REPORT IN -MUNICH-

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 16, 19 January 1940, Page 7

REPORT IN -MUNICH-

•"AUTHORISED- EXTRACT"

COMMONS SECRET SESSION

DUBIOUS VERACITY

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received January 19, 12.30 p.m.) RUGBY, January 18.

The Transocean news agency this inorhing cited a report from a Munich newspaper of what purported to be an account of a speech delivered at .a "secret sitting of the House of Commons on December 15."

The report is said to be based ,on information received from "reliable neutral circles," but immediately afterwards is referred -to as being based on an "authorised extract."

The secret session of the House of Commons was held on December 13 and Parliament adjourned next day for the Christmas recess. The Commons, therefore, was not in session on December 15.

It may be recalled that on December 12 a Liberal member sought a ruling from the Speaker whether i t was a fact that any member who repeated outside, even in private conversation, anything said, in the House during the secret session would be guilty off breach of privilege. In reply, the Speaker said any member who so acted would be wilfully disobeying an order of the House and thereby committing a, gross breach of privilege, rendering himself liable to reprimand, commitment to prison, or, in an extreme case, expulsion from the House.

In the light of the Speaker's ruling tjie "reliability" of the neutral circles claiming to have information about the. secret proceedings of the British House of Commons and the "authority" on which the alleged extracts have -been made from speeches delivered at the secret session can be easily judged.