POLICY COMMITTEE MINUTES [2nd meeting]

See A/273 - arrangements with Govt. Depts. for securing publicity

D.D.G.

Arising out of the meeting of the Policy Committee on the 26th January, the Minister stated that he had been advised not to proceed with a Memorandum setting out the part the Ministry were to play in the general co-ordination of propaganda,.

26.1.40

E.H.T.W

26.1.40

[illegible]

For maximum effect two things are needful:

(1) Co-ordination in and control by the Ministry of Information of all propaganda activity.

(2) Confidence and co-operation from other Ministers.

NOTE

It would be helpful to me if the War Cabinet would approve the following general propositions and give directions to other Departments to act upon them:

That the Minister of Information, is the Minister primarily responsible for the control and co-ordination of all propaganda and publicity, as opposed to news, in matters relating to the conduct of the War.

That as regards Departmental publicity, no Department should in future undertake a publicity campaign without having first consulted the Minister of Information.

That if it should be decided that a campaign ought to be conducted by a Department rather than by the Ministry of Information, the Minister of Information should nevertheless be responsible for co-ordinating the action of all Government Departments in such matters as the hiring of poster sites, negotiating terms for the commissioning or distribution 3 - 2 -of films.

That in order that the Minister may be aware of what action has been taken in the field of propaganda by other Departments, and in order to avoid overlapping, all Departments engaged on activities of this kind should forthwith inform the Ministry and the Treasury what they are doing and what expenditure they are incurring.