SECRET
EXECUTIVE BOARD
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4nd, 1943.

PRESENT:

The Parliamentary Secretary

Mr. Francis Williams

Mr. Gates

Mr. Grubb

Mr. Royds

Mr. Cruikshank

Mr. Grisewood

Mr. Ryan

Commander McLeod

Brigadier Neville

Admiral Carpendale

Mr. Lyne

Mr. Carter

1. REPORTS FROM SERVICE ADVISERS .

2. CARELESS MONITORING.

[RC/51/34]

Mr. Ryan drew attention to the inaccurate reports carried by most morning papers of the alleged confusion in connection with a broadcast by Dr. Goebbels yesterday. He explained that these all derived from Reuter and that, although the B.B.C. Monitoring Service had pointed out the confusion to Reuter, this presumably had been too late for the morning press. The Board was concerned at the repercussions which wild stories of this kind would have on the credibility of the British press and the principal British overseas agency; and Mr. Francis Williams undertook, on receipt of a memorandum on yesterday's incident from Mr. Ryan, to circulate guidance to editors reminding them that the official Monitoring Service was always available on application to the Ministry, and encouraging them to rely on this rather than on amateur monitoring.

N. B . No Minutes were issued on Monday, February 1st, and there was no meeting of the Board on Wednesday, February 3rd.