AMENDMENT THROWN OUT

Chronicle (Levin), 20 November 1946, Page 7

AMENDMENT THROWN OUT

Press Assn

Laboiir's Foreip Policy "itfiftiLS" FAIL f 0 VOTE I

• S?/ TeLeciravh

i-Covyright

I Beeeived Tuesdav, 7 p.m. ' LONDON, N ov. 1S. I The Laboiir "rhbels" amendment on Ihfe Govef'rlmCnt 's foreign policy was 1 defeated in flie House of Conijixons by | 853 votes to 0. i Mr. 11. H. Crossman (Lal)., Coventry), | xvlto nioved tlie amendinent, attempted ! to wilhdraw the motion after Mr. Attiee had spoken, but there ivere cries of i opposition from the Conservative ! benehes. , j i\f r. G. MeGovern (Tnd. Lab.) and the Rev. C. Htephen. (Ind. Lab.) forced a division. All the supporters of the i amendment abstained from voting. J Mr. Crossman, in moving the ainend- | mfefit, said that the Govefrnment in j domestic affairs was earrying out its ! policy with vigour and determination, • but the l'everse xvas the case in foreign affairs. The' further the Government drifted from its policy the more cheers i-ame from the Tories. Labour 's tusk was to stop the drit't of ihe world into i two blocs and to maintain gentiine I'riendship with both Russia and America. Mr. Crossman said that he and his supporters disliked both the (Jommunist und anti-Comniunist ideologies. Comumnists had infiltrated into J)omocracy to aehieve domination. They descfibed as Fasrist any Government they didu 't like. Anti-Conimunism was equally dangerous, beoause it rneant the irnposition of reaction and Faseism. iMr. Crossman said that iirilain had given a mnnlmr of deserved rebukes to Russia and Russian-eontrolled coimtries but he asked had Britain giveu similar j rebukes i'or similar actions to the Government of the Fnited Sfafes. Jle sug- ! gested that wo had a paper alliance j with Russia, but wero exelusively eomrnitted in practieo to an alliance with the Americans. He st.re.ssed that the Arnericans and Russians were responnihle. for the drift into two bloes. Mr. Crossman eontinued: "Wr shan'l i'oree a division todny. If a division is valled and the Conservatives support (he Government it will morolv coniirm ' Ihe view that the Government, despitc* | its pledges, is acting in accordance with j I Mr. Churchill 's Fulton speeeh." Questions to Government. j Crossman said that he and his i supporters, in moving the amendment, wished to put.to the Government three | spoeific questions: — | (1) Would the Government disavow proposals for an Anglo-Amerieau .alliance as outlined in .Mr. Churchill 's : Fulton speeeh? j (2) Had the Government agreed to the standardisation of arms and oquipment between Britain and America? (II) Were staff conversations proceedj ing between Britain ancl America? , Alr. J. Reeves (Lab., Greenwich), I seconding the amendment, asked Mr. Attlee to declare that Britain was not prepared to go to war with Russia in any eircumstances. Conservative Support. "If there is a division toniglit we shall vote for the Government," said • Captain H. 0. Orookshank (Con., Gainsborough; outlining the Conservatives ' viewpoint. He added: "We shall vote ' for the Government beeause we know : that in vital matters of British interest I Alr. Bevin has been and is today the | spokesnian for Britain as a wliole. " i Deseribing the amendment as "a : mutiny of iutellectuals, " Captain ! Crookshank said the Conservatives xvere , opposed to the idea behind it — that I British foreign policy should not be j based on clear British interests, but | ideological aspirations. They, despite ; disagreement on specific points, support,1 ed the Government 's foreign policy as j a whole. | Miss Jennie Lee (Lab., Cannoc.k), Ihe. j vvife of Alr. Aneurin Bevan, said tliat l Britain was being maligned in various ! parts of the world and sneered at for j running away from its Socialist. convic- , tions. iSlie said that there was a great | tleal wrong with the way the de-Naziti- ! ea ti on of Germany was being carried ; out. j The Labour member, Alr. W. Nally i (Bilston) said the Soviet Cnion was the i only countrv in the world which has a j pebple in other countries who were pre- | pafed without hope of reward to die j for the Roviet Fnion — not only to die for it but lie, twist and cheat until they died. The CommunislS believed it thpir duty in the working class movemertt to fako ahd twist in order to secure tlie given result. Mr. Attlee Replies. Mr. Attlee, replying to the debate, said the motion was miseoneeived and mistimed. Tt was based on a misconeeption of fact. ITe declared that tlie suggestions that Britain was being made subservient to the United Btates and was insufficiently ready to oollaborate with the Soviet Cnion were entirely untrue. He added: "The British Government does not believe in the form of opposed groups of East, West ov centre. We stand for Cnited Nations. If all the affairs of this world were to continue to mareh forward thero should be a com proxnise. Conditions might oblige us to compromise even though we consider our policy the soundest." Mr. Attlee deelared that Britain was not pursuing an exclusive American alliance. He denied that Britain had "ganged up" with the Cnited Stales and was against Russia and her near ueighbours. He added that Britain had examined every matter on its rnerits. Alr. Attlee did not agree that the theme of A[r. Churchill 's Fulton spefteh was an exclnsive Anglo-Amevican al-l liance, but in any case it was not the,' policy of the Government t.o answer speeches made by individuals, hoivever j prominent. | It was oiily natural that Britain ! should continue to collaborate with the! American General Staff in view of the j fact that Britain and America were; jointly oeeupying parts of Europe. Ef- j forts had beeh made to get the Military i Committee of the Security Cotinci] going; but Russia had been considering J the matter and thus far was unable to join in.

"ATo one was foolish enough to suppose that this country could measure up in arms either against Russia or the : I nited Htates, " added Alr. Attlee. j "Bfilain had lakeii the lead in the pro- ! posals for a positive and construetive j world, planning. She «fegretted that I while Russia had joi/ied some world OrI ganisations she had not jouied all. A'othj ing eotikl be. mOre dikasfrous for World eooperation tlian if eve.rv great Power should select its ovvn purtieular party as its protegee. The Itaiians, Gernians and Austrians would regard such a move not as an expression of goodwill, but as an instrument of power. Alr. Crossman asked ieave to withdraw the amendment, but when Alr. Speaker put the request there were loud shouts of "2sT o'? and the House divided. The Press Association lolibyist says tlig.t about .100 Conservatives and Liberals -supported the Government. Thus about 253 Labour members voted. There were about 139 who did not vote, and allovving for iliness and unavoidable absence it would appear that about I 00 abstained. Originally 58 ''rebols" signed .the amendment. Any large vote for the amendment would certainly have been regarded generally as a censure of .Mr. Bevin for liis tirmness to Russia and Alr. Attlee. would be bound to fegard the amend meht. in this light, says the Tiines in a leader, but he would be bound also, abovo all, to rebut emphaticnlly any suggestion, that his Government 's proper posture to Cnited f-Uates was one of hospitality. The abiding connecfion between Britain uud America is a fact of history and geography. it was one ihing, the Times says, to see.k to avoid entagienient irt the perilous warfare of ideologies between Russia and America hui it was qiiite anolher to' speak of Americans almost as enemies after two wars to the death, in each of which salvation had come l'rom across the. Atlantic. 'J'he Times adds tlial Mr. Attlee shares wholeheartedly in the desire to avert another world duel. The need to liold stricth' aloof from policies and polemics which might speed on such a contiict, were only too apparenf and Alr. Attlee could not quarrel with the movers of the aniendment if their aim merely had been to underline the tnifh which scarcely seems so evident either in Russia or America but he had no alternative but to rebuke in the strongest terms, an episode which was bound to exacerbate re.lations with Cnited Statesj without gaitiing any posilivo result ex- : cept an invpression of domestic weak- i ness.