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Proceedings.
MINUTES OF FIRST MEETING, JULY 11, 1910.
Present:
The Right Honourable W. S. CHURCHILL, M.P., Secretary of State for Home Affairs (in the Chair).
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir M. NATHAN, G.C.M.G., R.E., Secretary, Post Office. The Viscount ESHER, G.C.B., G.C.V.O.
Rear-Admiral the Hon. A. E. BETHELL, C.M.G., Director of Naval Intelligence. Brigadier-General A. J. MURRAY, C.V.O., C.B., D.S.O., Director of Military
Training.
Lieutenant-Colonel G. M. W. MacDonogh, R.E., General Staff.
Mr. W. L. F. G. LANGLEY, C.B.. Assistant Under-Secretary, Foreign Office. Mr. A. II. DENNIS, Assistant Solicitor to the Treasury. Rear-Admiral Sir C. OTTLEY, K.C.M.G., M.V.O., Secretary.
COLONEL MACDONOGH explained the views of the General Staff as set forth in the Memorandum (Appendix I). He said that any proposals that they put forward were of a tentative nature, and that they saw the difficulties that confronted the postal authorities when dealing with the question of the censorship of letters. He suggested that it was important to have a list of aliens residing in certain naval and military centres, and that such a list would form the ground-work for subsequent action. He drew the attention of the Sub-Committee to the form of warrant by the Secretary of State for Home Affairs, which, in the opinion of the Post Office (paragraph 5 of Appendix II) might be issued in time of emergency when it was desirable to censor the letters of certain persons or of persons residing in certain localities. The terms of this warrant are as follows:--
"I hereby authorise and require you to open, detain, or delay any postal packets in course of transmission by post which you think may be sent with the object of aiding, abetting, or assisting the transmission of any mail-bags containing inland or foreign correspondence in such Government, and also to delay the manner and for such periods as you may see fit. sufficient warrant.'
For so doing this shall be your
In the opinion of the General Staff this form of warrant was sufficiently wide to cover their requirements.
MR. DENNIS was doubtful whether the Home Secretary could issue such a comprehensive warrant, but this was a legal matter which would require further consideration.
MR. CHURCHILL said that there did not appear to be any need for further legislation with a view to increasing our powers of censoring correspondence. The powers at present possessed by the Home Secretary, which can be set in motion at the request of the War Office, appear to be ample. He did not believe that there was much to be gained by holding up the mails in certain important naval and military centres. We could not conceal the fact that our fleet was being mobilised, even if such mobilisation were carried out gradually with a view to not arousing suspicion, and the holding up of mails would only excite suspicion. He pointed out that it was of much greater importance for us to know what was going on in German ports than it was for the Germans to know what was going on in ours, and he did not think that if they were to put 10,000 soldiers on board a transport the news could be concealed from us.
He considered that the Police, working with the War Office, should have lists of individuals who might be suspected of sending information to foreign Governments in a time of strained relations, and a warrant might be issued in time of emergency authorising the correspondence of these individuals being censored. This authority should be used sparingly, in order that public confidence in the Post Office should not be shaken. The Sub-Committee which was at present considering the
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