CAB128-94_A1b — Page 97

ONFIDENTI

CONFIDENTIAL

Page 97

crimes committed in Germany or German-occupied territory, although there was at present no evidence that any former Japanese war criminals were now resident in the United Kingdom.

C.

•

In

In

Although there was a strong case in principle for acting on the report's recommendations, the practical difficulties were very great, as the experience in Canada had shown. the circumstances it was important to avoid raising inflated expectations of action. It would be preferable for the Government to avoid committing itself to legislation in advance of the report being debated by Parliament. articular, it was important that the proposed statement hould not commit members of the Government to vote in any ticular way, or constrain other members from making up heir own minds about the merits of the issues, during the debates on the report. From this point of view, it might be better not to say, as the current draft of the statement did, that it was the Government's present belief that the Inquiry's vice should be adopted and legislation introduced on the bine proposed, but rather to say that the Government was impresse by the force of the arguments in favour of legislationtained in the report but would wish to have the views th Houses

th Houses on the issues involved before deciding how

ceed.

seed.

he debate in the House of Lords, the well advised to seek the views of Lord

d. In advance Government might Elwyn-Jones who ha Executive at the Nuree

e.

CONFIDENTIAL

a member of the British War Crimes

Trials in 1945.

If the final decisis in favour of legislation there would be every advantage in introducing a Bill in the next session. The consequen

provisional

consideration.

programme

this for the rest of the

however,

need careful

THE PRIME MINISTER, Summing up e discussion, said that the Home Secretary should proceed with his statement and publication of the report on 24 July. It was important, however, that the Government should not commit itself to legislate as recommended by the Inquiry in advance of the debate in poth Houses on the report which would allow members' views

gauged. The Home Secretary should therefore look again at the wording of his draft statement on this point and circula correspondence a revised form of words

clearance in

with the ndations.

Government's initial reactions to the report's recomandations.

Page 97

14

CONFIDENTIAL

•

FIDENTIAL

Page 97 of