asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will, through the usual channels, inquire from every country that was neutral during the war, whether Hitler or any of the other Nazi criminals deposited any of their fortunes in those countries.

Laws have been passed in all the countries that were neutral during the war expressly requiring the declaration, subject to penalty, of all assets held by or on behalf of Germans. So far no assets belonging to the major war criminals already tried at Nuremberg have been revealed, nor has any reliable evidence yet been found in Germany that such assets exist in any of these countries. In the circumstances inquiries such as my hon. Friend suggests would be superfluous.