Letter from Herbert Asquith, Prime Minister [later 1st Lord Oxford and Asquith] to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], giving approval for laying mines in the North Sea, after a conference on the attitude of the United States. Asquith urges WSC to start laying mines "without stinting, and if necessary on a Napoleonic scale". Includes covering note marked "Most Secret".

Letter from Rear-Admiral Horace Hood to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], giving his views on the Ostend and Zeebrugge [Belgium] expeditions, particularly on the position at Nieuport, and also on Hood's wish to return to the Dover Patrol.

Letter from Rear-Admiral Horace Hood (Hotel Crusader, Nieuport [Belgium]) to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], on the naval and military situation in France and Belgium, including: the use of Hood's ships at Nieuport; the placing of German guns along the shore; Hood's mining of the coastal waters; the chances of a Belgian advance; relations between the French and Belgians.

Minute from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to the Prime Minister [Herbert Asquith, later 1st Lord Oxford and Asquith] and Sir Edward Grey [Foreign Secretary] on the importance of the part to be played by Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium in the naval war with Germany. [Hand-written, initialled by WSC].

Minute from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to Sir Edward Grey [Foreign Secretary] on the attitude of Portugal, explaining that the Admiralty saw relations with Spain as being more important. [Hand-written, initialled by WSC].

Letter from 2nd Lord Selborne (Blackmoor, Liss, Hampshire) to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], sending his congratulations on naval operations off Heligoland [Germany], and also commenting on the formation of the Naval Division for service in France and Belgium: Selborne suggests that they be given naval as well as military training, so that they could be used in the Fleet if required.

Letter from Edwin Montagu [Financial Secretary to Treasury] to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], on his proposal for a Minister of War Contracts or a civil Secretary of State for War, suggesting David Lloyd George for the post, and other staff for the proposed new department.

Admiralty minute on the need to change the policy of destroyer building, particularly increasing torpedo armament, and the size and speed of German ships relative to British destroyers.

Admiralty memorandum on the internal working of the War Registry. [Carbon].

Message from the French Foreign Minister on France's decision to send a division to Lemnos (following a response from Greece), requesting that naval operations in the Dardanelles be delayed. Includes WSC's response that the naval operations had already begun and could not be interrupted. [Hand-written, initialled by WSC].

Letter from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to the Chancellor of the Exchequer [David Lloyd George], asking for authority for alterations and additions to the naval construction programme, including the conversion of two new battleships into battle-cruisers, two new monitor ships and two new light cruisers. [Hand-written copy].

Notes on the cost of alterations to the naval shipbuilding programme.

Letter from [Frederick] Leverton Harris, Admiralty, to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], reporting that he had just concluded the largest copper deal in world history, and that Britain now controlled 95 per cent of the export trade from the United States.

Letter from Sir Edward Grey [Foreign Secretary] to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], on the German cruiser Dresden's presence in Chilean waters, and the possibility of sinking her. Grey advises against the violation of Chilean territorial waters.

Letter from Admiral Sir John Jellicoe [Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet] to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], on command of the 3rd Cruiser Squadron, the need to get his ships refitted and to provide occupation and exercise for his men, and anti-submarine measures.

Letter from the Commander-in-Chief, Grand Fleet [Admiral Sir John Jellicoe] to WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty, on the difficulties in the proposed capture of the island of Borkum [Germany]. [Typed transcript; fuller original version at CHAR 13/46/24-25].

Letter from WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty to the Commander-in-Chief, Grand Fleet [Admiral Sir John Jellicoe], on the proposed capture of the island of "Sylt" [Borkum, Germany] for use as a submarine base, and on the value of submarines as a deterrent against German warships. [Typescript copy; fuller original version at CHAR 13/46/14, and fuller typescript version at CHAR 13/46/32-36.].

Letter from the Commander-in-Chief, Grand Fleet [Admiral Sir John Jellicoe], to WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty, on the proposed capture of the island of "Sylt" [Borkum, Germany] for use as a submarine base, particularly the difficulties of holding it after its capture. [Typescript copy; fuller original version at CHAR 13/46/39-41].

Notes by [WSC and Edward Marsh, Private Secretary to WSC] on the proposed capture of the island of "Sylt" [Borkum, Germany] for use as a submarine base. [Hand-written copy, unsigned].

Letter from Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet, to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], on the difficulties in the proposed capture of the island of Borkum [Germany], and also on problems with laying minefields. [Hand-written, annotated by WSC for publication; partial typescript copy at CHAR 13/46/9].

Letter from Charles de Broqueville, Belgian Minister of War, to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], on a proposed joint operation to block ["bottle-up"] the port of Zeebrugge [Belgium], with copy of WSC's reply, asking the Belgians to send over an official familiar with the port, and suggesting a meeting between himself and de Broqueville.