§ Mr. Roy Hughesasked the Secretary of State for Trade what representations have been made to the Government of the United States of America about the 375W grand jury investigation of ocean shipping and the possibility of criminal proceedings affecting British lines and executives.
§ Mr. John SmithFollowing representations by our ambassador in Washington, discussions have been held at senior level between my Department and the United States Department of Justice. In these consultations we have expressed our concern about the potential damage to our shipping and trade across the Atlantic, and we have been assured that this will be taken into account. In these talks we also repeated our objections to a unilatral American regime for shipping in the North Atlantic and our willingness to discuss the possibility of an agreed regime.