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[MR. EDEN.] definitely taken her place with the West. That is all to the good.

There is some impression, however, among Government supporters in Italy that in spite of what has happened His Majesty's Government are still holding

the Italian Government a little bit at arm's length, in part at least because the Socialist Party here still have a tender feeling towards the Nenni Socialists.

Mr. Bevin indicated dissent.

Mr. Eden: The right hon. Gentleman shakes his head, but may I draw his attention to what has happened? There was an international Socialist conference at Clacton last week, which baulked at the Nenni Socialists being expelled. Yet these are the same Nenni Socialists who have been giving consistent support to the Communists. I do not know whether the "Observer" report of last Sunday was correct; it would be interest- ing to know if it was, but according to that newspaper the decision not to expel Signor Nenni and his followers was taken after a debate in which Signor Treves, of the Socialists supporting the Government, called for immediate expul- sion. At one moment the conference seemed ready to accept his advice, but the British delegate suggested that the decision should be postponed until the next meeting of the conference in April. I do not know whether this report is accurate or not, but if it is it is a little difficult to understand why the expulsion of the Nenni Socialists, who are now giving full support to the Communists, should be refused while, at the same time, we are told with so much fervour on so many occasions that Socialist parties are the only possible successful opponents of Communists.

Mr. Sydney Silverman (Nelson and Colne): We will try to explain it to the right hon. Gentleman.

Mr. Eden: Perhaps the hon. Gentle- man, in doing that, could also explain why there has been so singularly little praise at any time for the achievements of the Christian Democrats in Italy.

Mr. Platts-Mills (Finsbury): Will the right hon. Gentleman allow me to ex- plain? Has he forgotten that the partisan

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movement he has just praised was based on the Nenni Socialists and Communists? [HON. MEMBERS: "Nonsense."]

Has he overlooked that the contribution of the Christian Socialists, under their present Right-Wing Government, has Fascism in Italy? gone a long way towards restoring

Mr. Eden: The hon. Gentleman is completely misinformed on all points. To start with, the guerrilla war, as we all know very well, was virtually nationwide. One of the remarkable things about it- [Interruption.] Really, I have as much information about this matter as has the hon. Member for Finsbury (Mr. Platts- Mills). One of the remarkable things about the Italian effort which surprised me was the extent to which it was sup- ported by all sections of public opinion.

Mr. Platts-Mills: Communist public opinion.

Mr. Eden: The mere fact that the Communists say that it all belongs to them does not prove that it does belong to them. As to the recreation of Fascism, as I have said, the Fascists are now a negligible party in Italy. If the voting is to be trusted, the fact certainly came out at the last election that their numbers are negligible. I always feel that these two extremes, Communism and Fascism, encourage each other, so I do not feel any anxiety about it.

Now I come to the Italian Colonies. We have to take into account the history of our undertakings, in particular towards the Senussi. This matter is known to the House and I need not repeat it. Those undertakings must be fulfilled. I do not think, in the light of those undertakings, that this House could agree to handing back the colonies, or any part of them, to full Italian sovereignty. There is a com- plete deadlock on this issue. The Under- Secretary of State shakes his head. He may not call this position a deadlock, but if you adjourn a thing for five months it is a pretty complete deadlock. I am not blaming the Government. I think they did everything they could to bring the matter to an agreement, but on the face of it it looks as though nothing will be done about it for five months. I call that a deadlock. The hon. Gentleman may call it satisfactory progress.

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Foreign Affairs have a suggestion to make. My sug- gestion to the hon. Gentleman is that if we cannot get a satisfactory arrangement at U.N.O., if U.N.O. cannot agree about what it shall do, why cannot the Assembly of the United Nations, in order to facili- tate a decision which really must be taken, decide that this is a matter which could well be entrusted to the countries of the Western Union, which Italy has now happily expressed her desire to join? Why could not U.N.O. pass the matter to them? Then the Western Union countries might accept a general respon- sibility for a trusteeship towards, those former Italian Colonies. Under that general trusteeship, it should be possible to arrive at arrangements for the adminis- tration of those territories which would honour our pledges and satisfy the other parties concerned. I have no doubt that, so far as Italy is concerned, the most urgent problem of all is that of emigra- tion. Within this arrangement I should have thought it ought to be possible to give some measure of satisfaction to Italy on that issue.

Mr. Rankin (Glasgow, Tradeston): Do I take it that the right hon. Gentleman is suggesting an administratively-created trusteeship for Western Union and that, alternatively, failing that, he would sug- gest that one particular country in the Union should be given that trusteeship?

Mr. Eden: I was suggesting that the trusteeship for these colonies should be entrusted to the Western Union Powers collectively and that they should agree on the way to administer the respective territories; not that they should adminis ter them all together, which I think is unworkable, but that they should decide who have to administer them. I feel that that way a solution might be found.

Before I come to Palestine, I have to make a reference to United Europe. The right hon. Gentleman referred to the Consultative Council of the Brussels Treaty Powers, and to the committee that was set up a little time ago. That was, I think, the outcome of The Hague Conference which my right hon. Friend the Member for Woodford inspired. That committee went to Paris last month, and the delegation that was sent is now being led by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster as I understand the matter. The main task of this committee is to recon- cile what is called the Franco-Belgian

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Foreign Affairs proposals, which are roughly the pro- posals of The Hague Conference, that is to say, that there should be a Euro- pean Assembly consisting of representa- tives of members of the O.E.E.C., nominated by their own Parliaments; to reconcile that with the British Govern- · ment's proposal for a European Council of Ministers appointed by the respective Governments.

I do not want to argue now the merits of the various proposals and take up the time of the House, but I must point out that the appointment of the right hon. Gentleman the Chancellor of the Duchy caused surprise, and indeed dismay, among many people, not only on these benches but among other parties also. I will say frankly that I believe that if we are to realise a Western Union at all we have to understand that there will be in each country at the same time Governments from democratic parties and of the Right, and Governments of a wide variety of political opinion. That is in- evitable. Sometimes there will be a radical majority, sometimes a Socialist majority and sometimes a Conserva- vative majority. Our determination must be that we want this organisation to work for the attainment of Western Union, irrespective of the domestic political views in one country or another. The Foreign Secretary has never said anything that has differed from that.

The right hon. Gentleman the Chan- cellor of the Duchy has. He has said exactly the opposite. At his party con- ference last year he told us quite clearly that the idea of a United States of Europe could only be successful on a Socialist basis. I have his words. He said:

"If this United States of Europe is indeed to succeed and is to benefit its peoples, it can only fully succeed if all the countries of Western Europe commit themselves, as our electors in 1945 committed themselves, to the belief that Socialism is the hope of us all."

Mr. Gallacher: Hear, hear.

Mr. Eden: Well, one hon. Member agrees with the right hon. Gentleman on the Front Bench. I must confess that to me that statement seems to be com- plete nonsense. It must seem complete nonsense to the very large non-Socialist majorities in all the countries of Western Europe at the present time, including Great Britain.

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