PRIME MINISTER QUESTIONED

Southland Times, Issue 24437, 17 May 1941, Page 7

PRIME MINISTER QUESTIONED

Several questions were addressed to the Prime Minister, Mr Winston Churchill, in the House of Commons about Hess. Replying to a question why the Minister of Information, Mr A. Duff Cooper, had not taken steps to anticipate the German broadcast alleging that Hess was insane, Mr Churchill said: “It may be as well that the Minister of Information did not do so as the suggestion has since been refuted.” Replying to a further suggestion that it was unfortunate that 48 hours had been allowed to elapse before the news was given and that the Germans had thus been allowed time to publish their version, Mr Churchill said: “It was not unfortunate. But, even if it had been, it would have been unavoidable. We

had established that a man had landed, but we only had evidence which, while it was most interesting, could not be considered conclusive. I immediately sent up an official who knew the Deputy-Fuhrer and who spoke to him in good and fluent German. While that was proceeding the German report of the insanity of Herr Hess and of his flight was made. By that time what had hitherto been surmised had emerged into a definite certainty.” Mr Churchill—declaring that at first he had not himself believed the news of the arrival of Hess—said that he would make another statement later. He would choose his own time to do so and that time would be governed entirely by the public interest.