§ LORD VANSITTART asked His Majesty's Government whether they regard the export of wolfram to Germany by Portugal as consistent with Portugal's position as an ally of this country, and whether any statement can now be made as regards the export to Germany of wolfram from Spain, and ball-bearings from Sweden.
§ The noble Lord said: My Lords, in rising to put the question which stands in my name I desire not only to elicit information but to state a view. If I speak with indiscretion I shall expect no reciprocity in official quarters. I have seen and heard of a great many different types of alliance, but I have never heard of one that covered the supply by one partner, even a comatose partner, of war material to the mortal enemies of the active partner to the alliance. Such goings-on seem to reduce the alliance to a farce and not a very pleasant one. The vocabulary 617 of diplomacy will have to be revised to cover all these new phenomena of neutral allies and hostile or unfriendly neutrals. Between them they have contributed in various degrees to the death of many of our fellow countrymen. I am glad indeed that tae Turks have realized that such proceedings are incompatible with the status if even a nominal ally. Our oldest ally Portugal seems to me to be still obdurate and I do not think it unreasonable to suggest that the assistance of our allies to our enemies, or the alliance itself, should terminate. We have shown every consideration, made every allowance during the period in which the position of the Allies—the real Allies—was sufficiently precarious to warrant some trimming on the pat of the neutral allies, and the unfriendly neutrals, but I submit that those days are long past and that even the most timorous might now quit the cross-roads. I remember at the beginning of the last war the French Ambassador in speaking of the Italians said, "Ils voleront au secours du vainqueur." I do not wish to overstress the point, but I think that a little volatility might recommend itself to those of the neutrals who still countenance the foulest losers in history.
§ I was in Sweden myself for some time during the last war. The spirit of the country then was unfriendly to the Allied cause, very largely because it was Anti-Russian. I gladly admit that there has been a considerable change for the better in that respect. At the same time I do not think that anyone would pretend that the conduct of Sweden during this war has conformed to any hitherto known standard of neutrality, and I earnestly hope that the Swedes will not persist in this course to the bitter end lest somewhat bitter memories be left.
§ As to Spain, I congratulate the Government on the agreement recently concluded and described yesterday in another place. I am sure we have all heard of that with pleasure and I imagine that it was not perhaps doubly unwelcome to the very Blue Division. At the same time I would like to add that it will require a little more than this agreement to efface from the minds of some of us the hostility with which the Allied cause has been treated for the greater part of this war. There has been a very definite tendency to put coloured shirts on the wrong horse. I hope that now there has been at least a tendency for the chastened punter to 618 hedge his bet, and I shall be better pleased when the entire bet has been laid off. I trust that that desirable consummation may be possibly hastened by the force of circumstances.
§ THE EARL OF CARLISLEMy Lords, recent events have led the noble Lord, Lord Vansittart, to omit from his question the export of chrome from Turkey and have left him with the export of wolfram from Portugal and ball-bearings from Sweden, both extremely important articles. But of all shipments that have recently been made to Germany probably the most important to the functioning of the war machine are those of wolf ram and of chrome. I think everybody will agree that it is the duty of His Majesty's Government and the Governments of the Allied Nations to exert all possible pressure on the Governments of the exporting nations to see that they either prohibit altogether or at any rate reduce to a minimum the shipments to Germany. Particularly we have the results if the conferences that have recently been held at Ankara between the Turkish Foreign Minister, M. Menemenjoglu, our Ambassador, Sir Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen and Mr. Steinhardt, the American Ambassador. These are indeed a matter of congratulation, both to the Turkish authorities and to His Majesty's Government. I understand from the debate in another place, which is reported in the Press this morning, that the same fortunate results have been achieved in Spain, and I hope that the noble Earl, Lord Selborne, in his reply, may be able to give us even more satisfactory information on the progress of the negotiations.
I have just returned from a stay extending over the greater part of three years in Turkey where I was the chief representative of the United Kingdom Corporation. I was also a member, and for some time Chairman, of the Anglo-American Co-ordinating Committee, as well as a member and Chairman of the Anglo-American Purchasing Committee. I can therefore speak to your Lordships with some knowledge of the state of affairs in Turkey and what his been going on there. I found on my return to England—in my opinion at any rate—that there is, or was, some misconception of the Turkish attitude before the recent statements. People here seem to have thought that the very genuine feelings of good will and friendship towards us that 619 existed in Turkey were slipping away. That is not so at all. Right from the darkest period in the history of this war, after the collapse of France, and during the lean and difficult years of 1941 and 1942, when Turkey was in a very isolated position, she remained firm in her friendship with ourselves, and in her belief in a final Allied victory. We, on our part, have done a great deal to assist her. We have sent to Turkey an immense quantity of armaments, of foodstuffs, of railway locomotives and wagons, and of every conceivable kind of gear. Although great difficulties had to be overcome in matters of transport and other things—particularly after the German invasion and the closing of the Ægean Sea—these goods were continually sent.
In spite of these efforts and in spite of the work of our Anglo-American Coordinating Committee in Ankara, the Turkish authorities found that if they were to maintain even the moderate state of efficiency that existed in regard to their railways and roads, their public services generally, and the standard of living of their people, they were bound to import goods from the Axis Powers, and in return they had to sell to the Axis Powers a certain amount of Turkish produce. It is true that until the end of 1943 no chrome went to Germany as it was all taken by the Allied Nations, and it is only since the expiry of that treaty that some has been sent. Therefore in acceding to our wishes to send no more chrome to Germany, I think that the Turkish authorities have played a great part on our side, and that it is incumbent upon us, so far is is possible in these days, that we should assist them in any way we can with their requirements in their time of difficulties.
§ THE MINISTER OF ECONOMIC WARFARE (THE EARL OF SELBORNE)My Lords, I think your Lordships will agree that my reply to the interesting speeches to which we have just listened had better be quite short. I should like to thank my noble friend Lord Vansittart for his kindness in having postponed this question for a fortnight at my request. The reason why I made that request will now, I think, be apparent to your Lordships. During that period very satisfactory agreements have been made with two important neutral countries. Valuable as Parliamentary 620 discussion is at all times, it is not easy to debate such matters publicly while negotiations are actually proceeding. My noble friend has changed the terms of his question, which previously referred to Turkey, and I should like to take this opportunity of expressing my appreciation of the action taken by the Turkish Government in response to the request of His Majesty's Government. I was very glad to hear what my noble friend Lord Carlisle, who has rendered such important services to this country during the last three years in Turkey, has been able to tell us about that matter.
My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary yesterday made a statement in another place regarding the agreement which has just been concluded with Spain, and the terms are now known to your Lordships. In this matter both the Allies and the Spanish Government have moved to meet each other's position, and we can rejoice that Spain is now to a greater extent asserting that neutrality which has been her proclaimed policy for some months past. This happy result is in no small measure due to the skill and patience of His Majesty's Ambassador at Madrid, Sir Samuel Hoare, and to the statesmanship of General Jordana, the Spanish Foreign Minister, whose advent to office has resulted in happier relations between Spain and the Allies.
As your Lordships are aware, this agreement is by no means confined to the subject of wolfram, but I, as Minister of Economic Welfare, must emphasize the great importance of the wolfram clauses. Export licences for wolfram from Spain in 1943 averaged about 100 tons a month, but I should like to point out that under the influence of high prices, production of wolfram in Spain has been rising very rapidly. We calculate that in 1944 it was likely to average something like 400 tons a month. This agreement provides that the exports to Germany in 1944 cannot exceed 20 tons a month for May and June, and thereafter 40 tons a month. So your Lordships will see what a very great reduction in what otherwise might have been exported has been effected by this agreement. We should be in no doubt as to the vital importance of this mineral. Wolfram is the ore from which the mineral tungsten is extracted, and tungsten is an essential ingredient in high speed cutting tools without which production for war and many industrial purposes 621 must be seriously impaired. It is also an essential ingredient of certain most important munitions of war. We are satisfied that German stocks of this metal are low and, apart from the Iberian peninsula, Germany can replenish her stocks only by means of such blockade runners as can rim the gauntlet from the Far East. The notable diminution of supplies of wolfram from Spain brought about by the agreement, therefore, will necessarily have a very important influence on Germany's capacity to produce ammunition and weapons in the coming months.
In regard to Portugal, I regret that I cannot say much, because negotiations are still continuing. I should like, however, to emphasize the fact that it would be idle to pretend that His Majesty's Government are satisfied with the situation, it which our Ally continues to supply vital material to the enemy, and we have left the Portuguese Government in no doubt as to our feelings in the matter. My noble friend also asks me whether I can made any statement with regard to ball-bearings from Sweden. As your Lordships are aware, the Swedish Government recently expressed their inability to agree to the request of the British and American Governments for an embargo on the export of ball-bearings to German-controlled Europe. As has already been stated in another place, we cannot regard the subject as closed by the Swedish reply, but there is nothing. I can usefully add at the moment.
I think the United Nations are entitled to ask neutral countries to recognize the fact that their own independence depends on an Allied victory, and that at this stage in the war any country that delivers supplies of military importance to the Axis is assisting in the prolongation of the war. There is a heavy responsibility on all neutral Governments who value independence and liberty and whose people value independence and liberty to see to it that no act of theirs shall assist that evil force whose triumph would obliterate liberty from the world. The victories of the Allies have saved these countries from that horror, and will save them. The issue of the war is no longer in doubt, and the war can be materially shortened by withholding these vital supplies from Germany and much human slaughter and misery can be saved thereby. We have a right to ask neutrals to recognize that patent fact.