Minutes of the Fifty-third Meeting of the Committee (Deputy Directors (O and S)), Held in Conference Room "G", at the Ministry of Defence, S.W.L. on Friday, 19th May, 1950, at 10.15 a.m.

3. TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS ON SOVIET AND CERTAIN SATELLITE MISSIONS IN LONDON. SECRET (Previous Reference: J.I.C. (50) 43rd Meeting, Minute 3). THE COMMITTEE considered a minute+ by the Secretary covering a minute by the Home Office giving their views on the question of action to be taken by the police to assist in enforcing possible restrictions on members of Soviet and Satellite Missions in this country, in the light of the Committee's previous discussion on that subject. MR. CAREY-FOSTER said that the conclusions of the Home Office were briefly that the police could take action of the kind contemplated provided that the restrictions were in pursuance of the openly declared policy of His Majesty's Government. The preliminary view of the Foreign Office was that the most suitable means of declaring such a policy would be through a Parliamentary Question, although an announcement in the Press might be contemplated. A decision on this matter was, however, dependent on the decision of Ministers on the general question of the imposition of the restrictions. Following the recent tripartite talks, the United Kingdom had undertaken to consult the United States and France before taking action of this kind against Soviet and Satellite nationals, and this would be arranged. He referred to the minutes of the Committee's previous meeting on this subject, in which it was recorded that the Committee had agreed that the imposition of a fifty mile limit on movement of members of the Soviet and certain Satellite diplomatic Missions was suitable, and that permission to proceed outside that limit should in all cases be required. He pointed out that it was the Foreign Office's intention, as a first step, only to insist on notification of the intention to proceed outside the limit, such notification to include destination and route. The Foreign Office would therefore have something in hand should the position deteriorate in Moscow or any Satellite capital, by the further imposition of the requirement to seek authority to proceed outside the limit. THIS IS A COPY. THE ORIGINAL IS RETAINED UNDER SECTION 3 (4) OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS ACT He asked whether it was intended that information should be passed to the police on notifications received from members of the Missions that they were proceeding outside the area, in order to prevent unnecessary stopping of their cars. + J.I.C./843/50. -2-