BOMBING POLICY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 October 1942, Page 3

BOMBING POLICY

DEMANDS FOR AIR ATTACKS ON ITALY QUESTIONS IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, October 21. “Don’t we owe it to Malta to hit Italy from the air?” asked Commander Sir Archibald Southby (Conservative) in the House of Commons. The Secretary for Air, Sir Archibald Sinclair, replied: “We are hitting Italy very hard, and we shall go on hitting.” Commander Southby then asked the Foreign Secretary, Mr Eden: “Is there any agreement between Britain and Italy or between Britain and any other belligerent on avoidance of bombing of certain towns and cities?” Mr Eden: “No.”

Mr C. G. Ammon (Labour): “Then there is no truth in the rumour that there is an agreement that if Cairo is not bombed Rome will not be bombed?”

Mr Eden: “No. The Government statement concerning this only stated what we would do in certain circumstances. It did not state what we would not do.” Mr O. E. Simmonds (Conservative) urged more 1000-bomber raids, and Lady Astor said: “If we are going to have a second front wouldn’t it be better to bomb properly?”

Sir Archibald Sinclair: “We are bombing as hard as we can.” Commander Southby: “Not Italy.”

Not long after Italy entered the war, a British announcement disclosed that the Axis had been informed that if Cairo were bombed. Rome, which was declared by Mussolini an open city, would be also bombed. Since then a few isolated bombs have fallen in Cairo, but nothing .more.