Coll 29/45(3) 'Conditions of service of personnel serving in the Persian Gulf (Policy and Superior staff)' [‎301r] (601/669)

orally from, or from documents or observation at any of the
sources specified in (i), (ii), (iii), fiv) and (v) of sub-paragraph (a)
Comment.
( 1 ) Documents and correspondence may be official and
confidential under this paragraph, notwithstanding that
they have been addressed or sent in a personal form or
marked ‘'personal” or m “ private.” Indeed under the
paragraph the presumption is that they are official and
confidential. It is, in fact, a common practice to send most
secret information or most confidential instructions in a
letter so marked. Similarly, oral information may be official
and confidential although it has been given casually and in
a non-official manner.
(2) The enumeration in paragraph 7 is not, and is not
intended to be, exhaustive. Written or oral communications
irom non-official persons relating to matters of official
concern may often be confidential official information and,
if m writing, official documents. As indicated by the
comment to paragraph 6 , the difference between documents
which are covered by the enumeration in paragraph 7 (a) and
information covered by the enumeration in paragraph 7 (b),
and documents or information not so covered, is that in the
former case there is a strong prima facie presumption that
the document or information is both official and confidential,
ami in tne latter case there is no such presumption.
8 . Members of the Foreign Service shall, on the outbreak of
war or other emergency, destroy official documents which
are in their possession or custody, in accordance with the
instructions in force for such eventuality. Except in bases of
they shall not destroy the originals or sole copies of
officml documents except under authority from the Foreign
Office, unless it is clear that such documents do not possess or
no longer possess, any interest for the purpose of official record
they may, however, from time to time destroy surplus copies
or documents of ephemeral interest, in accordance with standing
instructions. b
9. —(a) Members of the Foreign Service must not, without
the permission of the Secretary of State, publish any book or
article or give any public lecture or broadcast, which is based
m whole or in part upon their experiences as members of the
Service or upon information obtained by them as a member
of the Service.
(b) The reproduction in extenso of unpublished official
documents (and this includes memoranda prepared by officials
in their official capacity and with access to official information)
is not permitted. '