lˈɔːɹd ɹˈʌsəl, pɹˈɑːmptᵻd baɪ ðə pɹˈoʊtɛsts ʌvðə jˈuː.ˈɛs. ɐmbˈæsədɚ, tʃˈɑːɹlz ˈɛf. ˈædəmz kwˈiəɹɪd ðɪ ɪdʒˈɪpʃən ɡˈʌvɚnmənt dᵻɹˈɛktli ænd kənfˈɜːmd ðæt ðɪs wʌz mˈɪɹli ɐ sˈʌbtɚfjˌuːdʒ tə dɪsɡˈaɪz ðə tɹˈuː ˈoʊnɚʃˌɪp ʌvðə vˈɛsəlz.
Lord Russel, prompted by the protests of the U.S. Ambassador, Charles F. Adams queried the Egyptian government directly and confirmed that this was merely a subterfuge to disguise the true ownership of the vessels.