SECRET
OVERSEAS BUREAUX OF THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION.
For discussion at Policy Committee, 10th July, 1940.
I. MIDDLE EAST.
A.
SITE.
Cairo is proposed. Capetown and other places have been suggested, but so long as Cairo remains tenable as a seat of civilian administration, and so long as its main air and telegraph communications remain open, it possesses overriding qualifications. If Cairo became impossible, the bureau would have to be split, its Middle-Eastern activities being conducted from, say, Aden or Jerusalem, its African activities from Capetown, and its Indian, Far Eastern and Australasian activities from Bombay. For this reason, it is important that the bureau should be organised in sections.
B.
FUNCTIONS, STATUS AND RELATIONS.
The function of the bureau will be to discharge such parts of the work of the Ministry of Information as can be decentralised, for those areas which can be more readily reached from the regional centre than from headquarters. Generally speaking, these areas include the Middle East, Italy, the Balkans, East and South Central Africa, the Indian Ocean, West Africa if the trans-Africa air link is re-opened, the Union of South Africa, India, Ceylon, Burma, Malaya, and, for certain purposes, Australia and New Zealand. The control of policy must remain with the Ministry's headquarters, but the bureau should operate with a good deal of independence within its own sphere, particularly in regard to material about the forces and fighting in the Middle East. The functions now discharged by the Publicity Office at Cairo would fall under the larger bureau.
As regards publicity policy the Director of the bureau would be responsible to the Director-General. The bureau, however, would be under the local jurisdiction of H.M. Ambassador. In particular, the director would accept instructions from the Ambassador regarding publicity in Egypt and the Sudan.
The director of the bureau should have the status in the Ministry of divisional director.
C.
OPERATIONS
.
1.
Censorship.
In the security censorship of material emanating locally, the bureau should operate under rules agreed with the Officers Commanding the British forces in the area, and with the continuous advice of their representatives. These naval, military, and air advisers should also act as liaison officers with the Commands for all publicity purposes.
2.
News and “Guidance”
. The bureau would issue news relating to British affairs in the Middle Eastern zone, and give “guidance” on all British matters to the local press and radio. In addition, the bureau would be a focal point for distributing guidance and confidential news, emanating from London or from other points outside its own immediate area, to the extent to which the state of communications made this desirable.
3.
Radio.
The bureau would take time on the Egyptian State Broadcasting station, and maintain relations with broadcasting authorities elsewhere. It would supply, use and re-distribute recorded broadcast material.
4.
Press Articles
. The Cairo bureau should be well equipped for the production and editing of articles. Three sources are open. (a) Cabling from headquarters (b) Local talent, including officers of the bureau and press men or broadcasters attached to the forces, and (c) written in other parts of the bureau's field, for instance India and East Africa.
5.
Books, pamphlets and leaflets.
Subject to the paper question, Cairo is well equipped to produce gravure and other printed material, from text and pictures locally produced or transmitted from headquarters.
6.
Posters, Advertising, etc.
Save for any special series of posters which it might be convenient to print in Cairo and distribute from there, operations, under this head would usually be for local purposes only.
7.
Photographs and Films.
Already the Publicity Office at Cairo is distributing, on behalf of the Ministry, photographs and films, produced with the forces in the Middle East. The official photographers ought to be attached to the bureau itself, and the latter should, act as a clearing house over its whole field for photographs and films from places such as India or Kenya
D.
PERSONNEL.
The nature and size of the personnel are dictated by the above considerations. Apart from the Director, there should be section heads responsible respectively for publicity in (i) Europe (ii) Egypt and Middle East (iii) India, Burma, Ceylon and Malaya (iv) Africa and other British territories. There would also have to be specialist officers of standing to deal with (i) Films and Photographs (ii) Printing and press material.
II.
NORTH AMERICA
.
A.
SITE.
The question whether the proposed North American bureau should be located in the United States, with a branch in Canada, or in Canada with a branch in the United States, depends mainly upon the decisions taken as to the future of British propaganda in the latter country. In this paper it is assumed that the main office will be in Canada. Ottawa is indicated as its site, being the seat of Government, but Toronto is preferable on grounds of communications, availability of printing and other equipment etc.
B.
FUNCTIONS, STATUS AND RELATIONS.
The Toronto bureau would have three main functions: (i) to stand in reserve as a separate “brain” of the Ministry, ready to operate as an initiating and distributing point for all kinds of propaganda in North America, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Colonies and the West Indies if circumstances should require this; (ii) to serve the same area, with the addition, perhaps of South Africa and possibly other parts of the African continent, with printed propaganda material and with other material (such as films) which may be more readily produced in North America than in Great Britain; (iii) to organise and control certain propaganda activities in the United States which it is inadvisable to conduct overtly either from Great Britain or from an office in the United States.
The relations of the bureau with Ministry of Information headquarters would be similar to those proposed for the Cairo bureau. It would be subject to the U.K. High Commissioner for local discipline, and would form part of his official staff.
C.
OPERATIONS.
1.
Censorship.
The bureau would have no duties in this sphere.
2.
News and “Guidance”.
At the request of the Canadian Government, the bureau would disseminate news or guidance about Canadian affairs. It would also be a focal point for redistributing guidance and news from Great Britain or elsewhere to the extent to which the state of communications made this desirable.
3.
Radio.
The bureau would maintain relations with the B.B.C. (including possibly the purchase of broadcasting time) concerning the use of Canadian facilities for affecting United States opinion. Secondly, it would undertake certain covert activities, such as the guidance of commercial advertising firms which might sell recorded or live programmes to American advertisers, designed to spread material having propaganda value among American stations.
4.
Press Articles
. In this field the bureau's most effective work would doubtless be done through control or influence over commercial agencies (press or advertising which would adapt material approved or supplied by the bureau.
5.
Books, pamphlets and leaflets.
The paper question indicates the bureau as the organ for arranging the printing and distribution of printed material over a wide area. The “copy”, including pictures, would as a rule be supplied from headquarters by mail or cable, but the bureau should have power to originate, subject to general control of propaganda policy.
6.
Posters, Advertising etc.
The operations of the bureau under this head would be mainly confined to covert, and indirect activities such as those mentioned under “Press Articles”. But it would also print posters for Australasia and West Indies if this was desirable in order to avoid the double transport of paper.
7.
Photographs and Films.
The bureau would keep an influential watch upon the distribution of news photographs and films through commercial channels. It would also represent the Ministry in regard to the production of films in North America, whether made by British or American concerns.
