The Director-General outlined to the meeting his conception of the Ministry's work as developing along four main lines:
1.
FACTUAL
.
Four sections - Press Censorship, Photographs, Public Relations, and News - would be under the direct control of the Deputy Director General.
2.
INFORMATION AND OPINION
.
would be under the control of Directors of Home Affairs, Overseas Affairs, and Enemy Propaganda. There would be three Expert Sections supplying material for the use of the Home, Overseas, and Enemy Divisions. These Expert Sections would be: Economics and Trade; Moral and Spiritual; Social and Educational.
3.
PRODUCTION
would be under the control of a Director of Production who would have under him three Divisions dealing with Films, Posters and Publicity, and Other Activities.
4.
ADMINISTRATION
would be under the control of the Secretary, who would have under him two Principal Assistant Secretaries, one dealing with Common Services (Reference, Regional Administration, Lectures and Addresses) and the other with Finance, Establishments and General.
The Director-General explained that in the ordinary course the Directors concerned with Home Affairs, Overseas Affairs, Enemy Propaganda and B.B.C. Affairs, would work to the Director-General, and in his absence to the Deputy Director-General. The Director of Production would report to the Director-General on questions of planning, and there would be a Planning Committee, meeting once a week in the first place during an afternoon, which would be attended by the Director-General and arranged under the Director of Production.
The Director-General referred generally to the need for an accurate definition of functions of all the important officers in the Ministry and for consultation and co-operation. He emphasised the need for strict financial control and control of appointments by the Finance and Establishments Divisions, and he explained that he expected the responsible officer in each Division to examine and approve or reject any material proposed for publication from his Division by defining clearly its object, contents and circulation.
The Director-General invited comments from the members of the Committee present.
Sir Maurice Peterson
raised points -
(a) in regard to the B.B.C. and responsibility for the contents of its foreign news service.
(b) in regard to “propaganda” and the danger of distinguishing too clearly between destructive and constructive propaganda.
(c) in regard to the functions of the Social and Educational Section
(d) in regard to staff abroad, which he said he was going into in some detail.
D.G. indicated that so far as the B.B.C. was concerned this point would admit of further discussion with Sir Maurice and with Mr. Ogilvie. The expert sections would be common source sections to supply intelligently digested material for use in all Divisions: only by concentration of this work could expert handling be secured.
Mr. Kirkpatrick
explained that in his view there was a distinction between the position of the Ministry in regard to the B.B.C. and the Newspapers, in that the Ministry could not compel the newspapers to take
332
- 3 -A specific line, and he mentioned also that in his view Enemy Propaganda must be under a single head. D. G. agreed and said that the matter of control of Enemy Propaganda must be left over for the time being for further discussion.
On two points raised by
Mr. Hodson, D. G. said that (l) the function of the three Expert Sections would be to sort material they would secure from various sources into an intelligible story and so far as possible keep it free from the colouring of opinion; and (2) it would be a matter for consideration whether a further Expert Section should be established with special reference to matters connected with the war that could not be described as news.
Mr. Lints Smith
suggested that the News Division should be represented on the Planning Committee, and D. G. undertook to consider this suggestion.
Mr. Francis
emphasised the difficulties arising from lack of co-ordination with other Departments in the questions with which he was concerned.
Mr. Ogilvie
explained that the B.B.C. regarded it as its business to “get on with the job”, and to that end welcomed the Directives of the Ministry and would make every effort to use any ideas put before them which appeared to have any value, no matter what their source was. In discussion with D. G. he agreed that it would be necessary to consider later what would be the
form
of his relation to the Ministry's organisation. It appeared to him that the practice would continue as before.
The Parliamentary Secretary
referred to doubts which he felt about the place of the Regions in the Ministry's scheme, and D. G. agreed that this must be left for close examination. Mr. Nicolson also compared the arrangements for registration etc. within the office unfavourably with those in other Departments in which he had had experience.
Lord Davidson
supported Mr. Nicolson's criticism of the Registry system, and he said that in his opinion insufficient use was made by the Ministry of experts in the publicity and advertising world. D. G. stated the principle on which he intended to go in this matter: that special sections should be set up within the Ministry only where existing agencies outside the Ministry were found unsuitable. He was not prepared to say at once that greater use should be made of outside advertising and publicity agents.
Mr. Wiltshire
raised a point about the title of his Division, which was resumed for further discussion.
D. G. assured
Mr. Bamford
that the detailed arrangements for staffing the Divisions would be a matter for consultation between the heads of Divisions and Establishments, and he intimated that he would like the first
333
- 4 -step in staffing to mean a reduction of about 200 in the total staff, if necessary by reducing the volume of work done. There appeared to be work of minor importance which could be discontinued.
In reply to
Mr. Macadam
, D. G. said he proposed that the responsibility for Home Affairs should rest entirely upon the new Director of Home Affairs.
Colonel Scorgie
emphasised the importance of co-operation within the Ministry, and hoped that it would be possible for the machinery side of the office to work smoothly. He said the setting up of an effective and expeditious registry for the work of the department was in hand.
In conclusion, D. G. outlined the system of meetings which he would like to see established in order to co-ordinate the work of the Ministry.
(A) note is attached suggesting the times for meetings
(a) of the Policy Committee, to be attended by the Minister,
(b) of a meeting of Senior officers to consider Principles, and
(c) of the Planning Committee to deal with Programme.
D. G. made clear that all the principal officers would feel themselves free to approach the Minister, and that he would expect to be informed of any decision taken which had an important bearing on the work of the Ministry. He added that he expected the officers in charge of Divisions to have access to himself at any time.
He referred to a draft chart of organisation which he had before him and said that if it were accepted by the Minister he would have it put into effect as soon as possible.
