HL Deb 09 November 1961 vol 235 cc431-4
LORD STRANG

My Lords, on behalf of the noble Marquess, Lord Salisbury, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in his name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make a statement about the appointment of Mr. Cabot Lodge to be Director-General of the Atlantic Institute.]

THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (THE EARL OF HOME)

My Lords, Her Majesty's Government welcome Mr. Cabot Lodge's appointment, which should be of great assistance in developing the Atlantic Institute as an organisation serving the needs of the Western world as a whole. We are convinced that it has an important part to play in defining and expounding the fundamental principles of our free Western civilisation.

LORD OGMORE

My Lords, is the Foreign Secretary aware that this appointment has given great satisfaction to us on these Benches: and may we join in wishing Mr. Cabot Lodge and the Institute every possible success?

THE EARL OF HOME

I am much obliged.

VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLS-BOROUGH

My Lords, might I have a little more explanation than just the bare statement, as to what the Institute is going to do under the Director-Generalship of Mr. Cabot Lodge; and especially, could I know exactly how it is to be financed?

THE EARL OF HOME

My Lords, the Atlantic Institute, as I understand it, is an independent organisation which will serve the Atlantic area as a whole, including those States which are not members of the North Atlantic Alliance. It is rather more widely embracing than N.A.T.O. The idea of it is that it will seek to stimulate and develop ideas, and promote studies of those matters which are of concern to all the free countries in the Western world, and it will work closely with other organisations in the same field. The Institute has published a Declaration of Purposes, which I think the noble Viscount, when he reads it, will find quite admirable, and certainly in line with our thinking. On the matter of finance, some Governments have made contributions, but the Institute is also drawing money from private sources. It is very largely private sources which have financed the Institute.

VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGH

My Lords, I must say that I am a little anxious about this thing. I have seen references to it on two or three occasions, but I have never really been able to understand how it was initiated. In these days of double banking, which has been going on, I am wondering how much of this work could have been done by those regularly instituted institutions, like the Institute of International Affairs or the American Council of Foreign Relations, which are very much in the public mind, and whose operations may, perhaps, get a much more general and wider publicity than would be likely with an institute of this kind. It seems a rather less satisfactory basis to me, so far as I have been able to see it, although, of course, we all wish to see the general work of the organisation itself advanced.

THE EARL OF HOME

My Lords, of course, there are very reputable and very valuable national institutions and councils which discuss matters of this kind. This is really an international Institute. Exactly how it will manage its affairs I am not quite sure, but its prospectus, so to speak, and what it says it will do—and I will give the noble Viscount a copy—is certainly in line, I think, with our thinking in this country. And, of course, the more effectively we can promote and expound the principles of living which inspire the Western societies, the better it will be. So I hope that the House will feel that this is a very valuable Institute, and I am sure Mr. Cabot Lodge himself will give it inspiration.

EARL WINTERTON

My Lords, like the noble Viscount, I am in some doubt as to the exact position of Her Majesty's Government in this matter. The noble Earl, the Foreign Secretary, said that this is a private organisation. Have the Government appointed any members to it, or is that purely a matter for the organisation? Presumably the Government take no responsibility for its actions?

THE EARL OF HOME

No, my Lords. All I was doing to-clay was to welcome this Institute, and certainly we have no responsibility for its actions.

LORD HENDERSON

My Lords, without intending to be in any way critical, because I agree with the general remarks which have been made, may I ask the Foreign Secretary to elaborate his statement when he said that there have been Government contributions and private contributions? May I ask whether Her Majesty's Government will make contributions?

THE EARL OF HOME

My Lords, Her Majesty's Government are proposing to contribute £1,500 a year to the Institute.

LORD OGMORE

My Lords, is it not a fact that, for years past, the setting up of this Institute has been recommended by the N.A.T.O. Parliamentarians' Conference, which meets annually in Paris, and at which Conference there are representatives of all three Parties in this country? Is it not also a fact that the main object of it is to be a sort of international Chatham House?

THE EARL OF HOME

That is right.

LORD SHACKLETON

My Lords, could we ask the Government whether they could not ask the noble Earl, Lord Jellicoe, to tell us about it, since I suspect that he played a large part in setting it up?

THE EARL OF HOME

I do not mind the noble Earl, Lord Jellicoe, telling your Lordships about it, but not now!