BRITISH POLICY IN SPAIN

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22389, 30 April 1938, Page 15

BRITISH POLICY IN SPAIN

GOVERNMENT WHIP

RESIGNS

ALLEGED FAILURE OF

TACTICS

MR CHAMBERLAIN REPLIES TO

DUCHESS OF ATHOLL

(BBITISH OFFICIAL WOlEI.»S8.)

(Received April 29, 8.30 p.m.)

RUGBY, April 28,

The Duchess of Atholl has written to the Prime Minister (Mr Chamberlain) resigning from her position of National Government whip. Her reason is the failure, in her view, of the Government to take adequate steps to secure the withdrawal of Italian troops from Spain before the signature of the Italian pact or to take action with other Powers to safeguard peace in Central Europe and on the shores of the North Sea—all matters which, she feels, vitally concern the safety of the country.

The Duchess reaffirms her Conservative principles.

Mr Chamberlain, in a reply to the Duchess of Atholl's letter of resignation, said all the reports sent to him and to the Foreign Office by the Duchess, reporting the alleged arrival in §pain of Italian troops and material, had been found either to be entirely incorrect or so improbable as to have affirmed a virtual certainty that they were incorrect. He could not accept the contention that Italy had not fulfilled the condition indicated.

It was true that no withdrawal of Italian troops had yet taken place, but "it was never demanded or expected of Italy that it should effect a- unilateral withdrawal."

The policy of non-intervention, Mr Chamberlain said, was originally, and had since been continuously applied by Britain in an entirely impartial Unanner, and he could not agree that it had benefited one side more than the other. Mr Chamberlain, dealing with the Duchess's complaint that non-inter-vention had prevented Spain from buying arms, stated that some governments already recognised General Franco's administration, and added: "If His Majesty's Government were to depart from the policy of non-intervention its action would almost certainly be followed by an immediate increase in arms supplied, not to one. but to both sides. In that event a situation would arise fraught, in my ooinion. with the greatest danger to the peace of Eurotie. T am satisfied that the interests of fair olay have not suffered through the nolicv of non-in-tervention in Spain, and nothing vou have said shakes mv view that to depart from that policy would involve very great dangers to European peace."