POLICY COMMITTEE
Thursday, 25th June 1941

Displays of Photographs to stimulate Production and Morale

The subject of Mr. Francis's paper was discussed at Executive Planning Committee on Monday. the minute is as follows:

Exhibition of Photographs in Factories

Director, Photographs reported a request from the Industrial Publicity Committee that Photographs Division should supply the Committee with the photographs which it needed to stimulate production in factories. He pointed out that, though the Industrial Publicity Committee proposed to include a category of “photographs of general news interest”, they would otherwise determine the choice of photographs themselves, leaving the Ministry in the position of a mere Agency. On the other hand, it would be very difficult to justify the establishment of an organisation in the Ministry to do this work when the Committee was capable of handling it, and indeed alone possessed the knowledge necessary to distribute the technical photographs.

The Sub-Committee felt that it was important to distinguish clearly between distribution and export advice, which might well be provided by the I.P.C., and general selection which could not be granted without the Ministry considering another part of its control of publicity. Agreed that the issue was too closely bound up with more general considerations to make an answer possible and that the Director, Photographs, should temporise with the I.P.C.”.

Since this decision was taken a new application has come in from the Ministry of Mines. It is on the same lines as that put forward by the Ministry of Supply. Mr. Francis considers it is no longer possible for us to defer a decision. As a question of principle is involved, I would therefore ask the Policy Committee to give the matter their consideration.

K.C.

25.6.41.