§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they hold files or other information that cast doubts upon the war-time behaviour of Dr. Kurt Waldheim; and if so, why no objections were raised when Dr. Waldheim was a candidate for the post of Secretary General of the United Nations.
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Glenarthur)Public records relating to the years prior to 1956 are with very few exceptions, available at the Public Record Office. Certain categories of document have been withheld from public inspection with the approval of the Lord Chancellor. It is not the practice to disclose any part of the contents of such records.
Since 1986 we have received information about allegations concerning the wartime behaviour of Dr. Kurt Waldheim. We view any such allegations seriously and have conducted a thorough examination of official records to see whether they could be substantiated. The examination revealed no evidence of criminal activity on the part of Dr. Waldheim. We remain ready to look carefully at any new evidence.
At the time of Dr. Waldheim's candidature for the post of Secretary General of the United Nations, there was no speculation about his wartime behaviour.