§ Mr. R. MCNEILLasked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he can give any account of the conditions in which the prisoners at Baku have been kept for the last two months; whether these prisoners have yet been released; and, if not, what prospect there is of their release in the near future?
Mr. HARMSWORTHThe most recent information which I have on this subject is derived from a letter from Baku dated the 22nd of September, according to which the prisoners were still confined in what is known as the Polish building and only allowed to take exercise for two hours in a small yard adjoining it. His Majesty's representative at Tiflis has been incessantly making the strongest representations for the amelioration of their treatment pending their release, and he has been successful in sending them food and other comforts. His Majesty's Government have every reason to hope that the arrangements foreshadowed in the notes which they have exchanged with the Soviet Government will shortly be carried into full effect and that the prisoners will in consequence be repatriated at an early date.