Skip to main content

Full text of "The Struggle For Peace"

See other formats


THE right hon. Gentleman the Leader of the Opposition
(Mr. Attlee) asked me this morning whether I could
make a statement as to the European situation. As I said this
morning, His Majesty's Government have no official con-
firmation of the rumours of any projected attack on Poland
and they must not, therefore, be taken as accepting them
as true.
" I am glad to take this opportunity of stating again the
general policy of His Majesty's Government. They have
constantly advocated the adjustment, by way of free negotia-
tion between the parties concerned, of any differences that
may arise between them. They consider that this is the
natural and proper course where differences exist. In their
opinion there should be no question incapable of solution by
peaceful means, and they would see no justification for the
substitution of force or threats of force for the method of
negotiation.
" As the House is aware, certain consultations are now
proceeding with other Governments. In order to make
perfectly clear the position of His Majesty's Government in
the meantime before those consultations are concluded, I now
have to inform the House that during that period, in the event
of any action which clearly threatened Polish independence,
and which the Polish Government accordingly considered it
vital to resist with their national forces, His Majesty's Govern-
ment would feel themselves bound at once to lend the Polish
Government all support in their power. They have given
the Polish Government an assurance to this effect
" I may add that the French Government have authorised
me to make it plain that they stand in the same position in this
matter as do His Majesty's Government."
MR. ARTHUR GREENWOOD :   " May I, in one sentence,
transgress in order to say that I am quite sure that this House
realises the potentialities that might arise from the statement
which the right hon. Gentleman has made.   It may prove to
o*                                 423