SECRET
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Tuesday, 18th March, 1941

Present:

D.D.G.

P.S.

Sir Maurice Peterson

Lord Davidson

Sir Kenneth Clark

Mr. Wellington

Mr. Gates

Mr. Waddell (Secretary)

1. The minutes of the meeting on the 14th March were taken as read and approved.

2. BROADCASTS BY SERVING OFFICERS

The D.D.G. referred to the paper which had been prepared some four weeks previously on this subject. At that time the Board, in considering the situation brought about by the War Cabinet decision of 6th December, 1940, felt that some relaxation would be desirable. The Minister, however, had felt the time to be inopportune. It was understood that the D.G. had discussed the matter with the Minister the previous evening and the Minister's view was the paper should not be put forward at this stage.

[B/17/16]

3. PAPER ECONOMY (Minute No. 2 (2) of meeting on 25th February)

The D.D.G. referred to a report which had been prepared by Mr. Fraser before his resignation on the question of making the Ministry's publications a standard size. It was agreed that as the saving in paper would amount to only about five tons in an annual consumption of seventeen hundred tons it did not seem worthwhile to go to the considerable trouble of altering the sizes of publications.

[GP/39/244]

Reference was also made to the fact that in certain respects the Press themselves could be of some assistance in saving paper both for photographic and other purposes, and the D.D.G. mentioned the fact that on the visit of the Duke of Gloucester to the Ministry a few days before, two Press photographers who were present had taken some thirty or forty photographs, of which it seemed none had been published.