170 171 - 2 -

SECRET
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Thursday 7th August, 1941

Present

D.G.

D.D.G.

P.S.

Sir Kenneth Clark

Mr. Bamford

Mr. Francis Williams

Mr. Gates

Lord Hood

Mr. Tree

Mr. Kirkpatrick

Colonel Heywood

General Tripp

Admiral Carpendale

Mr. McIver

Mr. Ridsdale

Mr. Waddell (Secretary)

1. The Minutes of the meeting on 6th August were taken as read and approved.

2. REPORTS BY SERVICE ADVISERS

General Tripp emphasised that little action had so far been taken in co-operation with the Russians off Finland.

Colonel Heywood promised to enquire about a story carried by the C.B.S. Moscow Correspondent about the Germans hanging Australians captured in Greece. He reported that he had been discussing a proposal that News Officers should be appointed to the staffs of each formation engaged on operations. These officers would not interfere in any way with the facilities available to War Correspondents and on this understanding the Board welcomed the proposal.

Admiral Carpendale referred to the serialisation in the ‘Daily Express’ of the story “Target for Tonight”. He said the Air Ministry had expected to be consulted and the D.G. promised to enquire how the arrangements had been made in the Ministry.

The Service Advisers and Mr. Ridsdale and Mr. McIver then left the Meeting.

3. “TARGET FOR TONIGHT”

It was agreed that the Ministry should regard itself as in charge of channels of distribution for any material such as that used in “Target for Tonight” and should not, unless some important alteration were proposed, accept an obligation to consult the Service Ministry concerned on each occasion. Reference was made, for example, to the use made in broadcasting of material prepared for the “Battle of Britain”.

4. MEETINGS

It was agreed that there need not normally be meetings of the Executive Board or of the Duty Room Committee on Sundays.

5. PRIME MINISTER'S JOURNEY

It was agreed that if possible the statement expected to be issued on Friday should come after the 9 o’ clock news and that if the Minister was seeing Lobby Correspondents the Meeting should take place on Friday morning when as much background material as possible could be passed on to them. Mr. Tree promised to see the Minister and make this suggestion.