§ 2.37 p.m.
§ LORD VANSITTARTMy Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Queirtion was as follows:
§ To ask whether eight Nigerian students have been allowed to go to the Soviet zone of Germany for indoctrination, and, if so, what is the cause and reason of this proceeding.]
§ THE MINISTER OF CIVIL AVIATION (LORD OGMORE)My Lords, the facts are as follows. In May, 1950, the National Scholarships Board in Nigeria, a self-appointed body which selects candidates for scholarships provided by the Communist authorities in Eastern Germany, announced that a number of scholarships had been made available at schools and universities in the Eastern Sector of Berlin by the Central council of Free German Youth for the benefit of Nigeria. Eight of the candidates selected by this Board arrived in Berlin in 710 February of this year. With the possible exception of three other Nigerians, whose present whereabouts are in doubt, no other students, to the best of my knowledge, have succeeded in reaching Eastern Germany. So far as is known, none of these people was in possession of a passport endorsed for travel in the Eastern zone of Germany or other Communist countries. The authorities concerned are urgently studying what further steps can be taken to prevent further cases of this kind.
§ LORD VANSITTARTMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for his reply. I am glad to hear that the matter is being studied, with a view to the prevention of further episodes of this kind.
§ VISCOUNT SWINTONMy Lords, may I ask the Minister a supplementary question? Was it not known in Nigeria that this— I think "folly" was the word originally on the Paper: no doubt, for some reason it was withdrawn and modifield into "proceeding," though I think the stronger term would not be out of place—" proceeding" was under way? If that was known in Nigeria, why were steps not taken by His Majesty's Government in this country to prevent these misguided young men from reaching Western Germany when it was known that, if they got there, they would be going on to Eastern Germany?
§ LORD OGMOREMy Lords, I am glad to relieve the noble Viscount's mind on that score. It was not known that any of these people intended to take up a scholarship in Eastern Germany: the authorities in Nigeria did not know that. One of these young men had a passport issued in 1944, which might have included Germany, though, in view of the date, I think it highly unlikely. As regards the other young men, certainly they had no passports enabling them to visit Germany. The passports were merely for the United Kingdom and France. The men were, as I have said, entitled to come to this country or to France, but, it was not known that they intended going elsewhere.
§ EARL HOWEMy Lords, when these students, or whatever one may call them, have completed their course on these scholarships, will they be free to go back to Nigeria and there cause all the trouble they can?
§ LORD OGMOREThey will be free to go back to Nigeria. The second part of the supplementary is a matter for conjecture.
§ EARL HOWEI do not know that it is. Are they or are they not to be allowed to go back to Nigeria and create all the trouble and havoc there that they can?
§ LORD OGMOREThey will be free to go back to Nigeria, but we cannot say that they will cause trouble. They may have learnt from their experiences in the Russian zone how undesirable the Communist system is.