SECRET
Policy Committee
Thursday, 3rd April, 1941
RC 31/15

EAST COAST TRANSMITTER

In accordance with minute 2 of the Policy Committee of March 20, 1941, a Meeting of the Additional Transmitters Committee was held on March 31st. Members were specially asked to come prepared and authorised to commit their departments, and the question was put to the Committee in these terms:

“The conditions are different from what they were when the decision to abandon Halesworth was taken, and they may be expected to improve as regards British air power during the next 8 or 9 months. The Minister of Information is anxious to make some progress with this station, and in all the circumstances he proposes to proceed on the basis that Halesworth is now a justifiable risk unless (a) the advice of the Fighting Services is now definitely to the contrary or (b) there are any new and insuperable service objections to Halesworth which have arisen since it was first accepted.”

The Admiralty had no service objection. The War Office (Home Forces) had no service objection of their own and did not put the risk in terms which the Minister would not be entitled to regard as justifiable.

The Air Ministry representative said the Air Staff would not now consent to Halesworth since it would be an obstacle on the bomber path to Germany.

He suggested (on his own authority and without the previous concurrence of the Air Staff) that an alternative site could be found in the Caterham neighbourhood south of the Thames.

I invited the Committee to register a deadlock which would leave the Minister to put to the Cabinet the choice of three courses:

(a) to abandon the project altogether

(b) to decide on Brookmans Park and overrule the Post Office

(c) to decide on Halesworth and overrule the Air Ministry.

This commended itself to the Treasury representative and my colleagues in the Ministry, but Sir Noel Ashbridge felt that the Cabinet were not likely to make a quick decision and would merely refer the matter for further investigation. He, therefore, preferred to explore immediately the possibility 13 of a site south of the Thames.

It was, therefore, agreed that the Committee should adjourn, while

(i) the Air Ministry representative ascertained that the Air Staff would approve his suggestion.

(ii) the B.B.C., the Post Office and the Air Ministry representative then decided whether it was possible to reach agreement on such a site.

N.G.S.

April 2nd 1941.