§ Mr. Cryerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the omission of material from his Department's translation of the original post mortem report on Helen Smith.
§ Mr. HurdA copy of the Arabic text of the forensic medical report was sent to our embassy in Jedda under cover of an official Note from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs dated 24 November 1980. The report consisted of two pages. The copy was not a good one and the blurred print obscured, at the top of the second page, the slight difference between the Arabic numerals "2" and "3" with the result that the figure was read as a "2" and not as "3". Moreover, the text both in Arabic and in English flowed plausibly from the bottom of the first page to the top of the second—later the third—page, and the sub-paragraph numbers ran consecutively from the first page to the second—later third—page.
A copy was sent to Mr. Ron Smith. Later the original document as received from the Saudis was also sent to Mr. Smith.
The fact that a page was missing was not noticed by us, nor by an Arab doctor whom our ambassador in Jedda later contacted for assistance in checking medical terminology. Nor, apparently was the mistake noticed by the Arab speakers whom Mr. Smith said that he had consulted.
In February 1982 the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent our Embassy, in answer to a request for other papers made on behalf of Mr. Smith, a further copy of the forensic medical report. It was noticed then that it consisted of three pages. Copies were immediately sent to the coroner and to Mr. Smith.
A mistake made by others was not noticed by us. We regret this. It will be clear from this statement that no information was deliberately withheld.