The Struggle For Peace

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Government to take advantage of any opportunity which may
occur for mediation, or an armistice, or anything that would
bring to a close the military operations which, I think, must
shock us daily. In all these cases there are moments when it
is not only futile but, indeed, mischievous for third parties
to try to intervene. I hope the House will believe that, if
we do not intervene at this particular moment, it is only
because we are convinced that the moment has not come when
we can intervene with success."
Miss WILKINSON : " Why did you close the frontier ? "
THE PRIME MINISTER : " The House is aware that the non-
intervention plan—the British plan for the withdrawal of
volunteers which was agreed upon by the Non-intervention
Committee—has now been submitted to the two parties in
Spain. I understand that the Non-intervention Committee
are not yet in receipt of replies from both sides, though I
hope that those replies will not be long delayed."
Miss WILKINSON : " Have they not had a reply from the
Government ? "
THE PRIME MINISTER : " I believe that they have had a
reply from the Spanish Republican Government, but that they
have not yet received a reply from General Franco. Perhaps,
however, the House might like to have the latest information
about the communications which have been passing between
His Majesty's Government and the Burgos authorities about
the bombing of British ships in Spanish ports. We sent a
communication to the Burgos authorities, who have, the
House will remember, declared that it was no part of their
policy to make deliberate attacks upon British ships. We sent
a communication to them proposing that an immediate investi-
gation should be made into certain cases to which we had
already drawn their attention, and in which it appeared to us
that the attack had been, in fact, a deliberate one. We proposed
that this investigation should be carried out by two naval
officers, one appointed by His Majesty's Government and the
other by the Burgos authorities. If they agreed that the attack
was' deliberate, then the Burgos authorities would make the
necessary arrangements to pay immediate compensation to
those concerned. If, on the other hand, the two officers were
„ unable to agree, then our proposal was that the matter should