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Telegram from Admiralty to Various Intelligence Officers, reporting that experience of the first two months of war showed that no increase in loss of merchant shipping was incurred by keeping trade routes open, and stressing the importance of keeping trade going. Initialled by Edward Heaton-Ellis [Assistant Director of Intelligence Division], Richard Webb [Director of Trade Division] and Vice- Admiral Sir [Frederick] Doveton Sturdee [Chief of Staff]. [Carbon].

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Telegram from General [Sir Archibald] Wavell, Commander-in-Chief, Middle East, to WSC advising that shipping at Massawa will be dropped now Asmara [Eritrea] has been surrendered and commenting on other aspects of the conflict in northern Africa.

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Telegram from "Former Naval Person" [WSC] to President [Franklin] Roosevelt on the danger of [Admiral Jean] Darlan [Vice-Premier of Vichy France] transferring French ships from African ports to French ports in danger of German occupation, and on the escort of convoys.

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Telegram from Government of Canada to Dominions Office sending on a message to WSC on Canadian anti-submarine protection of shipping which they claim has not been recognised by UK military advisers.

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Telegram from President [Franklin Roosevelt] to the Former Naval Person [WSC] on the United States' change of policy in the Atlantic: to include the extension of the security zone to whole of North Atlantic west of longitude 25 degrees; informing the United Kingdom of the position of aggressor ships; escorting of British convoys. [see also CHAR 20/37/97].

Scope and Contents Prime Minister's printed personal minutes, February 1941.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (annotated with additional printed information) to: the Chiefs of Staff; members of the Cabinet and other government ministers; General Sir Hastings Ismay [Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence]; Sir Edward Bridges [Secretary to the War Cabinet]; Sir Alexander Cadogan [Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs]; Vice Chief of Imperial General Staff [?General Sir Robert Haining];...

Scope and Contents Prime Minister's printed personal minutes, March 1941.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (annotated with additional printed information) to: General Sir Hastings Ismay [Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence]; members of the Cabinet and other government ministers; the Chiefs of Staff; senior civil servants including Sir Edward Bridges [Secretary to the War Cabinet], Sir Horace Wilson [Permanent Secretary of HM Treasury and official Head of HM Civil Service], and Sir Alexander Cadogan...

Scope and Contents Prime Minister's printed personal minutes, April 1941.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (annotated with additional printed information) to: members of the Cabinet and other government ministers; F A Lindemann [later 1st Lord Cherwell] and Desmond Morton [Prime Minister's Personal Assistants]; Sir Alexander Cadogan [Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs]; the Chiefs of Staff; General Sir Hastings Ismay [Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence]; Sir Edward Bridges...

Scope and Contents Prime Minister's printed personal minutes, August 1941.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (annotated with additional printed information) to: members of the Cabinet and other government ministers; Sir Edward Bridges [Secretary to the War Cabinet]; General Sir Hastings Ismay [Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence]; the Chiefs of Staff.Subjects covered by the minutes include: United States shipping provision; civil service appointments; naval matters, including the design of warships and a...

Scope and Contents Prime Minister's printed personal minutes, September 1941.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (annotated with additional printed information and in one case later manuscript annotations by WSC) to: Desmond Morton and 1st Lord Cherwell [earlier F A Lindemann, Prime Minister's Personal Assistants]; members of the Cabinet and other government ministers; the Chiefs of Staff; senior civil servants including Sir Alexander Cadogan [Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs] and Sir...

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Admiralty minute asking the press not to publish the loss of British merchant shipping as a result of enemy activity, unless the losses had already been reported by the Admiralty.

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Admiralty intercepted message, giving a German official communique declaring the waters around Great Britain and Ireland a war region, and warning that hostile merchant ships and possibly neutrals would be attacked.

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Intercepted wireless message from the German Embassy, on reports in newspapers that British merchant ships were to use a neutral flag, stating that this was an admission that Britain was unable to protect its merchant fleet. [Duplicate typescript].

Scope and Contents Letter from Colonel Sir Matthew Nathan [Under-Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland] to Edward Marsh [Private Secretary to WSC], sending a copy of a letter from F L Heyn, of the Ulster Steamship Company Limited, asking for the release of steamers requisitioned by the Admiralty, in order to ship flax from Russia. Nathan suggests that in view of the poverty in Belfast [Northern Ireland], one steamer might be released. Also includes note between Marsh and Graeme Thomson, Director of...

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Memorandum from WSC to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain on reasons for establishing a Ministry of Shipping. [carbon].

Scope and Contents First Lord of the Admiralty's printed minutes, September 1939.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (sometimes annotated with additional printed information) to: various naval directors; the Sea Lords, particularly 1st [Sea Lord, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound] and [3rd Sea Lord and] Controller [Rear-Admiral Bruce Fraser]; [Permanent] Secretary [Sir Archibald Carter]; Deputy Chief of Naval Staff [Rear-Admiral Tom Phillips]; Prime Minister [Neville Chamberlain]; other senior officers and...

Scope and Contents First Lord of the Admiralty's printed minutes, November 1939.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (sometimes annotated with additional printed information) to: Deputy Chief of Naval Staff [Rear-Admiral Tom Phillips]; [Permanent] Secretary [Sir Archibald Carter]; the Sea Lords, particularly [3rd Sea Lord and] Controller [Rear-Admiral Bruce Fraser] and 1st Sea Lord [Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound]; various naval directors; Professor [F A] Lindemann [later 1st Lord Cherwell] and Major...

Scope and Contents First Lord of the Admiralty's printed minutes, December 1939.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (sometimes annotated with additional printed information) to: the Sea Lords, particularly [3rd Sea Lord and] Controller [Rear-Admiral Bruce Fraser], 1st Sea Lord [Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound], and 4th Sea Lord [and Chief of Supplies and Transport, Vice-Admiral Guy Royle]; Deputy Chief of Naval Staff [Rear-Admiral Tom Phillips]; Prime Minister [Neville Chamberlain]; [Permanent] Secretary...

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Memorandum from WSC on "Publicity regarding destruction of or damage to enemy submarines, British warships and merchant vessels".

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Printed memorandum from WSC on "The urgency of chartering neutral tonnage".

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Printed note from WSC circulating comments from Staff in the Admiralty Trade Division on a memorandum "WP(G)(39)86" [not included in the file] by the Ministry of Shipping.

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Typed memorandum from WSC with specimens of "cheerful chats" about Naval matters for BBC broadcasting; to give details of the day's casualties and the fate of ships Germaine, Ragni, HC Flood, Ursus, Atheltemplar and Inverlaine.

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Printed note from WSC, with enclosures on Admiralty advice to the BBC on broadcasting of shipping losses.

Scope and Contents First Lord of the Admiralty's printed minutes, January 1940.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (sometimes annotated with additional printed information) to: the Sea Lords, particularly 1st [Sea Lord, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound], 2nd [Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel, Admiral Sir Charles Little], and [3rd Sea Lord and] Controller [Rear-Admiral Bruce Fraser]; Deputy Chief of Naval Staff [Rear-Admiral Tom Phillips]; [Permanent] Secretary [Sir Archibald Carter]; various naval...

Scope and Contents First Lord of the Admiralty's printed minutes, February 1940.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (sometimes annotated with additional printed information) to: the Sea Lords, particularly 1st [Sea Lord, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound] and [3rd Sea Lord and] Controller [Rear-Admiral Bruce Fraser]; various naval directors; [Permanent] Secretary [Sir Archibald Carter]; Sir James Lithgow [Controller of Merchant Shipbuilding and Repairs]; Deputy Chief of Naval Staff [Rear-Admiral Tom...