CO129-622-1 War damage compensation- U.S.S.R. claims 25-5-1948 - 22-1-1949 — Page 35

N 12315/1485/38

November, 1948.

36

(12)

Despatch to

Moscow.

Sir,

Under cover of his printed letter

No. 612(528/7/47) of the 14th August, 1947,

Er. Roberta enclosed a copy of a note of the

same date addressed to the Soviet Ministry of

Foreign Affairs requesting payment for the

by the Hip Kny

authorit

expenses incurred/in maintaining watchmen aboard

three Soviet ships at Hong Kong.

1348

2. In a letter of the 22nd September the

London Branch of the Moscow Narodny Bank Ltd.

sent to this Department a cheque for £254.15.0.

to cover these expensee in respect of two of

these ships, the "Simferopol" and the

"Sviratroi" in respect of the period 1st

X

September, 1945 to 31st December 1946. No

mention was made of the third ship, the

"gergei Lažo".

3. Meanwhile it has come to the notice

of this Department that the Soviet Government

have been claiming compensation through the

British War Risks Insurance Oflice in respect

of the total loss of the first two vessels by

reason of alleged seizure. Hitherto, however,

the claim has been rejected by the brokera in

the absence of documentary evidence of actual

seizure or of any protest made to the Japane se

authorities at the time. It also appears from

telegrams received from Hong Kong that the

Russiane, who remain of course owners of the

two vessels in question, have been attempting,

though without success, to dispose of them

locally for scrap.

4.1