Scope and Contents Minute by WSC, First Lord of the Admiralty to the Secretary of the Admiralty [Sir (William) Graham Greene], 1st Sea Lord [Prince Louis of Battenberg, earlier Lord Milford Haven], Chief of Staff [Vice-Admiral Sir (Frederick) Doveton Sturdee] and Admiral Sir Edmond Slade on a cutting from the New York Evening World, which expressed resentment that a British cruiser was hovering off the port. WSC gives instructions that patrolling cruisers should normally keep 8 to 10 miles away from New York...

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Telegram from British Naval Attache (Petrograd), to Admiralty, reporting that the Russian Admiralty had acquired several German signal books and cyphers: he suggests that a British cruiser or destroyer be sent to Russia to collect copies; includes Admiralty responses. [Carbon].

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Letter from Admiral of the Fleet 1st Lord Fisher [1st Sea Lord] to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] on his meeting with an Italian officer, recently in Berlin [Germany], who reported that the Germans were planning a series of raids on the coast, similar to the raid on Scarborough [Yorkshire]. Fisher also comments on the escape of the German cruiser Dresden following the Battle of the Falkland Islands. [Hand-written, with typescript copy].

Scope and Contents Minute from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], to the Secretary [Sir (William) Graham Greene] and the Director of the Intelligence Division [Captain (William) Reginald Hall], on the searchlight on the roof of Sir Arthur Bignold's house overlooking a fleet anchorage. WSC asks for a report on Bignold, his guests, friends and servants, and rumours of aircraft activity in the area. [Carbon; Bignold had houses at Loch Rosque castle, Ross-shire, Scotland, Strathbran Lodge, Dingwall, Ross and...

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Report by Hugh Miller, paymaster of HMS Arethusa, on information obtained from a German officer on the action off Heligoland [Germany]: sent on by Commodore Reginald Tyrwhitt. [Printed for circulation to the Cabinet, Dec 1914].

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Telegram from the Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet [Admiral Sir John Jellicoe] to Admiralty, reporting that the Grand Fleet's sweep on 10 September was probably reported to the Germans by a complete cordon of apparently neutral fishing boats established about 150 miles from Heligoland [Germany]: Jellicoe suggests that the Dogger Bank Patrol take some of them into harbour for a strict search for wireless gear, and proposes a similar sweep further south to search for mines. [Carbon].

Scope and Contents Letter from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to the Commander-in-Chief, Grand Fleet [Admiral Sir John Jellicoe] on the need to rest the fleets and flotillas to conserve strength, and stressing the great importance of capturing the island of Borkum [Germany] to provide an overseas base for British submarines. WSC also comments on using "priceless information" [intercepted and decoded German naval signals; these comments were deleted before the letter was sent]. [Hand-written copy, with typed...

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Letter from Lewis Harcourt [Secretary of State for the Colonies], to WSC, on Admiralty allegations of laxity regarding the supervision of enemy subjects in Ceylon [later Sri Lanka]. Includes copy of a minute from Sir [William] Graham Greene [Secretary to the Admiralty] to the Colonial Office on the original allegations (1914).

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Copy of first page of a letter from WSC to Maurice [?Hankey] reporting on an interview with [Sir Stewart] Menzies [Head of the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6] and discussing an enquiry into the Secret Service. Unsigned carbon.

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Letter from WSC to Sir Alexander Cadogan [Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs] on replacing Sir Hugh Sinclair as Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service with Captain [Gerald] Muirhead-Gould RN; also the need to improve Admiralty intelligence services, with note to Private Secretary on distribution. [carbon and draft].

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Letter from Sir Alexander Cadogan [Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs] to Sir Archibald Carter [Permanent Secretary of Admiralty] asking for nominations from WSC and [Admiral of the Fleet Sir] Dudley Pound [1st Sea Lord] for Admiral [Sir Hugh] Sinclair's replacement as Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service.

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Letter from [1st] Lord Vansittart [Chief Diplomatic Adviser to Foreign Secretary] to WSC, enclosing copy of letter to Sir Kingsley Wood, Secretary of State for Air, containing information from a private source on German air and naval capabilities; with letter of thanks from WSC to Vansittart.

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Letter from Vice-Admiral Lewis Bayly [Commander, 3rd Battle Squadron] (68 Ebury Street, [London]) to WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] on German intelligence in Britain.

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Minute from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to the Director of the Intelligence Division, Admiralty [Captain (William) Reginald Hall], correcting a paper on the strengths of the British [? and German] fleets. [Carbon].

Scope and Contents Letter from Rear-Admiral David Beatty [Commander, 1st Battle Cruiser Squadron], on the situation in the North Sea and defences for the naval bases, suggesting that Rear- Admiral John de Robeck [Admiral of Patrols] should be put in charge of countering the submarine and mine menace, with more disciplined forces; he also suggests that if the Scapa Flow [Orkney, Scotland] anchorage were to be used again, steps should be taken to deal with the spies there, with the introduction of martial law....

Scope and Contents Minute from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], to the Secretary, Admiralty [Sir (William) Graham Greene], the 1st Sea Lord [Prince Louis of Battenberg, later 1st Lord Milford Haven], the Chief of Staff [Sir Henry Jackson] and the Director of the Intelligence Division [Captain (William) Reginald Hall], on the likelihood that German land pressure on the Netherlands would be irresistible in a war, and that the country would be "compelled to go with Germany openly or covertly". WSC states that...

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Letter from Admiral Sir Berkeley Milne [Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean], (HMS Inflexible, Mediterranean Station), to WSC, enclosing an extract from a report by one of his captains, on a conversation with a German naval captain on a possible naval agreement between Germany and Austria on combined action against Russia.

Scope and Contents Minute from WSC [(Admiralty)], to the 1st Sea Lord [Admiral Sir Francis Bridgeman], on training of Greek naval officers in Britain. WSC states that Rear-Admiral Mark Kerr [Vice-Admiral Commanding the Greek Navy] should be warned that the instruction and assistance being given to the Greek Navy was not intended to place them on the same level of naval science as Britain, and that the refinements of British gunnery, torpedo and submarine courses should not be disclosed, as information imparted...

Scope and Contents Minute from WSC [(Admiralty)], to the 1st Sea Lord, [Admiral Sir Francis Bridgeman], on training of Greek naval officers in Britain: stating that Rear-Admiral Mark Kerr [Vice- Admiral Commanding the Greek Navy] should be warned that the instruction and assistance being given to the Greek Navy was not intended to place them on the same level of naval science as Britain, and that the refinements of British gunnery, torpedo and submarine courses should not be disclosed, as information imparted...

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Minute by WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty], to an unknown correspondent, enclosing a memorandum by the Chief of Staff, Admiralty [? Sir Henry Jackson], on the importance of developing the Territorial Forces in the Orkney and Shetland Isles [Scotland], to counter German influence and protect a naval wireless station on the Shetlands. WSC requests that the memorandum be shown to General Sir John French [Chief of Imperial General Staff, later 1st Lord Ypres]. [Carbon].

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Minute from WSC [First Lord of the Admiralty] to the Director of the Intelligence Division, Admiralty [Rear-Admiral Alexander Bethell], asking for comment on a letter from "Captain" Tupper, one of the most violent and competent of the strike leaders in the ports in 1912, who had written to WSC about espionage in the ports. WSC asks Bethell to meet Tupper and not to hand him over to Commander Mansfield Cumming [of the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6]. [Carbon].

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Minute from Rear-Admiral Alexander Bethell, Director of Naval Intelligence, to WSC, on the naval construction programme, 1912-1919, necessary to maintain Britain's 60 per cent superiority over the German navy. [Carbon].

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Minute from WSC, to [Rear-Admiral Alexander Bethell], Director of Naval Intelligence, asking for his views on the establishment of a wireless station in the Shetland Islands; also asking if it would be worth putting a small torpedo base there and about German influence in the islands. [Hand-written, initialled by WSC].

Scope and Contents Minute from Rear-Admiral Alexander Bethell, Director of Naval Intelligence, to WSC stating that there was no real necessity for a wireless station in the Shetland Islands, as it would be the wartime base of the 7th Cruiser Squadron, which was equipped with wireless; also stating that a base would cost around 9,000 pounds and require a force of 25 men to defend it. Bethell adds that German influence was not very marked in the islands, and that very few German ships had visited there since...

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Admiralty memorandum on movements of the German High Seas Fleet, July - November 1911. [Typescript].