Of Commons; Withdrawal South of Trondheim London, May 2.
'ALKING his eagerly awaited statement on operations in Nor~ way in the House of Commons today, the Prime Minister, Mr, Neville Chamberlain, asked members "to exercise their patience a little longer before I can give them a full story, for it is impossible to make public as yet plans and movements which are not yet complet can only make an interim fatement today," "the Prime Minister said, "but T hope that Mr.
Winston Churchill and I may be able to say a good deal more early next week, when no doubt the House will desire a debate on the whole subject in the light of the information before them."
'Mr. Chamberlain said that about a month' ago it was decided that certain small forces should be kept in readiness to occupy Norwegian western ports at short notice in case of an act of aggression by Germany against southern Norway.
'Any action contemplated by them, declared, was conditional upon prior violation of Norwegian neutral-by Germany, 'The House would, of course, re-ember, the Prime' Minister con Uinued, that some three months ago they ad made preparations for the datch of an Allied force to Fin-"The possibility of reaching Fin-lund was dependent upon the col= laboration of the governments of Norway and Sweden, and realising! that even their acquiescence in the passage of Allied troops might ayolve them in invasion by Germany, we prepared our forces to 40 t0 their assistance in that conlingeney.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.