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Appendix I.
MEMORANDUM BY THE GENERAL STAFF.
A COMPLETE system of cable censorship has been organised for the United Kingdom, India, and the Colonies, in accordance with the recommendations of an Interdepartmental Committee which was assembled in 1906, and will be put in force when circumstances so require.
The censorship of wireless messages is at present engaging the attention of the Admiralty.
No steps, however, have been taken towards the establishment of a censorship over postal correspondence, though the subject has been under the consideration of the War Office on various occasions. Thus in 1888 a draft Bill was prepared "to enable Her Majesty more effectually to provide for the defence and security of the Realm in time of emergency," which, amongst other things, empowered competent military authority to demand precedence by post and telegraph for Government letters, to enter any telegraph station and to read all telegrams, and to prohibit the use of cypher telegrams. It, however, did not make specific mention of postal censorship.
The Bill never got beyond the draft stage, but in 1895 it was revived, and the late Sir John Ardagh drafted certain amendments to it. The clause above referred to relating to post and telegraph offices was deleted, and the following fresh clause was inserted in its place :-
"It shall be lawful after proclamation of a great national emergency for competent military authority to take any or all of the following steps as regards any postal, telegraphic, or telephonic communications carried on either in the United Kingdom or by means of cables connecting the United Kingdom with other countries.
"(1.) To take possession of and to work any office, mail cart, circuit, pneumatic tube, or other appliance used for the transmission of letters or of telegraphic or telephonic messages.
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(2.) To close or destroy any such offices or circuits.
(3.) To take possession of, destroy, alter, tamper with, or make additions to any existing lines, wires, or cables either in or connected with the United Kingdom.
"(4.) To demand precedence of all Government letters, telegrams, or telephonic
communications, suspending or prohibiting all other traffic if necessary. "(5.) To enter any offices, to read any letters or messages passing through, and to prohibit the forwarding of any letters, messages, or newspapers which may seem detrimental to the public interests.
"(6.) To prohibit altogether the use of cypher in letters or messages. Every person in charge of a post, telegraph, telephone, or cable office shall, on receiving notice of any of the above demands, prohibitions or intentions, immediately comply with the same and afford every facility for their being effectively carried out.'
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The Bill was never presented to Parliament, and no further action has been taken by the War Office since that date.
The desirability of preventing, as far as possible, the transmission to foreign Powers of information regarding our naval and military preparations, especially in time of war and of strained relations, has not been overlooked by the General Staff, and it has been recognised that there would be much advantage if powers existed of censoring postal communications in times of emergency.
The objects of this censorship would be two-fold, viz. :—
(i.) To hinder the transmission by post of naval and military information from this country to an actual or prospective enemy,
(ii) To hinder the transmission by post of instructions from an actual or prospective enemy to his agents in this country.
To fulfil these objects it would, therefore, be necessary to censor both out-going and in-coming correspondence, and as sub-agents would in all probability communicate
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