SECRET
POLICY COMMITTEE
5th August 1940

Present:

Minister

D.G.

D.D.G.

D.S.

P.S.

Sir Maurice Peterson

Mr. Kirkpatrick

Mr. Peake

P.P.S.

Mr. Macgregor

Mr. Gates

Mr. Wiltshire (Secretary)

Mr. Ryan

Mr. Ogilvie

Mr. Valentine Williams

Mr. Willert

1. SUGGESTED WITHDRAWAL OF REGULATION 39PA

The paper circulated was considered. In answer to the Minister, the Director General explained that the Home Office had been anxious to have an Order in the form of 39BA and had actually added the words “alarm and despondency” themselves. The Deputy Secretary thought that the Regulation was objectionable because it alone among all the war time regulations had envisaged and implied defeat and so undermined the belief in invincibility, which was one of our strongest weapons. Mr. Gates said that he thought that two points had arisen. Firstly, that the Director of Public Prosecutions, without whose consent no prosecution could be undertaken, had not exercised due discretion, and secondly the local magistrates had given exaggerated sentences. After discussion it was decided that there should be a conference with the Home Office which the Director General, the Deputy Secretary and the Deputy Director General should attend, and at which the view should be put before the Home Office that it would be a mistake to withdraw the Regulation; and that the Director of Public Prosecutions should be invited to give his consent only in cases which were of a serious character; and that Mr. Mander should be told of the action which had been taken in the hope that he would withdraw his Motion.

2. PROPAGANDA IN EIRE

The paper circulated was considered. Sir Maurice Peterson suggested that it might be possible for someone to be appointed to Sir John Maffey's staff, whose duty it would be to correspond with the Ministry of Information. In the discussion which followed it was generally felt that our present relations with Eire were such that it was extremely undesirable to risk any disturbance by sending anyone in an official capacity. It was mentioned that there had been a suggestion that Edward Ward should go across from the B.B.C. and that Sir John Maffey had not been anxious for him to do so, although he had in another connection expressed himself ready to agree to visits from persons from England if those visits were supported by the Ministry of Information. Mr. Ogilvie referred to the second paragraph of page 2 of the memorandum and thought that there were serious dangers in adopting the attitude that we could excuse ourselves from responsibility for partition. He thought this would arouse the antagonism of both sides. Moreover, he thought it dangerous to stress the defensive unity of Ireland and the necessity of not obstructing 322 its political unity. The Minister thought it desirable to leave well alone and that no action should be taken to appoint anyone to Sir John Maffey's staff, nor would we make special efforts to obtain more exit permits unless individual cases required it. Mr. Valentine Williams said he thought that propaganda by news reels was probably very important and unobjectionable. He believed that these would get through when other forms of propaganda would be refused.