1. The minutes of the meeting on the 2nd January were taken as read and approved. Sir Kenneth Clark explained that the collection of material as the basis for a reply to Sir Arthur Willert had taken longer than he had anticipated.
2.
MEMORANDUM BY THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY
Discussion on the memorandum arose on five main points.
(a)
B.B.C. bulletins
[B/82.]
The Parliamentary Secretary said the suggestions on page 3 for improving B.B.C. bulletins arose from two main considerations: (1) that great indignation was felt in most parts of the country where severe bombing had taken place, at the uninformative phrases used for official communiqués; and (2) that he had a feeling that the Ministry did not have as much influence on the news and the method of presentation as it should have. He felt it to be vital to maintain confidence in the news, and thought that people were being driven to listen to the German wireless in order to get the information withheld from them in our own announcements. The Minister pointed out that it would never be possible to satisfy the two extreme classes of thought which had shown themselves for example, over the talk by
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- 2 -Tom Harrison about Coventry, where some had thought his out[illegible] gross exaggeration, while others thought he had understated [illegible] position. He referred to a joint memorandum by the Air Ministry, Ministry of Home Security and Ministry of Information to be considered by the Cabinet and suggested that we ought to await the result of this paper. When the two Government Advisers who had been suggested for the B.B.C. had been appointed, one of these might make it his business to go into the question of both the substance and the form of the communiqués from the Service Ministries with a view to improving them. It was pointed out that variations in phrasing would not satisfy the public, but that the prompt release of names of places and figures of casualties would go far to meet criticism.
The Parliamentary Secretary suggested consultation of journalists by the Service Ministries in drafting their communiqués might be helpful, and the D.G. said he would ask for suggestions on this point when he next met the Press.
(b)
Films
In regard to the Films Division, the suggestion for enlargement applied mainly to increasing the supply of films and library facilities for the non-theatrical scheme, and not to increasing the number of projectors. The Parliamentary Secretary had found the films had great effect in the Welsh Valleys, and it was agreed that captions in Welsh should be supplied. In view of transport difficulties, he also suggested that bigger stocks of new films should be kept in centres throughout the country so that they could be drawn upon if programmes were upset through non-delivery of films.
[F/220]
The suggestion had been made that the output of films should be increased, but it was pointed out that quality must be the primary consideration, and that little increase was possible on the documentary side, where all the producers were working full time. It might be possible with production on a slightly more elaborate scale to make one or two 10 to 12 minute films primarily for the American market and for non-theatrical distribution in this country. This possibility would be explored.
(c)
Explanation
In regard to the suggestion that there should be area meetings of an explanatory kind, the Parliamentary Secretary referred to the commentaries which were being done in Scotland by University professors and similar people in background talks, for which it appeared there would be
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- 3 -considerable demand in other Regions. Discussion arose about the need for the Ministry to advertise itself and reference was made to suggestions that an exhibition should be held and that a booklet should be prepared describing the work of the Ministry and that the Minister might broadcast. On the booklet suggestion the D.D.G. pointed out the risk involved in publicising the work of the Ministry statistically, and drew attention to the success achieved e.g. by the Empire Marketing Board entirely objectively. He felt that one way of bettering the Ministry's situation would be to stand up to whatever we considered unfair criticism. Mr. Valentine Williams suggested the best pamphlets which the Ministry had produced might be collected and sent round for exhibition in the book departments of big stores, but the difficulty was pointed out that generally the best work of the Ministry was work which we could not publicly acknowledge.
[Extracted to GP/104/39.]
It was agreed that it would be well to avoid preparation of a comprehensive pamphlet on the Ministry's work and that a draft might be prepared on a broad selective basis for further consideration.
(d)
Local Information Committees
There was considerable discussion on the question whether we should damp down their activities or should develop them in an attempt to make them a useful and effective instrument?
[HP/190]
In expressing the view that the Committees could be made to serve an increasingly useful purpose, Mr. Macadam suggested that the following steps should be taken:
(a) The Guide for Committees should be issued, so that a more precise statement of their functions and duties should be available to each member.
(b) The R.I.O. should be instructed so far as possible to arrange for a member of his staff to attend all committee meetings.
(c) Special steps should be taken to inform the Committees of the work of the Ministry and to interest them in the various phases of its work.
This could be done primarily by visits of the Parliamentary Secretary or even on important occasions of the Minister himself to special meetings of Regional Advisory Committees.
(d) The staff of the R.A.D. should be reorganised so as to provide a special section responsible for Committees. Attached
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- 4 -to this section there should be two or three outside organisers, who would visit Regions where Committees were proving to be difficult or needed special attention.
(e) Meetings of Chairmen and Secretaries of Committees should be arranged periodically to be addressed by the Regional Commissioner, the Member of Parliament or other appropriate authority. In this and in other ways the Member of Parliament should be brought more directly into touch with the work of the Committees.
(f) If Committees continue to be recalcitrant (there were only a few which were difficult), these should be allowed to die, or should be amalgamated with other better Committees.
The object of all these steps would be to secure that the Committees were loyal to the Minister and would support the work of the Ministry.
It was pointed out that there was great difficulty in exercising effective control over such a large number of committees, and the Minister expressed his feeling that possibly the Regional Advisory Committees would be sufficient of themselves. The Minister left the meeting at this point, and discussion proceeded about the difficulties from the political element in the Local Information Committees. It was agreed that suggestions made by the Parliamentary Secretary should be incorporated in the Guide Book. There was a consensus of opinion that policy must be laid down firmly by the Ministry, whilst the Regions were given a fairly free rein. It was agreed that further consideration would be required on how to put this view into effect, and it was agreed that as a first step Mr. Macadam should consult the R.I.Os. and make definite recommendations about the number of Committees which he felt it essential to retain. There would be further discussion with the Regional Information Officers at their forthcoming meeting.
(e) It was agreed that the Parliamentary Secretary's suggestions for dealing with the situation on the M.P's. veto should be examined. The situation should be described at the Regional Information Officers’ meeting and the proposal for panels of speakers should be discussed.
