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RUSSIA.

The Protection of British Trawlers on the Murman Coast.

(Previous

Reference: Cabinet 39 (28), Con- clusion 9.)

4 In addition to the Memorandum by the

Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Paper

C.P.-235 (28)) which had been before them at the

previous Meeting, the Cabinet had under considera-

tion a Memorandum by the Minister of Agriculture

and Fisheries (Paper C.P.-250 (28)) and a Memo-

randum by the First Lord of the Admiralty (Paper

0.P.-256 (28)), both of which favoured the third

course suggested in C.P.-235 (28), namely, that an

armed escort should be sent capable of protecting

trawlers and with orders to protect them outside

the 3-mile limit, if necessary, as was done before

in 1923.

In the course of a discussion the Cabinet

were informed that it was by no means certain that

if no protection were given to the trawlers they

would be deterred from fishing in Russian waters

by the absence of insurance, since the trawlers

were for the most part insured in a mutual scheme.

Some stress was laid on the necessity that protec-

tion, if given at all, should be adequate, and

that there should be no risk of the Naval vessels

being driven off by superior Russian forces.

The Cabinet agreed

(a) That the warning previously issued

to prevent fishing by British trawlers within a 12-mile limit of the Murman coast should be withdrawn, and trawlers should no longer be discouraged from fishing in those waters:

(b) That the Admiralty should provide

effective protection:

(c) That the Secretary of State for

Foreign Affairs should take appro- priate action, by means of an announcement in the Fouse of Commons or otherwise to provide that the Soviet Government was aware of our intentions.

"

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