§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is aware that complete details concerning his Department's intervention in connection with matters concerning Gerald Brooke have been published in the Press and on the radio and television, before an official announcement has been issued, that subsequent official announcements have confirmed these unofficial announcements; and whether he will cause an investigation to be made into how these details have been communicated to these unofficial sources.
§ Mr. Michael StewartNo investigation is required. Ministers and officials have all along been careful not to say anything in public which might make the position of Mr. Brooke worse than it is now. However, in view of the growing Press speculation which was apparently touched off by articles based on reports from Moscow, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office News Department were authorised to say on 14th June that negotiations were in progress between ourselves and the Soviet authorities to avert a further trial, but that no agreement with the Soviet authorities had yet been reached. Anything appearing in the Press or other communications media which goes beyond this is speculation.