REFERENCE TO ITALIANS

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26362, 5 March 1951, Page 7

REFERENCE TO ITALIANS

LABOUR CRITICISM OF MR CHURCHILL

, LONDON. March 1. Although Mr Churchill has issued an explanatory statement, the Labour newspaper, the “Daily Herald," criticises him for making what it calls “his grossest political gaffe since his 1945 Gestapo speech.” in a reference to the Italians during a recent House of Commons debate. The incident occurred during a speech by . the Minister of Defence (Mr Emanuel Shinwell) on the North Atlantic Command, when Mr Churchill interjected: "Be auiet; hold your tongue. Go and talk to the Italians. It is all you are fit to do." After this. 100 Labour members of the House of Commons, led by Mr John Hynd, chairman of the foreign affairs group, sent a letter to the Italian Prime Minister (Mr de Gasperi) dissociating themselves from Mr Churchill’s “insulting” reference lo Italy. The letter added: “We are particularly distressed that the incident should have occurred at a time when the Italian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister have accepted an invitation to visit Britain as our honoured guests.** Mr Churchill then issued a statement, saying: “I am sorry if any remark of mine, made in the heat ol debate, should seem to imply disrespect to the Italian people. This was far from my intention. Ever since the fall of the Mussolini regime I have done my best to help them to regain their honourable position in Europe, and this has been shown not by words only but by actions.” The “Daily Herald" says: “If a Labour member had been guilty of so indiscreet and offensive a reference to a friendly nation the matter would have been plastered acrossthe headlines. But for Mr Churchill it seems that a different rule applies. He can display boorish ill manners and the Tory newspapers do not give so much as a deprecatory cough. There is only one redeeming feature to lighten the whole regrettable action—Mr Churchill has had the belated grace to apologise."

Fifteen Dead in Plane Crash.— Twelve passengers and three members of the crew were killed when a Dakota airliner crashed and was burned at Sioux City, lowa, yesterday.—New York, March 1,