Articles 2401 to 2499

Admiralty references: C.E.60012/50, E.F.0.479/51, N.L.1834/50 N.L.4043/51

2401. Definitions. The authorised security classifications are defined in detail in B.R. Form U2D. In this chapter the term " Classified " is to be read as including " Restricted " " Confidential," " Secret " and " Top Secret."

2402. Official documents. Official reports, correspondence and documents of whatever description, whether Classified or not, are the property of the Crown and are not to be disclosed without special authority to any person not officially entitled to receive them.

2403. Official information. All members of the naval service are forbidden to communicate any information which might directly or indirectly assist an enemy to any person other than a person to whom they are authorised to communicate it, or a person to whom it is, in the interests of the State, their duty to communicate it.

2. It is an offence against the Official Secrets Acts for a person, whether still belonging to the naval service or not, to divulge any Classified information, or any information acquired by him as a member of the naval service, unless authorised by the Admiralty to do so.

3. When instruction is given in Classified matters care should be taken to explain what is Classified and what is not, and officers and ratings should be reminded of this article and warned that the provisions of the Official Secrets Acts will still apply to them after they have left the naval service.

4. On completing their period of active service all officers are to be provided with a written statement signed by their Commanding Officer to the effect that while the Admiralty is confident that officers will continue to observe that reticence which is essential in responsible public servants in relation to information which they have acquired in the public service, they are reminded that it is an offence under the Official Secrets Acts for a person to disclose without permission any information, not already made public, acquired by him as a member of the naval service, notwithstanding that he has ceased to be on the Active List. Furthermore, that in the event of an officer wishing to publish any such information, whether as a book or newspaper article or otherwise, he should, in his own interest as well as that of the Crown, consult the Admiralty before doing so.

2404. Classified books and documents. Every care is to be taken in the handling of Classified books and documents and the Captain is to ensure that all persons who have to deal with them, or to handle keys giving access to them, are fully conversant with the detailed instructions given in B.R. Form U2D. See also 5207 on Classified correspondence.

2. Care is to be taken that all books and documents, such as rough signal and deck logs, which may contain Classified matter, are not thrown overboard but are burnt when no longer required. B.R. Form U2D gives instructions for the disposal of Classified waste matter.

2405. Secrecy regulations. The Captain is to ensure that the Admiralty instructions governing visits of persons not in Her Majesty's service, and the communication of information to such visitors, are carefully observed. These instructions are given in the appropriate C.B., as also are the security regulations about visitors to ships building by contract.

2406. Publications, broadcasts and public speeches dealing with naval matters. Prior Admiralty permission must always be obtained before publication in book or other form of information relating to the naval service, and this requirement includes in particular the following:

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1. The publication of any wireless message, cable or other communications received or intercepted through naval channels or of the fact that any such communication has been received or intercepted.
2. The publication in the press or otherwise, directly or indirectly, of matter or information relating to the naval service, or anything of a controversial nature affecting other departments of the public service or relating to matters of public policy.
3. Accounts of current or recent Service operations: these, if involving security, diplomatic or political considerations, will not be permitted. However, if they do not involve these considerations (e.g. reports of peacetime " Flag showing cruises "), such accounts will receive consideration in accordance with the procedure set out in Clause 3.

2. It should be understood that permission will not generally be given for the publication of books of memoirs or reminiscences of their naval career by authors who are still serving. Authors are therefore advised to consult the Admiralty before embarking upon the preparation of such accounts with a view to publication. For the publication of photographs see 3815 and 3816.

3. Matter for publication must be submitted to the Admiralty through the usual Service channels in duplicate and in typescript. Matter intended for the Naval Review and for the Journal of the Royal United Service Institution may, as a special arrangement, be submitted direct to the editors.

The drafts of documents should be scrutinised by Commanding Officers, who should ensure that attention is invited to any undesirable reference to local happenings or personalities, the significance of which would not necessarily be apparent to the Admiralty. Commanding Officers should not make any amendment, nor refuse to forward such documents for Admiralty consideration, and any remarks which they may wish to make should be forwarded separately. In order to avoid delay, Commanding Officers may at their discretion forward the draft document with their remarks direct to the Admiralty instead of to their Administrative Authority. The usual channels for correspondence must, however, be followed if the document appears objectionable or if it deals with current local matters or with any question with which the Commander-in-Chief or local Administrative Authority is likely to be concerned. Copies of articles are not to be forwarded to prospective publishers before the Admiralty approves publication.

4. PUBLIC SPEECHES AND BROADCASTS. Members of the naval service must always obtain Admiralty permission to deliver publicly or broadcast any lecture or read any paper dealing with the subjects mentioned in Clause 1, or to make any public speech dealing with such subjects in which opinions may be expressed which are likely to give rise to controversy.

5. IN THE UNITED KINGDOM the text of broadcasts to be given, or scripts to be provided for talks, by members of the naval service on the instructions of the Admiralty, or at the invitation of the British Broadcasting Corporation as a result of a general agreement between the B.B.C. and the Admiralty, or by private invitation of the B.B.C., on a subject connected with official duties, must be forwarded to the Chief of Naval Information for prior Admiralty approval.

6. ON A FOREIGN STATION when it is suggested that a broadcast of a similar type should be made locally, the approval of the Admiralty should be obtained if time permits or, if this is not possible, authority for the broadcast may be given by the Commander-in-Chief. The text of such a broadcast need not be submitted to the Admiralty and may be approved by the Commander-in-Chief, but the Admiralty should be consulted when the text deals with matters of naval policy upon which guidance has not already been given by the Admiralty. When political considerations arise the agreement of the Colonial Governor, H.M. Ambassador or Consul, or United Kingdom High Commissioner should be obtained as appropriate. If approval is given it should be made clear that the broadcast is officially sponsored by naval authority. Broadcasts officially sponsored will normally be regarded as an official duty and no fee will be paid for them either to the individual or to the Admiralty.

7. When an individual member of the naval service is invited by the B.B.C. (acting independently of any Government directive) to give or provide material for a talk on a subject unconnected with his official duties, it is not necessary for the text to be forwarded to the Admiralty for prior approval and it is open to the individual to make his own terms with the B.B.C. provided that (a) if he is announced by his official style (which does not apply to the mere use of naval rank) the prior authority of the Admiralty is obtained and (b) the work involved in the preparation and delivery of the talk is undertaken outside official hours of duty.

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8. The instructions in this article apply to all serving ranks and ratings. They do not apply to those temporarily released from service, such as officers on half pay; such persons will, however, be held responsible for any publication which is considered by the Admiralty to be subversive of discipline or contrary to the best interests of the naval service, and they should remember that the Official Secrets Acts apply to them, and also that public expressions of opinion about the naval service or on controversial questions of public policy are, without Admiralty approval, incompatible with their position as members of the naval service.

2407. Naval Information Organisation. The department of the Chief of Naval Information at the Admiralty and the Naval Information Organisation in commands exist in order to keep the public in touch with naval activities at home and abroad.

2. Each Commander-in-Chief should appoint a member of his staff to act as Fleet (or Command) Naval Information Officer. The functions of this officer include the co-ordination of naval information within each command, and he should form the link between the local press and broadcasting agencies, and ships and establishments of the command.

3. To assist the Fleet (or Command) Naval Information Officer each ship of the size of destroyer and above should detail an officer to carry out the duties of Naval Information Officer in addition to his normal duties. These Naval Information duties will include looking after members of the press, B.B.C., film companies, etc., when on board, providing direct liaison with the local press as necessary, and keeping the Fleet (or Command) Naval Information Officer informed of any items of particular interest.

4. In home waters the Naval Information Officer should deal with the local press only, and with matters of purely local interest; any questions which may have wider application and are likely to be of interest to the national press are to be referred to the Chief of Naval Information at the Admiralty, as should be all requests for facilities received direct from the B.B.C. or from newsreels and film companies.

5. The Naval Information Organisation on foreign stations should be on the same lines as above, but requests for broadcasts (2406 (6) ) and for press facilities, other than those of a minor and local character, should be referred for the consideration and approval of the Commander-in-Chief, who will communicate with the Chief of Naval Information if he considers it necessary.

6. The objects and methods of the Naval Information Organisation are explained fully in B.R. 1863 The Navy and the Press, but particular attention is called to the following:

1. It is of the utmost importance, if naval matters are to receive their share of publicity and the goodwill of the press is to be preserved, that the Chief of Naval Information should be kept promptly informed of all incidents or developments which might interest the press and other agencies of publicity or form the subject of press inquiries. Advance notice of forthcoming events is, of course, particularly valuable.
2. Information of this nature should be transmitted to the Admiralty by air mail, or if necessary by signal, as soon as possible. If left to follow the usual channels, e.g. in Reports of Proceedings, information which might be of value for naval publicity in the press or otherwise may not reach the Admiralty until too late for exploitation.
3. Suitably captioned photographs, whether taken by the official photographic organisation (3811) or by officers or ratings in their private capacity, are of considerable complementary value to any news story. Wherever possible negatives should be sent. For private photographs, which should be submitted for prior inspection in accordance with Article 3815, it should be clearly stated whether they can be freely used for naval publicity or whether the owner expects to be paid a reproduction fee.

7. The Chief of Naval Information is the co-ordinating authority in respect of any exhibition at which it is proposed to show naval equipment, whether for recruiting, collection of charitable funds or any similar purpose. The Information Officer of a Home Command organising such an exhibition should seek advice, where necessary, from the Department of the Chief of Naval Information, Admiralty, on matters of organisation, availability of material, etc.

2408. Incidents liable to Parliamentary or Press comment. The preceding article deals with the reporting of information with the intention that it shall be used for naval publicity. It is equally important that Commanders-in-Chief and Senior Officers should provide the Admiralty

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with very early official information of any serious accident or occurrence within their commands in which H.M. ships or members of the naval service are in any way concerned, and which may be liable to form the subject of comment in Parliament or in the press.

2. Some incidents, though trivial in themselves, may possess news value. Examples of the type of incident on which information should always be given are:-

1. disturbances of any kind in which members of the naval service are involved;
2. collisions involving H.M. ships;
3. despatch of H.M. ships to render assistance to any civil authority;
4. a disturbance on the high seas in a merchant vessel with a request to H.M. ships for assistance.

3. When it is impossible for a full account of any incident to be rendered before the facts have been thoroughly examined, it is of the greatest importance that even an incomplete account should be signalled at the earliest moment, followed in due course by any detailed report considered necessary.

4. Where a ship is not in company with a Senior Officer, the Commanding Officer is to inform the Admiralty direct by immediate signal, as well as the Commander-in-Chief and such other authorities as may be laid down in station orders.

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