Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1902-05-01
BRITISH CABINET SECRETS.
Meetings Held Without Publicity and
All transactions Are Carefully
Guarded by Members.

1t says much for the integrity OF
government officials that all knOwl-
edge of our recent important treaty
with Japan was successfully withheld
from foreign nations until the compact
had been actually sealed, but the great
care exercised in guarding a diplomat
ic secret renders premature an
nouncement very rare indeed. No gov
ernment secret when first born is ever
committed to paper, except on the rare
occasions when minutes of cabinet
meeting are taken and forwarded to
the sovereign. AS rule, our minis
ters meet and transact business with
out anyone being the wiser, for no
official of any kind is allowed to be
present, says London Tit-Bits.
Once the government has decided
upon an important piece of foreign
policy, it has to be transmitted to our
representative abroad, and for the
first time the secret is put in writing
in the form of unintelligible cipher,
the key to which is already in the
hands of our ambassador. The men
who draw up these intricate cipher
| codes are reliable officials specially
employed by the government, and they
often obtain from C 500 to G 700 for a
single code. The dispatch having been
prepared, it is given into the care of
a kings messenger, who wears at
tached to his person bag fitted with
secret lock. To this lock there are
only two keys; one in the possession
of the foreign office and the other re-
tanned by our ambassador, who must
unlock the bag himself or instruct his
secretary to do so upon the messen-
gers arrival.
The journey between this country
and abroad is a risky one, because the
messenger is beset with spies, and, al
though he travels incognito and well
armed there is always the chance of
his being set upon and robbed. To
avoid this, when an important dis
patch is being carried, he is shadowed
by two detectives throughout the jour
ney, so that they can instantly come
to his assistance if necessary.
When travelling by rail he engages n
special compartment, and if called
upon to do so he will have to lose his
life before sacrificing the dispatch. In
return he receives a salary of G400
year, in addition to C a day when
travelling and all expenses found, but
before being employed he has to be
nominated by an official filling IN inn
portant position under government
who will hold himself responsible for
his being a relia BILE messenger and not
foreign agent. sometimes, to avoid
danger, the courier carries with him
the special sanction of international
law, whereby every country through
which he passes becomes responsible
for his safety.
On arrival, the messenger goes to
the embassy and hands over the bag
either to the ambassador personally
or his secretary, who has had verbal
orders from his chief to receive it. no
written instructions being accepted as
genuine, nor must the bag be given
to anyone holding an inferior post to
that of confidential secretary. In
every embassy there is a strong room,
wherein dispatches are stored in an
enormous safe, the key of which is held
only by the ambassador, and no one
but himself is permitted to enter the
chamber. Every night two watchmen
remain outside the door with loaded
revolvers, having orders to shoot
down any marauder.
obviously great care has to be taken
that no information shall leak out
from the officials themselves, and with
the exception of Britain and Italy no
European nation will permit any mem
Der of an embassy to marry a woman
of the country in which they are em-
ployed. Even the ambassadors them
selves are bound by the same rule, and
some years ago, when Germany's rep
resentative in London. Prince Henry
of Pless. wished to marry Miss Corn
wallis West. he had to surrender his
position before being able to do so.