REF ID:A39333 

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Parliament 

6

' GAINS AND LOSSES FC 

MR. EDEN'S REVIEW r 

AFFAIRS 

HOUSE OF LORDS the Sr shout 

THuRsDAY, Nov. 5 "R. 

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on I .I 

the Woolsack at half past two o'clock. th 

The LORD CHANCELLOR introduced i• 

the Statute Law Revision Bill, which was read a first time. 

"SENSE OF FEAR" 

IN U.S. 

DEFENCE AGAINST ATOM 

BOMB 

The debate was resumed on the motion 

1 

for an Address in reply to the Queen's 

Speech. · 

LORD HENDERSON said that there were 

differences in emphasis, timing, and attitude 

in Anglo-American relations which seemed 

at times to be serious. He had recently been 

to America for a short visit and had re- turned with an impression which he believed I 

had a bearing on these differences. There 

was a sense of fear there in spiLe of a pride 

in the enormous strength and power of the 

United States. He did not suggest that. he 

found any American panicky or defeatist ; 

that would be the reverse of the truth. 

The impending danger from which that fear sprart~ was a sui:lden and unannounced atom 

bombing attack. 

The experience of Pearl Harbour. had left a sear on the American conscience, and the 

Americans were resolved that there should never be another arid more terrible experic:nce 

like that. Itmight be that because AmenC!ln 

newspapers had been able to devote p1c· 

tures, reports, and discussions to atom bomb 

tests and development the American public was more atom bomb conscious than we were. Whatever the reason the difference of 

attitude existed on either side of the Atlantic. 

We in this country regarded the attack as Jess imminent or probable, or we were more fatalistic or less imaginative. This same se!1se 

of fear in its most extreme and unreasoning form had produced the deplorable political 

witch-hunting associated with SemJ,tor ~ac­ Carthy · in relation to real and 1magin9:ry machinations of the agents of the Kremlin. 

He had emphasized this _sense of ~ear without trying to evaluate Jt. The rnl'I!e 

Minister in that memorable passage m his 

speech on Tuesday, in which he dealt with 

the hazards of the atomic age and posed the choice for the nations of the world 

between mass annihilation and expansive 

abundance, was the spokesman for· a humanity which was at once fearful and hopeful. 

The prime task of statesIJ!anship was to 

find ways of alleviating that fear so that 

all the men in all the lands might live out 

_the~-~n freedom from fea~ an~t. / 

ANSWER TO COMMUNIST TACilCS 

All that was available to the public so 

far of the Russian reply to the latest Note 

of the western Governments, was the partial 

text published in The Times to-day, and a 

preliminary study of that seemed to warrant 

the conclusion that it was negative, · unhelpful and frustrating. 

There should still be a conference of the 

three western leaders, in Washington, for the · 

west must regain the initiative and must not I 

allow Communist tactics to hold us at bay. On his way to Washington the Prime Mini- ' 

·1ter should attend the United Nations 

Assembly, and make there another solemn 

appeal for the leaders of Russia and the 

three western nations to get together. It 

would be difficult for the Russians to ignore su~h. an appeal, and he begged the Prime, 

M1ruster not to be daunted by the new difficulties ·which the Russians had created. 

LORD LAYTON said that there were two outstanding questions on the Council 

of Europe. First, was the six-Power organi- zation which had evolved in the last two or ' three' years in Europe basically right, or were we pursuing the wrong course ? Should we endeavour to bring the European defence 

under N.A.T.0., or not ? Second, was it mistimed, and should we postpone our efforts 

to secure the coming into effect of the 

Council of Europe ? .He believed the answer to both questiops was emphatically " No!·· 

The. last German election was the most 

amazing phenomenon of recent years. \\'hen one considered the events of the last 30 or 40 years and the overwhelming vote cast by the German people for fusion and absorp- tion into a European framework it must be 

recognized that something profound had happened. The mistakes of the past should not 

be repeated, but a place should be found 

here and now for Germany in the free comity of nations· to enable her to develop her resources and use her energies for the com- mon good. 

VISCOUNT EUBANK said that the 

sensible course seemed to be to improve easr- west trade in the hope that it would help international relations. The embargo on the 

export of non-strategic ¥oods to China was being observed more slnctly by this country than by other nations. If the large-scale trading between China and Hongkong was not resumed }{ongkong would dwindle in 

importance. ____J