Urw
MINUTE SHEET.
Reference...
bU
24
I took the opportunity of a conversation
with Mr, Hickerson this afternoon to ask him how the
matter of the "City of Flint" stood*   He told me that
the ship was now at Murmansk and that the American
crew were all on board and safe and sound*' The Russian
authorities were now examining the cargo though exactly
why they were doing so was not clear to the S. D.
Mr• Hickerson did not volunteer any information
about the action which the S* D. had taken or were
contemplating taking vis-a-vis the Russian or the German
Governments In the matter though he expressed his
fairly confident opinion that he thought that in the end
the Russians would agree to release the vessel*
From the way in which Mr* Hickerson spoke
it seemed clear that the S* D* were taking the line -
followed In the "Appam" case - that prizes could not
be admitted into neutral ports for longer than 24 hours
unless they were not seaworthy*   I said to him that X
understood that there was another side to the legal case
and that under one of the Hague Conventions it had been
laid down that prizes could be lodged in neutral ports
pending a decision of the prize court of the captor*
Mr* Hickerson professed never to have heard of this *
which seemed rather odd*
The B.L.I* will no doubt have reported on the
newspaper reactions to the seizure of the "City of Flint11
and unless and until we can get a more definite
indication of the views of the S. D. in the matter there
is not much that we can usefully say to the F* 0. from
here •
FRHM
(112) 6787/250
2.000.COO 4/34 JC&SUd
Cp 644029
IRKOIMINT)
mm
26th October 1939