§ Major Owenasked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been drawn to the exceptionally heavy rush of orders recently placed from a foreign country for large-scale British ordnance maps and charts of the environs of London and other large towns in Britain; and whether, in the national interest, he will consider taking steps to prevent the export in such volume of these valuable strategic documents?
§ Sir V. WarrenderI am aware of certain statements which have appeared in3354W the Press, but my information does not confirm that there has been any recent heavy rush of orders placed from a foreign country for British ordnance maps and charts of the kind in question. The second part of the question, therefore, does not arise. If the hon. and gallant Member will write and tell me the channels through which the alleged heavy rush of orders has been placed, my right hon. Friend will cause inquiries to be made.