Archive documents have revealed how William Fraser, then chief constable of Invernessshire, was so concerned for the mythical monster he wrote to the Scottish Office. In the 1938 letter, Mr Fraser revealed an influx of Nessie spotters had been drawn by a flurry of grainy photos purporting to show the creature's neck. And he warned of a hunting party, led by a Londoner called Peter Kent, intent on capturing the monster 'dead or alive'.He said: 'Mr Peter Kent visited Fort Augustus on Friday, August 12, and was seen there by my officer... to whom he stated that he was having a special harpoon gun made and that he was to return with some 20 experienced men on August 22 for the purpose of hunting the monster down. I have, however, caused Mr Peter Kent to be warned of the desirability of having the creature left alone, but whether my warning will have the desired effect or not remains to be seen.' His typed letter concluded: 'That there is some strange creature in Loch Ness seems now beyond doubt, but that the police have any power to protect it is very doubtful.'
Five years earlier, a question was tabled in the House of Commons asking whether, in the interests of science, an investigation should be launched. Ministers were sceptical, but the documents, in the National Archives of Scotland, show that consideration was given to stationing observers round the loch to capture Nessie on camera and to whether it would be possible to trap the monster without injury.
Given that Loch Ness is 23 miles long and a mile wide - holding more water than any other loch - this would have been no mean feat.
A spokesman for the archives, which included the Nessie files in its An Open Secret exhibition, said: 'In the end it was felt that as the monster provided interest and amusement, it would be better to let it continue to do so than to kill it, or the tales told about it.'
Sadly, it seems the notoriously elusive creature is becoming even more withdrawn. Last year, there was only one 'credible' sighting. (Daily Mail)
