"ملف 1/50 الروتين المكتبي" [ظ‎‎٥‎٧] (٢٠٦/١١٤)

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5. It has become increasingly necessary that the contents of
Foreign Office telegrams and other documents should be communi
cated to United States officials in the course of daily work.
Moreover it has undoubtedly become the practice in certain posts,
and in certain Departments of the Foreign Office, actually to show
Foreign Office telegrams and other documents to Americans,
and on occasion to give them copies. This relaxation of the
normal Foreign Office rule applies in varying degrees in different
parts of the world. It is frequent in such places as Washington,
Germany and the Middle East, less frequent though not unusual
in certain Departments in London.
6. In order that practice and procedure may be uniform and
generally known throughout the Foreign Service, I think it desirable
to lay down the rule that Foreign Office telegrams or other
documents may normally only be shown to United States officials
after their contents and possible repercussions have been carefully
considered by Heads of Departments in the Foreign Office, or by
Heads or Acting Heads of Missions or by officers in charge of
Consular posts. In large posts, however, responsibility for deciding
whether documents may be shown to United States officials may
be delegated to specified officers. In the great majority of cases
it should be possible to give the necessary information to United
States colleagues without actually showing the text of telegrams
or other documents and the latter should only be done when it
is really necessary, to save time or for some other reason.
7. Where other Government Departments or the Services
are concerned, the final sentence of the quotation from the Inter-
Departmental instructions (paragraph I above) will apply.
Originators may thus be confident that their telegrams and
despatches will not be seen by Americans save in exceptional
circumstances, when discretion will be carefully exercised, or
authority obtained.
8. Originators may, however, in future mark their telegrams,
despatches or letters with the word " Guard," if there are special
reasons why the contents should not be passed to Americans in
any form, whether orally or in writing. Alternatively, it may
be possible for the originator to include a short paragraph indicating
which portions of the telegram or despatch should not b^ disclosed.
In either of these cases, the document, or alternatively the passages
which have been indicated, will not be passed on to Americans
in any way without reference to the originator, whose agreement
must first be obtained. If the code-word " Guard " is used in a
telegram, it must be included at the beginning of the text and
encyphered.
9. Foreign Office Circular Telegram No. 2 of 1944 is cancelled.
10. A similar circular has been addressed to His Majesty's
Representatives (as No. 033).
I am.
Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
ERNEST BEV1N.