441

SECRET
EXECUTIVE BOARD
TUESDAY, MAY 11th, 1943.

PRESENT:

The Director General

The Parliamentary Secretary

The D.D.G.

Mr. Francis Williams

Mr. Gates

Mr. Grubb

Mr. Royds

Mr. Carter

Mr. Grisewood

Mr. Ryan

General Tripp

Major Sinclair

Admiral Carpendale

Mr. Lyne

1. REPORTS FROM SERVICE ADVISERS .

2. SECURITY OF DOCUMENTS .

[X/161]

The Chairman conveyed to the Board certain recommendations from the War Cabinet Offices for the strict maintenance of security in respect of secret information and secret documents in particular.

3. POLISH BOOKLET “FIRST TO FIGHT” .

[HP/254.T.F.I.]

Mr. Gates asked for guidance in replying to a request from the Polish Ministry of Information that the Ministry should distribute a thousand copies of a booklet entitled “First to Fight” to the Information Officers in the London region. This request was supported by the European Division, but Home Division had expressed doubts whether the innovation of using the Ministry's machinery to circulate the productions of Allied governments was not undesirable in itself and in this particular case also inopportune. Mr. Gates explained that the booklet, while reasonably tactful on Soviet-Polish issues, was strongly nationalistic in tone, and could not in his view be said to serve the proper purposes of the Ministry in any way. To circulate it therefore would be no more than the provision of the Ministry's facilities, and if this request were agreed to we might expect an embarrassing number of others. Mr. Grubb concurred.

The Chairman ruled that, as a general principle, the Ministry could only undertake to distribute in this way matter for which it accepted responsibility or which was sponsored by the Inter-Allied Committee, and that its machinery could not be placed at the disposal of individual Allies for the circulation of propaganda material. It was accordingly agreed that the present request should be answered in this sense.

4. LORD HAW-HAW.

[B/]

Mr. Ryan reported that the B.B.C. was proposing to include in a forthcoming programme a summary of Axis reactions to the Tunisian campaign, and enquired whether any objection could be taken to the inclusion in such a summary of quotations from Lord Haw-Haw. The Board concurred in his view that this broadcaster was now so thoroughly discredited that quotations could not be considered likely to increase his listening public; and it was agreed that there was no objection to including them.

N.B. No Minutes were issued yesterday, May 10th.