Oral Answers to Questions — Afghanistan. – in the House of Commons at on 6 February 1929.
Mr Shapurji Saklatvala
, Battersea North
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the British Government received any representations from the Afghan Government prior to the temporary abdication of King Amanulla, protesting against the activities of Colonel Lawrence in Afghan affairs; and did the Foreign Office take any measures, either directly, through the Government of India, or through the Air Council, to recall Colonel Lawrence from his post in India?
Mr Austen Chamberlain
, Birmingham West
No, Sir. His Majesty's Government received no representations from the Afghan Government. Colonel Lawrence was serving as an aircraftsman in the Royal Air Force, but in view of the deliberate misrepresentations of his presence on the North Western Frontier which were appearing in certain newspapers, and of the embarrassment which these misrepresentations were causing to His Majesty's Minister at Kabul, it was decided that it would be well to transfer Colonel Lawrence to another post and the Air Ministry accordingly arranged for his transfer out of India.
Mr Shapurji Saklatvala
, Battersea North
In reference to the first part of the question, is there no truth in the report that the Foreign Office officials of King Amanulla did communicate with the British Minister to the effect that the King was greatly distressed by reading the report of Colonel Lawrence's attempt; and, arising out of the answer to the latter part of the question, is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the mysterious way in which Colonel Lawrence returned, has given currency to the report that the real Colonel Lawrence is still there, and that somebody else has been brought here?
Mr Austen Chamberlain
, Birmingham West
The first part of the question was answered in the first part of my reply. We have had no representations from the Afghan Government. As to the second part, if the hon. Gentleman would occasionally devote himself to laying to rest rumours which have no foundation, instead of devoting all his energies to spreading them, he would contribute to the peace of the world.
Mr Shapurji Saklatvala
, Battersea North
Does the right hon. Gentleman not agree that, if Colonel Lawrence had returned quite openly, it would have done much to drive away suspicion and that this method of surreptitious landing and everything rather confirms the suspicion that it is a false man who is going about?
Mr Austen Chamberlain
, Birmingham West
I neither agree with the hon. Gentleman's adjectives, nor with his meaning.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
