POLICY COMMITTEE

Since the foregoing paper was drafted I have received a number of minutes from the Regional Administration Division describing the propaganda addressed to women through their organisation. I take leave to summarise these as an appendix to the main paper:

No campaign aimed at the general morale of women has been initiated, but R.I.O.’s have taken care to present general publicity in a way likely to appeal especially to women. Regional Advisory and Information Committees include representatives of women's interests; and the political representatives on these Committees are frequently women. Co-operation has been established with 53 National Voluntary Societies which deal exclusively with women, and a comprehensive mailing list of the leading officials of all the main women's Societies has been built up.

Of the meetings held in 1940, 1,727 were meetings of Women's organisations (women's Institutes, W.V.S., Townswomen’s Guilds etc.) and 847 were of organisations mainly attended by women. Many of the film shows organised by the R.I.Os are given to audiences of women.

Publicity to encourage recruiting to women's services also aims at maintaining the general morale of women. Of the more important and more permanent campaigns with which R.I.O.s have been concerned, evacuation and billeting have naturally been conducted mainly with an eye on the women's point of view. The Regions Adviser in her tours of the Regions makes a point of investigating the general state of feeling among women, and the steps which are being taken to provide them with information and encouragement.

(Initialled) K.C.

22.1.41.