Lord Chelwoodasked Her majesty's Government:
Whether they will confirm that the decision not to continue to extend diplomatic privileges or courtesies to representatives of Latvia and Estonia springs solely from the fact that they can no longer appoint anyone who held diplomatic rank at the time of the annexation in 1940, and does not in any way betoken a weakening in the Government's resolve not to recognise de jure the occupation of these formerly independent Baltic states.
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Belstead)Yes. In 1940 Her Majesty's Government ceased to recognise any authorities as constituting the Governments of the Baltic states and they still take a similar position. Thus there is no authority which can appoint diplomatic representatives for Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. Therefore, no person who did not hold diplomatic rank in the legations of those countries in 1940 can be accorded displomatic courtesies. But the Government have no intention of recognisingde jure the incorporation of the Baltic states into the Soviet Union.