HC Deb 21 February 1945 vol 408 cc808-9W
Mr. A. Edwards

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether this country is a partner to the U.S.A.-China agreement according to which U.S.A. technicians are helping China in organising the transport and training of Chinese in transportation, engineering and so forth; and especially whether British engineers are employed on the construction of the pipe-line leading from Calcutta through Burma into China.

Mr. Eden

I am not aware of any specific agreement such as that mentioned by my hon. Friend, but I presume he is referring to the announcement made by Mr. Leo Crowley, Foreign Economic Administrator of the United States Government, of the programme designed to expedite supply and transportation for the movement of American Lend-Lease supplies to China. Such a programme is a natural consequence of the special responsibilities which the United States have assumed under inter-Allied arrangements in the matter of supplies to China. As regards the last part of the Question, the project has been carried out wholly by the United States military authorities, arid, as far as I am aware, no British engineers are employed on it.