§ 44. Sir G. FOXasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, on the occasion of the recent visit of the German warship to Portsmouth, any literature in German was distributed to the visiting crew by Communist activities; and what steps the Admiralty takes to prevent practices of this kind on the occasion of a friendly visit?
The FIRST LORD of the ADMIRALTY (Sir Bolton Eyres Monsell)A certain amount of literature in German was distributed by Communist agents to members of the visiting crew on leave ashore in the city of Portsmouth in places where the Admiralty had no control. The Royal Navy would always take such steps as were possible to prevent its guests from being subjected to annoyance. These steps would depend entirely on the circumstances.