Soviet Union: Soviet Requests for Ships to Visit UK and Dependent Ports

A file containing documents concerning calls by Soviet vessels at ports in the United Kingdom and British Overseas Territories. Subjects covered in the file include Soviet requests for vessels to call at Plymouth, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Middlesbrough, Southampton, Falmouth, London, Gibraltar, Bermuda, the Line Islands, and Saint Helena; British refusals of visits to certain sensitive locations, with suggestions of alternative ports; the weakness of the stated British case when making such refusals that the proposed visit was "not convenient"; and the unusual situation of Gibraltar, where no alternative port could be offered. Other subjects discussed in the file include refusals of certain requests due to insufficient notice being given; the proliferation of Soviet research ships and their potential for intelligence-gathering; and the exceptional case of a Soviet vessel participating in a British-led international research project in the ocean to the west of Scotland.