T
(N 2534/1391/38)
C/ to HK (3)
FOREIGN OFFICE, S.W.1.
2nd July, 1949.
12 2
Dear Tiss Ruston,
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You rang ine up on Thursday evening about the two Soviet ships "Simferopol" and "Svirstroi" now rotting in Hong Kong Harbour. The last correspondence on this subject was the note of the British Embassy in Moscow to the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs, copies of which were sent to Mr. Wallace and to Mr. Haigh at the Ministry of Transport on the 16th March under Foreign Office reference N 2534/1391/38.
A silence of six months on a subject like this is by no means unusual with the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and one cannot exclude the possibility that they will send us a reply in their own good time. In any case I am sure that the Embassy will continue to remind the Russians at appropriate intervals.
In
As regards any further action which might be taken, you will see from Mr. Wallace's letters 55136/24/48 of the 4th September last and 54447/3/48 of the 15th November, that there appear to be considerable legal difficulties from your side in the way of any unilateral disposal of these ships. the light of these objections, I do not think we should be justified in sending any stronger note to the Russians until you have consulted your legal advisers to see whether any "ultimatum" we might send could in fact be legally put into effect.
Miss Ruston,
Colonial Office.
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