841.721/10: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Kennedy) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 27—12:30 p.m.]
1841. My 1361 September 1, 6 p.m. Following is text of Foreign Office circular note of September 26 regarding censorship over telecommunications:
“His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs presents his compliments to the United States representative and, in continuation of his circular note of 31 August 1939 regarding the establishment of censorship over tele-communication, has the honor to state that His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom, desiring to minimize the inconvenience caused to the diplomatic representatives of foreign states in London, have given instructions that until further notice telegrams in code, cypher, or any language may be exchanged between the United States representative and the United States representative in any allied or neutral country, as well as the governor of any possession or dependency of his country.
- 2.
- The United States representative may also exchange telegrams in code, cypher, or any language with the diplomatic or senior consular representative of his own country in Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, Eire, India, Burma, Newfoundland, or any British colony, protectorate, or territory under mandate.
- 3.
- In all British colonies, overseas territories, protectorates and territories under a mandate exercised by His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom, where there is no diplomatic representative, the senior consular representative may correspond in code, cypher, or any language, not only with his Government, with the diplomatic representatives of his country in allied and neutral countries, and with other consular representatives of his country in that territory, but also with the governor of any territory or dependency belonging to his own country, and with other senior consular representatives of his country who enjoy the privileges laid down in paragraph 2 above.
- 4.
- It is understood that the position in this respect is generally similar in the Dominions and India.”