From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Mr. Pobottle's satirical newsletter discussing the intricacies and supposed failings of International Law during wartime.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 143\3\ scan0189 | |
| Date | 25th April 1940 | |
| 1204 Mr. Pobottle's News Letter No.20 APRIL 25th, 1940, SLOUGH “HO – SOLICITORS IS IT?” THE business about the Altmark and the light back-chat about International Law has prompted some of the more bone-ignorant cusses amongst our readers to write and ask us to clear up this whole business of International Legality for them. Their questions, broadly speaking, are :— (1) What is an International Law and why ? (2) Who says so ? (3) If there is any, why isn’t there more ? (4) Is it possible to be run in and fined £5 or a month if you break one ? And if so, by whom ? In attempting to reply we should like to make it clear that our own knowledge of this subject was only acquired after years of intensive study, and we don’t want to Confuse you with a lot of Details. But rather more than generally speaking :— (a) Yes, there is such a thing as International Law, because we know a man who is, in fact, an International Lawyer. At least he was. He’s out of a job at the moment, poor blighter. (b) There is, or was, a Court of International Justice. The general practice was to refer disputes to it, as long as they were the sort of disputes in which neither party cared much whether it won or lost its case. Otherwise one party or both tended to say that it was absurd to call for arbitration on such an obvious issue. You see ? (c) International Law is created by agreement between nations during the odd intervals when they are agreeing. (d) The fact that International Law suddenly began to play such a prominent part in the German mind after the Altmark affair does not mean that International Law permits kicking, biting and gouging, but draws the line for some odd reason at releasing prisoners from a ship snooping in neutral territorial waters. International legally speaking, there are several other odd torts and misfeances about this war. It is not, strictly speaking, in accordance with International Law to plaster the North Sea with mines, torpedo neutral ships, or invade other people’s countries. Germany only Consulted her Solicitors in this instance because there wasn’t much else left to do. Our reply might reasonably be that famous one : “ Ho, so it’s going to be solicitors now, is it ? ” In point of fact, the whole darned war is completely internationally illegal, not to say irregular and against public policy. But so what ? If there isn’t anywhere you can bring an action, and if there isn’t a Bobby to arrest the criminal, there is nothing for it but to take the action and do the arresting yourself. Pobottle Printed by Vacher & Sons, Ltd., S.W.1. | ||