CO129-622-1 War damage compensation- U.S.S.R. claims 25-5-1948 - 22-1-1949 — Page 77

>

COPY

MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT.

UNITED KINGDOM SHIPPING REPRESENTATIVE

FOR THE FAR EAST,

HONG KONG.

201, Victory House,

Wyndham Street,

Hong Kong.

25th June, 1948.

Ref.:- 561/26/RD/DA

Dear Haigh,

With reference to my letter to you of 28th April, 1948, Messrs. Guimaraes Bros. are anxious to know whether anything is happening at your end over the "SIVIRSTROI" and the "SIMFEROFOL", as nothing is happening at this end. They have been unable

In what I recently to make any progress with the Soviet agent. take to be the unlikely event that you pay out to the Soviet, they hope that they may have the option of purchasing or at least a chance to tender as they are very anxious to obtain the scrap.

Mr. Guimaraes, a Portuguese, tells me that the Japanese took very good care of the Russian ships here during the war and did not themselves make any use of them. They were, he says, scared of the ships being turned into an'incident'with Russians. So far as an outsider could tell "protective custody" is a very much truer description of what happened than "seizure", but Mr. Guimaraes claims no knowledge of the legal steps taken. There were, however, no Russians left on board.

D. Haigh, Esq.,

Ministry of Transport,

LONDON, W. 1.

Yours sincerely,

(Signed) D. F. ALIEN. U.K.Shipping Rep. for Far East.

45