§ Mr. Henderson Stewartasked the Secretary of State for War if he can make any statement on the present position regarding the receipt of mail, Red. Cross parcels and medical supplies by British prisoners of war in, the Far East.
§ Sir J. GriggCorrespondence addressed to prisoners of war and civilian internees in Japanese hands is despatched regularly via the Soviet Union by normal postal machinery and the Soviet Authorities have given an assurance that it is re-forwarded to Japan without delay. Under Japanese censorship regulations no message may exceed twenty-five words. We have evidence that some at any rate of the letters eventually reach the prisoners; but it is impossible on our present evidence to say whether they are all delivered. In the opposite direction correspondence arrives in batches, some large and some small, at infrequent intervals and not regularly from the various camps. It is always dealt with immediately and distributed through the normal postal channels as rapidly as possible.
No regular route for the despatch of Red Cross supplies of food, clothing, medical necessities, etc., has yet been established because Japanese co-operation cannot be obtained. From the inception of captivity no effort has been spared to secure this co-operation and a number of schemes have been put to the Japanese but none has yet been accepted. Despite repeated reminders, no reply has been received to our latest proposal referred to in a reply given to the hon. Member for Twickenham by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 21st June. A 770W large quantity of supplies was despatched last autumn from America to Vladisvostock under arrangements organised jointly by the American Red Cross, British Red Cross War Organisation and the Canadian Red Cross, but so far as my information goes they have not yet left Soviet territory. Negotiations regarding their onward movement have been proceeding for some time between the United States, the Soviet and the Japanese Governments. Apart from this the only opportunities so far for the despatch of such supplies offered by the Japanese have been through the medium of exchange ships employed in the exchange of diplomatic personnel and civilians; such ships have been used by the Allied Red Cross Societies to the maximum possible extent. The quantities so despatched are not adequate for the prisoners' needs, but we know that much of the supplies sent has reached the camps.
His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom in conjunction with the Governments of the Dominions and India and the United States Government are continuing their efforts to open a route for supplies to the Allied prisoners in Japanese hands, but experience over the last three years does not at present hold out much hope for the success of these efforts. Until the Japanese Government are prepared to act in the way which is now accepted by all civilised Governments in these matters, His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom and the other Governments concerned are powerless to secure for our prisoners the minimum which they should 'receive on civilised standards.