142 143 - 2 -

SECRET
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Friday, 4th July, 1941

Present:

D.G.

D.D.G.

P.S.

Lord Davidson

Sir Kenneth Clark

Mr. Radcliffe

Mr. Bamford

Mr. Gates

Lord Mood

Mr. Waddell (Secretary)

1. The minutes of the meeting on 1st July were taken as read and approved.

2. ANTI-GOSSIP CAMPAIGN

Lord Davidson reported that we could expect to receive further representations from the Service Departments about the need for a general campaign against careless talk; it was agreed, however, that there was at present no reason for revising the decision taken at the meeting on 27th June.

[6P]

3. INTERPRETATION OF AMERICA IN THIS COUNTRY

Sir Kenneth Clark referred to the work being done by a Committee consisting of himself with Dame Rachel Crowdy and Mr. Hamish Hamilton and asked whether it could be given executive authority for proposals not involving finance. It was agreed that the work done in this respect should be discussed with Sir Gerald Campbell before a decision was reached.

[AM/303]

4. VISIT OF MR. ELMHURST TO AMRICA

The Parliamentary Secretary referred to disapproval which had been expressed by the Minister of Agriculture of a proposal supported by the Ambassador and the Foreign Office that Mr. Elmhurst should revisit America on the invitation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It was agreed that as the question was principally a matter of the propaganda value of his work the Ministry should have the final word.

[AM/32/108]

5. POLICY OF THE MINISTRY FOLLOWING STATEMENT IN THE HOUSE 3.7.41.

The steps required on the part of the Ministry to put into effect the ruling of the Cabinet were discussed on the following lines:

(a) Arrangements for Intake of News. It was agreed that Lord [illegible] should draft letters for the Minister to send to the Service Ministry and the Foreign Secretary asking them how they would propose to implement the obligation laid upon them to ensure that the Ministry was kept fully informed and asking the names of the officers who would be appointed to serve in each case in the Ministry and in the other Department concerned. Reference would be made to the intention of the Ministry to set up a new organisation to deal with the work arising; but no reference need be made to the undefined functions of the new officers or other officers in regard to censorship.

(b) Organisation in the Ministry to Deal with Intake of News. It was agreed that at least one meeting a day of the Duty Room or a similar Committee would be necessary but that the functional control of news would have to be done through Controllers attending meetings of the Executive Board. A representative of the B.B.C. or a person whose directions to the B.B.C. would be accepted would have to attend meetings of the Board. Mr. Radcliffe said he was asking for suggestions about the future working of Duty Room from the senior members of the present Committee.

(c) Position of B.B.C. It was agreed that before effective steps could be taken through the Executive Board in regard to the B.B.C. it would be necessary for the functions of the B.B.C. Advisers to be defined. It was agreed that the Minister should be advised that since the Ministry was generally recognised as having responsibility for the B.B.C. we should take steps to ensure that over the whole field of the B.B.C's operations directions from the Ministry would be observed although it might not be necessary for the Ministry to issue directions over some part of the field. It would have to be made clear that the Director General of the B.B.C. should be responsible not only to the Minister but to the D.G.

[X/66]

(d) Public Relations Officers. In the absence of clear definition in the Cabinet statement it was agreed that a meeting of Public Relations Officers should be convened at once at which the Minister would take the chair and explain the view taken by the Ministry of the future workings of the various committees for which the Ministry was to supply chairmen.

[X/89/3]

(e) Foreign Propaganda . It was agreed that the Cabinet conclusion placing on the Ministry the responsibility for the execution of propaganda policy abroad should be implemented by all the means at the Ministry's disposal, including business contacts, etc; and that meanwhile the reorganisation of the Ministry's Overseas Department under one Controller should proceed on a geographical basis. It would not, however, be intended that the Empire Division should be split geographically.