CO129-563-18 Sino-Japanese War- stopping of British shipping by Japanese 11-9-1937 - 29-12-1937 — Page 80

SECRET.

8164

COPY.

MESSAGE

To: Commodore, Malaya

0. in C. China 856

232.

C. in C. Mediterranean 322 C. in C. East Indies 608 C. in C. Home Fleet 332.

OUT.

Date: 19. 10. 37.

Addressed: Commodore kalaya, repeated C. in C. China,

C. in C. Mediterranean, C. in C. East Indies, and

C. in C. Home Fleet, from A¿miralty.

Your 1629/5. Requests have been made both by

Japanese and Chinese Governments as well as by Spanish

insurgents for British merchant ships to be plainly marked

so that they may easily be identified from the air. These

requests have been refused on ground that onus of

identification rests with aircraft and that H.M.Government

possess no powers to instruct shipowners to mark their ships

and thus ensure that practice is followed by all British

ships affected.

If practice became common aircraft would

tend to rely on markings and unmarked ships might be singled

out for undesirable attention. These considerations are of

more importance in connection with attempts at interference

with shipping by the contending Spanish parties and a

precedent established in the Far East might have awkward

repercussions in the Mediterranean.

Whilst there is no objection to action you have

already taken you should bear these facts in mind in dealing

with future requests of the same character.

1625/19.

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