asked the Prime Minister why it was decided to censor an article written by the late Secretary of State for War upon the issue of giving help to Finland; and whether the decision to censor was taken upon matters of fact or expressions of opinion contained in the article?

asked the Prime Minister the reasons for the censoring by the Government of an article in a Sunday newspaper on the war by the right hon. Member for Devonport (Mr. Hore-Belisha); and whether he will arrange for the passages in question to be placed in the library?

Censorship of Press articles in this country is on a voluntary and not a compulsory basis. In the present instance certain passages in the article written by the late Secretary of State for War were considered unsuitable for publication over his name, not because they were themselves objectionable but because he was so recently a member of the War Cabinet that in dealing with this critical subject, his views might well be regarded abroad as having special authority. Accordingly my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary called the attention of my right hon. Friend to the passages in question and asked that they might be altered, at the same time offering an alternative draft. This draft however did not appear to my right hon. Friend to convey the views he had in mind and he preferred to omit altogether the passages to which the Foreign Secretary had taken exception. The answer to the last part of the Question by the hon. Member for East Wolverhampton (Mr. Mander) is in the negative.

Does it not appear from that answer that the writer of the article was asked to delete his own views, although they were unobjectionable, and to substitute for them the views of His Majesty's Government; and is it not a very strange form of censorship under which the Government say to a writer that they cannot allow his own views to appear but that they will be very glad to avail themselves of the prestige and authority attaching to his name in order to promulgate the views of the Government although these are opposed to his own?

No, Sir. That is not the case. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary offered a draft but did not insist upon that draft being accepted. My right hon. Friend the Member for Devonport (Mr. Hore-Belisha) preferred not to have it.

Is the Prime Minister aware that the article in question was passed on Friday night last by the French censorship for publication in full in all countries with the exception of France—the question of publication in France being withheld for further consideration—and in those circumstances, what possible objection can there be, on the French side, to the publication of the article in question in full?

I cannot answer for the French side. They have their own views and they are entitled to exercise their authority as they please. All we were concerned with was publication in this country.

Yes, but was not this action taken on pressure by the French Government? [HON. MEMBERS: ''Order!"] Owing to the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I beg to give notice that I shall call attention to this matter on the Motion for the Adjournment at the first opportunity.