Italian Fascist War Crimes in Ethiopia - Societa italiana di storia ...

96 Richard Pankhurst
Law was obliged to say something. Acting on the earlier Foreign Office brief,
he lamely began by following the line pursued by Eden and Hall, and declared:
“Generally speaking, the policy of the United Nations in this matter is only that
those nations which were associated with this matter at the beginning should
be members of the Commission.” Then, doubtless realizing the inadequacy of
this answer, he improvised. Seeking, like Hall, to make it appear that the British
Government had no wish to exclude Ethiopia, he added, disarmingly, “I can
assure the hon. Member . . . that the Ethiopian Government were informed at
the time these negotiations began and that they offered no comment on them.”
Both observations were untrue, but since no one in the House knew this, Law’s
“inexactitudes” passed uncorrected.
L aw’s reply nevertheless created disquiet on the Opposition benches.
Emanuel Shinwell, a prominent Labour member, and committed anti-fascist,
had not forgotten the use of poison-gas in Ethiopia. He jumped up to ask the
Supplementary question:
In view of the use of poison-gas by the Italians against the Abyssinians,
would it not be an act of justice to hand over Italian war criminals to the
Ethiopians?
Law tried to stifle this question with four brief words: “That was another war.”
This attempt to discourage discussion provoked a Conservative MP, Kenneth
Pickthorn, to ask, reflectively, “Is it part of the war for democracy that the elaboration
of this new technique about trying war criminals should be completely
accepted without discussion in this House or any effective discussion in this
country?”
Law turned this question to his advantage, declaring with exaggeration:
“There has been a good deal of discussion at Question time at any rate.”
That was not, however, the end of the story. Two further MPs intervened.
The first, Sir Herbert Williams, a Conservative, defended the Government’s
position, by questioning the right of Ethiopia to commission membership. He
asked, sarcastically, “Can the right hon. Gentleman say on what fronts
Ethiopian troops are now engaged in capturing any of these prisoners?”
Reginald Sorensen, a pacifist Labour member, then spoke more philosophically.
“In view of the obvious difficulties and embarrassments which this and similar