IM
[19th September]

For discussion at Policy Committee.

B. B. C. Overseas Services Development .

1. In broadcasting, as in other theatres of war, we must plan to take the offensive. Great Britain was deficient in this arm, in respect of Overseas Services, when war began: efforts so far made to improve our position have proved to those responsible in this Ministry for broadcasting the urgent necessity for a forward looking plan, in which every hour of broadcasting time available to us must be made to serve the requirements of deliberate policy.

2. The course of the war has meantime either cut off entirely or greatly delayed other means of communication through which outgoing British propaganda might be conveyed overseas. Broadcast programmes have become, to Europe almost the sole, to all countries the most direct British medium of public communication.

3. The Axis powers began the war greatly superior to us in transmitter power; during its first year Germany has increased by 140% her long and medium-wave, and by 50% her short-wave broadcasting power. In occupied territories she has come into possession of stations carefully sited to serve the countries which erected them. Our medium-wave transmitting power is restricted, and our long-wave abandoned, in accordance with the synchronisation policy. But we are urgently adding to our short-wave power, which must in any case be our means of communication with all countries except our nearest neighbours. Eight short-wave transmitters have been ordered, one a pre-war order by the B.B.C., 7 at H.M.G's expense. Three are already installed, and with the completion of this programme we hope to achieve parity with the enemy in short-wave power by the end of 1940. In our comprehensive plan for Overseas broadcasting, co-ordination with other stations in the Empire must have a place, not only to use our transmitting power to. the full, but to ensure the continuation of a British Overseas service in the event of damage to transmitters in this country.

4. The keystone of our policy for a comprehensive Overseas Service must be the specialisation of each programme for the audience it serves. The B.B.C. Overseas Service has consisted to a now dangerous extent of recordings of broadcasts devised for listeners in this country. If our Overseas broadcasting is to be a weapon of propaganda, it must be framed of original material specially chosen in accordance with our propaganda plan in respect of the country addressed: it must be presented in a way appropriate to its audience. Radio is a guest in the house, and a guest who can be turned out in the fraction of time it takes to turn a knob: in many countries our programmes have to contend with interference and with penalties for listening to foreign broadcasts. Broadcasts to each country must include every variety of programme which can carry propaganda: In our use of different kinds of programmes for propaganda appeal we are already ahead of the Germans.

5. An organisation chart to carry out this plan for an Overseas Service attached is (Appendix I.A) It has been planned to secure the appropriate specialisation of services directed to different zones or countries, either by means of programmes specially produced, or by experienced adaptation of material made available by the main Programme Division of the B.B.C.. B.B.C. specialised Overseas programme staff were largely dispersed at the outbreak of war; if we are to use broadcasting for our propaganda this deficiency must be urgently supplied. Engineering, recorded programmes and some administrative staff are also required for the working of the service.

6. Transmitter time now available has been reviewed and allotted to the four regional services (see Appendix I.A). When the first stages of the proposed development are in full operation, the Empire service will consist of 224 weekly programme hours - of which 16 1/4 will be occupied by recordings - the European 214 hours, the Latin American 20 and the Middle East Service 18. There will be no recorded programmes in the last three services.

Further development must wait until the new short-wave station at Rampisham (four transmitters) is completed late this year.

7. The foreign language news services have been built up to a considerable extent already: with regard to programmes, a start has been made with the most urgent part of the plan. This Ministry has obtained authority for a part restoration of the Latin-American programme, for an extension of Arabic transmissions, and for an extended French service. The North American service has begun on a small scale.

8 Plans have been made, and estimates drawn up, for the developments in the service which can be organised during this year. They include a full service to U.S.A. and Canada, expansion and increased specialisation in the European service, the building up of an Intelligence service on which the specialisation of programmes must, to a great extent, depend. The additional cost of these plans (para, 7 and 8) is summarised in Appendix I B.

9. Some further developments can be foreseen: they include a further Latin- American extension, a Russian Service, an expansion of the German Service and of programmes to the Middle East. Points for consideration are the possible increase of bulletins given in the small hours for the clandestine listener in occupied territory, and the production of specialised matter for rebroadcasting by Overseas broadcasting organisations. We cannot yet see what the final scope of the Overseas broadcasting service should be, but we should press on now with the creation of the organisation at present proposed, so that we may have at the earliest possible moment the instrument we need for broadcast propaganda.

Note. Appendix II outlines the principles of B.B.C. war-time finance.