having listened to the statement made by the noble Marquess the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs—if I may say so, the admirable and restrained statement—I am so clearly convinced that what is important is that it should be made plain that the noble Marquess speaks for all Parties in this country upon this matter, that I shall not in any way protract the debate.