330 331 - 2 -

SECRET
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Wednesday, 26th February, 1941 .

Present:

D.G.

D.D.G.

Sir Maurice Peterson

Lord Davidson

Sir Kenneth Clark

Mr. Radcliffe

Mr. Fraser

Mr. Wellington

Mr. Gates

Mr. Bamford

Mr. Wiltshire

Mr. Hodson

Mr. Waddell (Secretary)

1. The Minutes of the meeting on the 25th February were taken as read and approved.

2. EMPIRE PRESS RATE: CABLE AND WIRELESS

Mr. Bamford explained that this matter had been brought before the Board because of the difference of view between different sections within the Ministry about the policy of a penny a word rate for background press material within the Empire. He felt that the Ministry's course should be to agree upon a policy and to make any necessary representation to the other interested Departments and to the Imperial Communications Advisory Committee before any commitment was undertaken to members of the Empire Press or other parties. This must in fact be our course on all questions of Imperial communications since the Ministry was not a Ministry of Communications; on the particular question of an Empire Press Rate at a 1d. a word he himself was convinced that introduction of such a rate would be impossible because it would involve a considerable subsidy to Cable and Wireless Limited which had always been intended by the Government to be financially self-supporting.

[RC/47/14.]

Mr. Hodson agreed with the procedure indicated by Mr. Bamford for bringing to proper notice the Ministry's policy.

[RC/47/34.]

Mr. Radcliffe said he thought the pressure brought by Empire Pressmen on the Ministry on the question of a 1d. a word rate was only one aspect of the growing discontent among the Empire Press with the service provided by Cable and Wireless.

He said that Mr. Edmondson would be reporting further on the matter the following week, and it was agreed that this report should be shown to Mr. Wiltshire and then brought before the Executive Board. Mr. Wiltshire referred to enquiries which had been made in the past as to the faults of the Cable and Wireless service, and said he doubted whether further approaches on his own level to the G.P.O. or through the G.P.O. to Cable and Wireless would be successful.

[RC/47/15.]

It was agreed that Mr. Radcliffe should see Mr. Douglas with a view to securing from him more up to date evidence of shortcomings in the Cable and Wireless service which could be taken up with the proper authorities. The D.G. said that he would mention this discussion to the Minister and it was agreed that, pending further discussion no steps should be taken to advance the proposal for 1d. a word background rate.

3. DELAY IN TRANSMISSION OF PROPAGANDA MATERIAL

Lord Davidson referred to instances which had come to his knowledge of material prepared in his Division and despatched through the shipping companies reaching its destination long before official propaganda. The D.D.G. suggested that the element of chance entered very largely into the question, and it was agreed that with a view to considering whether a small Committee might be established to examine the question the D.G. should discuss it with the D.D.G. and Lord Davidson.

[CR/125.]