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With the view of ensuring the ready recognition in editorial offices of the official character of messages, conveying the decisions of the Committee, Mr. Robbins has been supplied by the Stationery Office with stationery bearing the title, in print, of the Committee, and the official "Royal Arms.”

Procedure in Case (1).

5. The Committee plays no part in the procedure in case (b), beyond being responsible for its inception, and for its acceptance by the Press interests.

Editors are desired on receipt of naval or military intelligence bearing the impress of a secret character, to refer the same to the Admiralty or War Office, and under instructions from the Department to which the reference is made, either to modify it before publication, or to suppress its publication altogether.

Editors may communicate by letter or telegram, and will address their com- munications to the "Clerk-in-Waiting" at the Admiralty or the War Office, according as the information relates to naval or military matters.

The Admiralty and War Office undertake that every reference of this kind from an editor shall be dealt with in the Department concerned as promptly as possible, and that in no case will an editor be asked to refrain from publishing any news unless it is really of a secret nature.

In each Department a responsible official will be appointed Clerk-in-Waiting to deal with such references, in consultation, when necessary, with officials having expert knowledge, and he will be instructed that every communication made to him by an editor is to be regarded as confidential.

Editors are desired as far as possible to refrain from making references during the night, or at times when it would be reasonable to expect that an official, of the limited class to whom secrets are entrusted, would not readily be available.

(Signed) R. H. BRADE.

War Office, January 17, 1913.

Appendix III.

(A.)—Note by the Secretary.

(B.)-Memorandum by the General Staff,

(C.) Draft Bill of 1908.

THE PUBLICATION OF NAVAL AND MILITARY INFORMATION IN TIME OF EMERGENCY.

(A.)

NOTE BY THE SECRETARY.

1. THE draft Bill of 1908 referred to in paragraph 6 of the General Staff Memorandum is printed as Part (C) of this Paper. This Bill is the outcome of much negotiation between the Admiralty, the War Office, and the Secretary of the Committee of Imperial Defence, on the one hand, and certain representatives of the Press on the other. It is suggested that it should form a basis for the discussion of the Sub-Committee. It is not unlikely that it would be well received by the majority of the Press, the members of which realise the necessity for the Government to adopt some form of legislation, with a view to preventing important naval and military information from being given to an enemy through the public press in time of war.

2. The chief difficulty in drafting a Bill of this nature is to so word it that, whilst preventing information of importance to an enemy from being published, it does not at the same time restrict legitimate criticism. It is for consideration whether Section 1 is worded in such a manner as to avoid this difficulty.

The draft Bill does not contain any clauses giving the right to search premises on which it is suspected that an offence against the Act has been, or is about to be, committed. Such clauses were inserted in the draft Bill of 1907, but were omitted in

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