Minutes of the Fourth Meeting of the Sub-committee, held in the Secretary's Room, Great George Street, S.W.1, on Tuesday. 19th January 1943. at 10.15 a.m.

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Minutes of the Fourth Meeting of the Sub-committee, held in the Secretary's Room, Great George Street, S.W.1, on Tuesday. 19th January 1943. at 10.15 a.m.

(b) To bring pressure to bear on the Swiss to secure from the Germans the right for the Allied Missions accredited to the Swiss Government to pass couriers across Occupied France. BRIGADIER MENZIES said he was anxious to avoid bringing any pressure to bear on the Swiss which might prejudice the flow of material from Switzerland by telegram. Telegraphic communications, as far as he was concerned, were proving satisfactory. He was, however, investigating certain possibilities in connection with securing a channel by which material could be obtained from Berne other than by telegram. THE SUB-COMMITTEE were informed that as far as the Service Departments were concerned, although they supported the views contained in the Memorandum, they were obtaining a considerable quantity of information from Berne by telegram. The type of information which they were in the habit of receiving from Berne could more suitably be transmitted by telegram than in the case of the material previously received by the Ministry of Economic Warfare. THE CHAIRMAN said that the Foreign Office had certain objections to denouncing the Vereker agreement. This agreement in fact covered only the passage of Diplomats and did not apply to diplomatic bags. It did not appear, therefore, that the denouncement of the agreement would in any way better the situation. The Foreign Office were doing all in their power to open up a bag service with Switzerland and they were most anxious to obtain such a service. THE SUB-COMMITTEE:- Expressed the wish that every effort should continue to be made to open up a courier service between Berne and this country in view of the great importance which the Departments represented on the Sub- committee attached to such a service. 3. REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE BRITISH MILITARY MISSION IN MOSCOW. THE SUB-COMMITTEE had before then a Minute by the Secretary, JIC/59/43 dated 13th January, 1943, covering a Report by Rear Admiral Miles dated 31st December, 1942. This Report contained an outline of the work of the British Military Mission and drew attention to the difficulties with which it had been faced during its eighteen months' stay in the Soviet Union. THE DIRECTOR OF MILITARY INTELLIGENCE introduced Colonel Exham who had just returned to this country from the Military Mission in Moscow and invited him to give the Sub-Committee a brief outline of the situation. COLONEL EXHAM said that in his opinion the time had come when something should be done to improve the relations between the Mission and the Russians. Already, special facilities were being given to the Americans and even to Foreign Presses in Moscow whereas similar facilities -2-
Collection ID
CAB81
Conflict
Second World War
Document Reference
CAB 81/91/6
File Reference
CAB 81/91
Identifier
10.1080/swwf.cab81.0091.006
Keywords
Communications Partisans Diplomatic Signals British Military Mission Anglo-soviet Relations Intelligence Gathering Press Reports Secrecy British Intelligence Organisation
Pages
7
Published in
United Kingdom
Series
War Cabinet: Joint Intelligence Sub-Committee: Minutes (JIC Series).
Themes
Intelligence Operations Intelligence Organisation and Administration Foreign Policy and International Relations