§ 65. Mr. Michael Footasked the Secretary of State for Defence when he proposes to make a further statement to the House on the question of the approaches made to his Department by the newspaper which published the allegations concerning the events in Malaya in December, 1948.
§ Mr. HealeyThe People has stated that the ex-soldier who originally came forward spent eight weeks with their reporters. The first occasion on which The People approached the Ministry of Defence to ask for sight of any official reports into an incident which, it was alleged, had taken place at Batang Kali in Malaya in 1948, was on Friday, 30th January, two days before publication of the original article. The only other contact with the Ministry of Defence itself had been on the previous day, Thursday, 29th January, when, without reference to their other inquiries outside the Ministry, The People asked the Press Officer in general terms where, if there had been any official inquiries into an incident in Malaya in 1948, the reports of those inquiries would be held. They did not then, or at any other time, prior to publication, offer to make available to my Department the affidavits or further evidence which they alleged was in their possession. Moreover, on 30th January The People were invited to put any questions about the incident that they might have to the Ministry of Defence, but they declined.
2. Approximately ten days previously, on 20th January, The People approached a serving regimental sergeant-major, who referred them to higher authority. On 27th January they asked H.Q. London District for permission to interview the R.S.M. about an unspecified incident which had taken place in Malaya in 1948. On the following day, in answer to a request by H.Q. London District, The People disclosed that the incident about which they wished to interview the R.S.M. had taken place at Batang Kali. The interview with the R.S.M. took place in Carlisle on Thursday, 29th January.
3. When, on 30th January, the Ministry of Defence asked The People to delay 349W publication of the information in their possession until any documents still available had been collected, they did not do so.