Red Propaganda

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 824, 19 November 1929, Page 9

Red Propaganda

CHAMBERLAIN APPREHENSIVE Interpretation of Pledge MINISTERS QUESTIONED IN COMMONS Received 11 a.m. RUGBY. Mondiiv. IX the House of Uoiamons today, tlie Secretary for India * wa> asked whether lie had any information regarding a manifesto addressed by tlie executive committee of the UommunEt International to the peoples of India, urging them to rise and throve off British rule, and if so what steps he proposed to take to prevent the circulation of this manifesto in India. *

Mr. Wedgwood Bonn replied that he j had no information beyond what had j appeared in the Press. The Foreign Secretary. Mr. Arthur! Henderson, was asked by Sir Austen , Chamberlain whether his attention had j been called to a statement published ; in the Soviet newspaper "Izvestla,” that the agreement of 11)21 and the! protocol of October .», 1921), did not ! contain and could not contain a singl ; word relating to the Comintern, and 1 whether he would assure himself that! the Soviet Government understood and ; accepted liis interpretation of the ; agreement before effect was given to I it by an exchange of Ambassadors. Mr. Henderson replied: "I have seen i the various articles in the “Izvestia” j and other newspapers. Under para- ’ graph T of the protocol of October which was approved by the House, j the Soviet Government has undertaken to confirm, on the day on which its j Ambassador presents his credentials, i the agreement with regard to propa- j ganda contained in Article 1G of the j 1921 agreement. In accordance with I the statements made by the Prime ! Minister and myself on various occa- j sions. it is the intention of the Gov- ! eminent to insist that the pledge I which is thus provided for in the protocol. and which they regard as clearly ; applicable to the propagandist activities of the Comintern, shall be ob- i

served, both in th<* letter and in the spifir. “The necessary formalities have already been completed, and the two Ambassadors appointed, and The British Government has thereby begun to put into effect tlie provision of the protocol as approved by this House.” Fir Austen Chamberlain asked whether Mr. Henderson really thought it was safe to proceed with the exchange of ambassadors, when it was quite obvious that the Russian Soviet Government put. a different interpretation on the pledge, from that which was put upon it by the House of Commons, by the Prime Minister, and by himself. Mr. Henderson replied that he was under an obligation to seek to carry into effect the decision of the House, and in the event of the pledge -which would be contained in the agreement that would be handed to the Ambassador on his presentation of credentials being broken, the responsibility would rest with the British Government as to the action it must take. The Secretary for India, replying to a question, stated-that, the Government of India was consulted respecting the resumption of diplomatic relations with the Soviet Government, and llie action taken by the British Government accorded with the view expressed by the Government of India.