§ 3.24 p.m.
§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, I beg to ask the Question of which I have given Private Notice:
"To ask Her Majesty's Government if they have any further statement to make on the situation in South East Asia?"
THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (THE EARL OF HOME)My Lords, following joint consideration by the British Government and the Thai Government we have now been invited to dispatch a contingent to Thailand, and, as I informed the House on May 17, we consider that a squadron of the Royal Air Force would be the most suitable contribution. The arrangements for the reception of the squadron are now being discussed with the Thai Government.
§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, I am much obliged to the noble Earl, the Foreign Secretary. I hope that the other parties to S.E.A.T.O. are supporting him. I think he has done very good work as co-Chairman of the Geneva Conference, and we all want to see the aims of that Conference secured and a neutral Government in Laos. May I ask the noble Earl whether his attention has been called to page 14 of The Times to-day and this despatch from their Washington correspondent? I will only quote a few short words. It says: 1074
the Administration is now convinced that the Central Intelligence Agency has been up to its old devices again and must share a large part of the responsibility for the situation in Laos.I think that some of us had been feeling that there was no doubt some culpability in that direction in the months gone by, but we had hoped, from the indications we had seen, statements of President Kennedy and the like, that they had seen the error of their ways and were concentrating on the purpose of the Geneva Conference. I hope that the Foreign Secretary may be able to reassure us about this.
THE EARL OF HOMEMy Lords, I am much obliged to the noble Viscount. The Australians and New Zealanders are sending contingents, as we are, to Thailand. On the second part of the noble Viscount's question, of course he realises that I am not responsible for the operations of the Central Intelligence Agency, very happily, and therefore I cannot answer questions about them in this House and Parliament. I would add that I am absolutely satisfied—and of course I have seen the article in The Times to which the noble Viscount refers—that the President and the American Government, and Mr. Harriman, who has particular responsibility for the affairs of South-East Asia, are determined to go all out for the same policy which we have been pursuing for a long time now—that is to achieve a neutral Government in Laos—and are giving their full support to Prince Souvanna Phouma's attempts to form such a Government.
§ LORD HENDERSONMy Lords, while recognising the force of the noble Earl's statement that he is not responsible for any American State agency, we are concerned, with the United States Government, with the policy of bringing about a peaceful settlement in Laos, and this article states that the C.I.A. agents have been sabotaging that policy. Would the Foreign Secretary make urgent representations to the United States Government that those agents who have been throwing spanners in the works should be withdrawn at once? Is this not an essential step in order to repair the damage which they have been doing? If they are not withdrawn, and if they continue their operations, are they not likely to frustrate the achievement of 1075 the objective which both the British and American Governments have in mind; namely, the establishment of a neutral Government in Laos?
THE EARL OF HOMEMy Lords, it really must be for the United States Government to control their own organisations and not for me either to comment on their activities or to make any comments on the activities of the Central Intelligence Agency. All I can say, as I said in answer to the noble Viscount, is that I am personally absolutely satisfied that the American Government are sparing no effort at all and are indeed, determined not to be thwarted in any way in their policy, which is to try to establish in Laos a neutral Government which shall be unaligned and not interfered with by any great power from outside.
LORD REAMy Lords, turning to the noble Earl's original statement, may I ask whether he is in a position to say that he considers this contribution of one squadron of the Royal Air Force is likely to be the only contribution? Or is he in a position to say that further contributions, unfortunately, must also be made?
THE EARL OF HOMEMy Lords, we have nothing else in mind, and I do not think that the Thai Government have anything else in mind for a contribution; and of course I would let the House know if there was any suggestion that our present contribution needed to be expanded. I have no such suggestion to put before the House now.
§ LORD HENDERSONMy Lords, may I ask the noble Earl whether it is correct that Prince Souvanna Phouma is seeing the King this week-end, and that he then hopes to call the other two Princes, representing the Left wing and the Right wing, together, with a view to coming to an agreement? And did not Prince Souvanna Phouma say, before he left London, that he hoped to have good news before long? If this agreement were to materialise, would it not mean the end of all the fears of further military development?
§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILLMy Lords, can the Foreign Secretary say 1076 why, before we send these forces, SEATO does not meet, and why the whole question has not been referred to the Security Council?
THE EARL OF HOMEMy Lords, as to the first part of the question, the noble Baroness is misinformed. SEATO meets once a week, so the Council has had the Thai question before it. On the second part of the question, there is no attack imminent, so far as I know, upon Thailand; and the Thais have a perfect right, under the terms of the SEATO Alliance, to ask their allies for assistance if they think fit. That is quite consistent, of course, with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, so there is nothing to take to the Security Council; and at the moment, of course, there is no intention of doing so.