§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYMy Lords, I beg your Lordships' leave to ask a question of which I have given private notice to the Secretary of State for India and Burma. May I say that my appearance in other than my usual seat implies nothing beyond the infirmity of my eyes. I desire to ask the noble Lord how soon further Papers will be laid on the Table as to events in India since the last statement was presented in July. These Papers should set out the correspondence and negotiations leading up to the formation of the Interim Government, and in particular show what guarantees have been given by Pandit Nehru for the protection of minorities. They further should also set out what have been the nature and extent of the recent riots in India, how far British troops have been used to intervene, and whether that has been done on the direct authority of the Viceroy. I beg to put the question.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA AND BURMA (LORD PETHICK-LAWRENCE)My Lords, the negotiations which have led to the setting up of the present Interim Government in India necessarily involved a large number of interviews between the Viceroy and the leaders of the two major parties. These interviews were interspersed with correspondence. There were also correspondence and discussions between the Party leaders themselves.
The negotiations were of a confidential character and agreed records of the interviews do not exist. The correspondence alone would not give a complete picture of the negotiations. It is true that part of this correspondence has been published in India on the initiative of the Party leaders, but the publication of these documents as a White Paper would obviously 958 be a very incomplete compilation and would not give to Parliament a full picture on which to base any considered conclusion. I can, however, inform your Lordships that nothing which has passed in this correspondence between the Viceroy and the Party leaders involves any departure from the previous intentions of His Majesty's Government as to the constitutional position of the Interim Government. In these circumstances His Majesty's Government do not propose to publish a White Paper setting out the details of the correspondence and negotiations which preceded the formation of the Interim Government. The Viceroy concurred.
With regard to the other matters on which the noble Marquess asks for information, these do not seem to His Majesty's Government to be suitable for inclusion in a White Paper, but so far as practicable and in accord with the public interest I will endeavour to answer any questions in regard to them which noble Lords may wish to put to me.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYMy Lords, I am, of course, obliged to the noble Lord for the courtesy of his reply, but he will not be surprised to learn that your Lordships are not likely to be satisfied with it. I would not desire—I am sure your Lordships will believe it—to press the noble Lord at the present time, but undoubtedly further questions will be asked of him as soon as possible, and I hope that the noble Lord will be in a position to answer far more fully than he has answered this afternoon.