It had been agreed that a full monthly Intelligence Report and a fortnightly Progress Report shall be submitted by R.I.Os. Information contained in these reports is to be collected under certain headings, but it is specifically stated that the report should contain only information provided spontaneously. No attempt is to be made to prompt or seek information. When the Regional Committees are set up an additional source of information will be naturally available to R.I.Os. The Regional Press Officer will make a close study of the provincial press and there will be a continuous supply of routine observations e.g. public meeting reactions, news from voluntary societies, facts about political party activities, reports of consultations with Regional Commissioners, etc.
It must be appreciated that Regional reports will mainly provide a record of past activities and information. Regional machinery is not one which can be put into operation at great speed.
2.
Other Government Departments
Several Government Departments have established Intelligence sections and a close liaison will be kept with these departments on all matters affecting departmental problems. In the main, however, the Intelligence services of Government Departments provide fairly technical information, e.g. the crop reporters of the Ministry of Agriculture. More important to the Ministry of Information are the contacts with public opinion in their own field, which most Government Departments maintain by means of their Public Relations Officers.
3.
B.B.C
.
The B.B.C. have an established Listener Research organisation with which close liaison will be maintained. Any special enquiries conducted by Listener Research are likely to provide some material of interest to us, e.g. the investigation into German wireless propaganda on the home front. By close collaboration there is no doubt that B.B.C. enquiries could be of direct use to us.
4.
The Press
The present system of Cuttings and Summaries (both of the local and provincial press) should be supplemented by personal contacts with editors and writers, and with friendly access to unpublished information. This is mainly a metropolitan problem since R.I.Os. have close liaison with the local press.
5.
The Voluntary Bodies
Branch Pour is already in close contact with the Voluntary Societies and their agency is sought in distributing Ministry literature. In the Regions Voluntary bodies will be well represented on local committees. Direct contact with the
headquarters
of Voluntary Societies should nevertheless be maintained.
6.
Trades Unions
and Other Working-Class Organisations.
Contacts with working-class organisations are extremely weak. This is partly due to the fact that official relationships with Transport House have not been consistent. Formerly weekly reports from the Ministry of Labour provided contacts with Labour Circulation machinery. It is urgently important to set up Intelligence in the field of working- class interests - Trades Unions, welfare organisations, Citizens Advice Bureaux, House Property Managers, etc.
7.
Postal Censorship
Postal Censorship have issued two reports on Home Morale (November and December). These reports analyse under
232
-3-special headings public opinion on the Home Front as expressed in outgoing mail (excluding, of course, Empire and America). The information contained in these reports can only be seen in proper perspective when allied with a wide field of Home Intelligence reports.
8.
M.I.7
M.I.7 are in the habit or producing weekly reports on morale, mainly for circulation within the War Office. They are glad to put at our disposal any material which impinges on our field.
9.
Cinema Audience Reaction
Negotiations were begun with Odeon Theatres (and could be continued with other groups as well) in which reports of cinema managers on News Reels and propaganda documentaries were to be collected. These negotiations should he reopened.
10.
Women's Organisations
Reports were submitted by a large group of Women's Organisations in September-October. These have been discontinued but on a fresh basis of usefulness contacts should be re-established.
11.
The Churches
General information can be received through the medium of Religions Department.
12.
Public meetings
.
Reactions at public meetings, both indoors and out should be observed and recorded.
13.
Direct Correspondence
Great care must be taken in the use of material provided by personal contacts and direct correspondence. A service of this kind is seen in perspective in relation to information from other sources. Freedom to call for special reports is, however, desirable.
14.
Physical and Mental Health Records
As a basis for morale studies it is considered highly desirable to maintain a register of information on the state of public health. Apart from physical health, on which there is information from the Ministry of Health, a study of psychological health is necessary. A report submitted by Dr. Stephen Taylor indicates a method by which this could be assessed. The importance of this basic information is stressed by Professor Bartlett in his letter on the general psychology of the working population in war-time.
