500.A4b/312
The British Ambassador (Howard) to the Secretary of State
Sir: Under instructions from His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, I have the honour to inform you that the work of scrapping the capital ships of the British Empire, which were required to be demolished in accordance with the treaty on the limitation of armaments signed at Washington in 1922, has been completed.
Mr. Chamberlain desires me to add that the battleships Colossus and Agamemnon have been retained under the provisions of the treaty, the former for non-combatant purposes and the latter as a target ship.
I have [etc.]