SECRET
EXECUTIVE BOARD.
Tuesday, 3rd June, 1941

Present:

D.G.

D.D.G.

P.S.

Lord Davidson

Sir Kenneth Clark

Mr. Radcliffe

Mr. Bamford

Mr. Ryan

Mr. Waddell (Secretary)

1. The minutes of the meeting on 30th May were taken as read and approved

2. MINISTRY OF INFOMATION EXPENDITURE (See minutes of Meeting on 30th May)

The discussion of telegrams and press advertising was resumed and it was agreed that Mr. Bamford should raise with the Empire Division and Mr. Stevens’ Department the question whether the rate of expenditure on telegrams could he reduced. It was agreed also that Mr. Bamford should prepare in consultation with Lord Davidson the draft of an official letter to the Treasury representing the undesirability of press advertising as a medium for many of the messages Government Departments wished to convey to the public; the draft should be shown to Sir Kenneth Clark and brought before the Board before despatch. In the course of discussion, strong disapproval was expressed for the position in which the Ministry found itself in regard to press advertising; the Ministry had responsibility, but had in effect very little control.

3. B.B.C. HOME NEWS.

[B/82]

The D.G. referred to complaints and criticisms which had recently been brought forward about the presentation of B.B.C. news. In the discussion which followed the Parliamentary Secretary said he would like to distinguish clearly in the news bulletins between actual news, such as communiqués, etc. and news stories, such as those put out by the Air Ministry; and Sir Kenneth Clark suggested that it would assist matters from the Ministry's point of view if in the B.B.C. there were 98 -2-a Committee, say of three persons, one of whom would, be responsible for home news bulletins at any given time of the day. Reference was also made to the fact that the Overseas News bulletins of the B.B.C. were considerably better than the Home News. This was understood to be chiefly due to the fact that the Home News sub-editors had to check back with Service Departments each item of news and were obliged to place a high premium on accuracy. This very naturally contributed to delay and tended to reduce the interest of the bulletins.

In the discussion on these suggestions it was felt that while each of them might contribute to some improvement, the difficulty of the B.B.C. in compiling a satisfactory bulletin was that the Ministry had no authority to give final answers on questions affecting news. The Ministry was regarded as having responsibility but had, in fact, very little power to say whether or not particular items should be included.

4. MAN-POWER

The D. G. referred to a circular to all Departments asking for the staff requirements of Departments to be reduced to the minimum. He felt that comparatively little could be done in the Ministry in this respect, but asked that Controllers should, in considering whether or not to undertake a particular job, take into account how far the staff involved in performing it might be better employed in other ways.

[A/218]

5. WAR DIARY .

Subject to the amendment of the last sentence of the item relating to Reuters to read as below, the Parliamentary Secretary's draft for the week ended 24th May was approved:

“It was felt by the Chancellor that provided this interest was shared by the N.P.A. generally and not held by certain individual Press Lords, an improvement would be effected in Reuters and the Exchequer would be spared the expense and trouble of having to take over the concern themselves’’.

Subject to the deletion of the reference to the A.T.S. Recruiting Campaign, the draft list of items for the week ending 31st May was approved.