ALLEGED KIDNAPPING.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 113, 22 February 1941, Page 7

ALLEGED KIDNAPPING.

FORMER DUTCH PREMIER. ACCUSATION AGAINST GERMANS. LONDON, February 19. The Netherlands Government is investigating a report that the Germans kidnapped and imprisoned" the former Prime Minister of Holland (Dr. D. J. do Geer) because he refused to divulge information about Britain. It is suggested that the Nazis lured Dr. do Geer from London with the report that his wife was ill, thus making him commit a breach of loyalty. Dr. do Geer is reported to have chartered a German plane! at Lisbon which, instead of flying to Holland, took him to Germany. It was recently stated that Dr. do Goer, who, with his Cabinet, arrived in London after the invasion of the Lowlands, bad, in spite of solemn assurances to the contrary, returned to Holland. Ho resigned from the Premiership on September 3. In announcing with profound indignation Dr. de Geer’s departure from Lisbon for Holland, the Royal Netherlands Government added: “He formed the present Cabinet in June, 1939, and retained the leadership until last Sep-

tember. ' Thus lie was head of the Government when the Germans invaded Holland, and therefore had an important share in the Cabinet’s unanimous decision to go to London from The Hague with Queen Wilhelmina. “Some time after his resignation from the Premiership the Government entrusted him with a mission to the Netherlands Indies. He left England last November under the express condition that the official facilities granted to him were exclusively for the purposes mentioned. “The Government now has the painful duty to declare Dr. de Geer’s conduct a breach of loyalty, and also an act detrimental to the national interest.” GERMANS DENY REPORT. LONDON, February 20. The Berlin News Agency denies that M. de Geer was kidnapped. It claims that he is residing privately at The Hague.