§ 2.35 p.m.
§ VISCOUNT TRENCHARDMy Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish a White Paper giving a short summary of points in the captured German documents which showed the great advantages the Germans obtained from our published Estimates and White Papers and debates.]
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (VISCOUNT HALL)My Lords His Majesty's Government have carefully examined the noble Viscount's request, but are unable to agree to the publication of a White Paper of the kind he suggests.
§ VISCOUNT TEMPLEWOODMy Lords, arising out of that answer, would the noble Viscount say upon what grounds he bases that refusal? Are these documents confidential? If they are confidential, how is it that several other countries, including the Americans, have already published them? If they are not confidential, what then is the reason why His Majesty's Government cannot give at any rate some illustrations to justify the statements that have been made in debates in your Lordships' House and in another place?
§ VISCOUNT HALLMy Lords, there can be no doubt about the statements which have been made by members of His Majesty's Government in relation to this matter. What my noble friend said was that the contents of documents giving the disposition and numbers of Forces in this country were known to the Germans, who acted upon them. So far as the German documents are concerned, before those documents could be published there would have to be consultations with other 384 Allied countries. His Majesty's Government do not deem it necessary that such consultations should take place.
§ VISCOUNT TEMPLEWOODMy Lords, if that is so, how is it that the Americans and the Russians have both published volumes of these documents? And upon what ground should we have to consult other Powers as to whether or not we publish German documents?
§ VISCOUNT HALLMy Lords, His Majesty's Government also have published numbers of documents—I have seen huge bundles of documents which have been published—in consultation with Allied countries. I have no doubt that before they published their documents the other Powers consulted His Majesty's Government.
§ VISCOUNT TEMPLEWOODWould His Majesty's Government consult these other Governments and see whether they cannot make a publication of this kind?
§ VISCOUNT TRENCHARDArising out of the noble Viscount's reply, I would like to ask what is the point which caused His Majesty's Government to say that they could not allow the ordinary Army List, Air List and Navy List to be published? What advantages did the Germans derive from our publishing those documents, of which the Government claim to have seen evidence in the captured documents?
§ VISCOUNT HALLMy Lords, there can be no doubt as to the advantages which the Germans obtained as a result of the full publication by the three Services—
§ VISCOUNT TRENCHARDMay I interrupt the noble Viscount? All I am asking is, what was that advantage they received? Cannot the Government give one single instance?
§ VISCOUNT HALLThey had the advantage of knowing the number of squadrons and personnel in the Air Force, and the disposition of the squadrons; the number of ships, the disposition of the ships and the number of personnel in the Royal Navy; and also the types of ships in the Royal Navy and the types of aircraft in the Royal Air Force.
§ VISCOUNT TEMPLEWOODIf that is so, how does the noble Viscount justify the fact that the Americans, whose Air 385 Force is much greater than ours and is now the predominant Air Force in the world, are publishing all the facts for which we are asking?
§ VISCOUNT HALLI do not know how the noble Viscount knows that. So far as we are concerned, we have seen that the Germans benefited during the war as a result of information which they derived from documents which we published annually in this country.