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THE USE OF GAS IN THE SUPPRES- STON OF CIVIL DISTURBANCES

(Previous

Reference: Cabinet 25 (28). Con- clusion 1(f).)

13.The Cabinet had before them the following

documents in regard to the use of gas in the

suppression of civil disturbances:

A Memorandum by the Secretary of State for War (Paper C.F.-228 (28)) stating that the General Officer Command ing in Egypt had put forward for consideration a proposal for the use of Tear Cas by British troops for the dispersal of large hostile gatherings should trouble arise in Egypt, and summarising the previous history of the ques- tion and stating the arguments for and against the proposal:

A Memorandum by the Lord Privy Seal (Paper C.P.-237 (28)) urging that this was not the moment when any decision for the use of gas in the case of civil disturbance could be contemplated.

In the course of the discussion attention

was drawn to the difference between the lachryma-

tory gases which had been used in the United

States for Police purposes and the lethal gases

on which so much stress had been laid in the

Debate a few days before in the House of Lords.

The Cabinet were reminded that during the

General Strike the Secretary of State for War

had been given authority by the Cabinet to issue

instructions to the General Officers Commanding

permitting the use of "Tear"gas in any case where

a situation became so serious as to involve the

alternative between that course and the use of

firearms (Gabinet 25 (26), conclusion (f)).

One suggestion was that the public would require

a good deal of education before such distinctions

could be made; another suggestion in the same

order was that, in order to bring the distinction

home to the public, a different nomenclature

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