Minute 138 MELBOURNE, 25 January 1940
STOPPAGE OF GERMAN ORE SUPPLIES TRAVERSING NORWEGIAN TERRITORIAL WATERS
At the request of the Minister for External Affairs [1], the War Cabinet considered Dominions Office cablegram D.38 of 24th January regarding the proposal to lay minefields in Norwegian waters. [2] The provisional opinion of War Cabinet was that any such action would damage the Allied position in neutral eyes, particularly in U.S.A., and it was decided, before advising the United Kingdom Government of the Commonwealth’s views, that the additional information referred to in the High Commissioner’s cablegram of 24th January [3] should be awaited.
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[AA: A2673, VOL. I]