§ Captain Kerbyasked the Lord Privy Seal on what date, where, and by what method Her Majesty's Government first informed the Portuguese Government of Great Britain's intention to regard herself as not bound by her treaty obligations to defend Portuguese overseas territories against military attack by the Republic of India, on the ground that India is a member of the British Commonwealth.
§ Mr. HeathThe Portuguese Government were never informed by Her Majesty's Government that they did not regard themselves as bound by their treaty obligations. During the Goa crisis of 1954, however, the then Portuguese Ambassador had a number of discussions with Ministers at the Foreign Office. On 8th July, 1954, my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, then Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, informed the Ambassador that any public invocation of the Alliance might compel Her Majesty's Government to state what they considered to be the limits of their obligation. He added that he doubted very much whether the United Kingdom would go to war to defend Portuguese possessions in India from attack by India. On 6th August, 1954, my right hon. and learned Friend told the Ambassador that we would certainly give Portugal any support we could and undertook to make representations to the Indian Government, but, he told the Ambassador, the prospect of military operations by the United Kingdom was out of the question.
§ Captain Kerbyasked the Lord Privy Seal why Parliament was not informed of the decision of Her Majesty's Government to regard itself as not bound by British treaty obligations to Portugal in the event of an Indian attack on Goa.