File No. 763.72/566
The British Chargé d’Affaires (Barclay) to the Secretary of State
Memorandum
His Majesty’s Chargé d’Affaires presents his compliments to the Secretary of State and has the honour to communicate to him the following telegram which he received last night from the Foreign Office:
The Germans are scattering contact mines indiscriminately about the North Sea in the open sea without regard to the consequences to merchantmen. Two days ago four large merchant ships were observed to pass within a mile of the mine field which sank H. M. S. Amphion. The waters of the North Sea must therefore be regarded as perilous in the last degree to merchant shipping of all nations. In view of the methods adopted by Germany the British Admiralty must hold themselves fully at liberty to adopt similar measures in self-defence which must inevitably increase the dangers to navigation in the North Sea. But, before doing so, they think it right to issue this warning in order that merchant ships under neutral flags trading with North Sea ports should be turned back before entering the area of such exceptional danger.