Norwegian officials told a British naval representative that they would search Altmark and settle the matter themselves. Three possibilities remain open: the assurance may not have reached the Admiralty in time, it may have arrived but inspired no confidence, or it may simply have been ignored. The Royal Navy proceeded with the boarding regardless. The unresolved chain of command matters because earlier inspection failures had already eroded the trust needed for neutral enforcement to work.
Notable Point · 1:06:26-1:07:03
Why Britain did not wait for another Norwegian search
A Norwegian assurance that the ship would be searched again fails to stop the Royal Navy, though the reason remains uncertain.