§ Lieut.-Colonel CROFTasked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, just prior to the War, a British firm obtained a concession for exploring oil in Colombia; whether after the concession was obtained the United States Government made representations that they did not view this concession with favour; and whether the Foreign Office advised the firm to forego the concession in deference to the views of the United States?
§ Mr. KELLAWAYAn oil contract was concluded between the Colombian Government and a British firm in 1913, but the firm in question ultimately withdrew from the contract owing to the impossibility of obtaining its approval by the Colombian Congress. The second and third parts of the question do not therefore arise.