026 Foreign Relations/1354: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Kennedy) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 15—8:50 a.m.]
316. Your written instruction No. 2147 of February 14, 1938. The Department’s desire to issue Foreign Relations volumes which will include documents of a date closer to current events than the 15-year period has been fully discussed informally with Sir Stephen Gaselee, the official in the Foreign Office who would determine its policy in the matter. Gaselee was sympathetic and said that from the viewpoint of a scholar he quite understood the reasons for the Department’s desire. Precisely he said that from the official point of view he agreed in principle. He pointed out, however, that the actual passing upon documents to be published, if involving the Cabinet as such, had to be submitted to Sir Maurice Hankey.23 This he said would be with the benevolent recommendation of the Foreign Office but Hankey’s decision would have to prevail. He also said that some of the Dominions are extremely conservative in regard to the publication of documents relating to them and this was another case where the Foreign Office did not have the last say.
The conversation with Gaselee is being confirmed informally in writing24 and no publicity should be given to Gaselee’s statement until we have received a written confirmation or specific authorization from him to make the decision public.