SECRET
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Friday, 3rd January, 1941

Present :

D.G.

D.D.G.

Sir Maurice Peterson

Lord Davidson

Sir Kenneth Clark

Mr. Radcliffe

Mr. Fraser

Mr. Wellington

Mr. Gates

Mr. Waddell (Secretary)

1. The minutes of the meeting of January 1st were approved, subject to the amendment of minute No. 2 which had been circulated.

2. CONSTITUTION OF THE POLICY COMMITTEE

[With copy of encl.]

The D.G. read a note (copy attached) describing the composition and business for the Policy Committee and for the Executive Board. This note was approved, and the Secretary was instructed to see that the Agenda, minutes and papers for both meetings were circulated to all Controllers and Principal Assistant Secretaries. He was also instructed to see that minutes and papers for both meetings were marked “Secret”.

3. PRESS SUMMARIES

After discussion on the use at present made of the summaries and memoranda prepared by the Home Press Summaries Section, it was agreed that each Controller should consider how far they were useful to the members of his Department, and should report to the Committee his views on the continuance of both summaries and memoranda. The matter would be put on the Agenda in a week's time. One point to be borne in mind would be that in all likelihood the officers who at present have a full supply of daily papers or ought to have a full supply are the officers who find the summaries useful; it might be to their advantage to drop the use of the summaries and concentrate on reading the papers. The Board was to be supplied with a list of those who receive the Daily Papers.

[I/97/6]

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4. GUIDANCE FROM CHIEFS OF STATE

The D.G. referred to correspondence he had had with General Ismay arising out of the Ministry's need for guidance on likely trends in military operations, etc., and gave the Committee the answers to a number of points. It was agreed that contact with General Ismay on points of this sort would be extremely helpful to the Board, and the D.G. said that if the Duty Room had problems to which they could not get adequate answers elsewhere, he would be willing to approach General Ismay. He promised to give Mr. Radcliffe General Ismay's answers on the points which had been mentioned. They were not for communication to Duty Room but for Mr. Radcliffe's personal guidance.

5. REPRESENTATION ON INTERDEPARTMENTAL AND OTHER COMMITTEES

The D.G. raised the question whether we had representation on all the Committees on which we ought to be represented, and whether our representation where we had it was adequate. It was agreed that the D.D.G. should circularise the Department on the point, and the answers should be summarised and brought before the Board.

[A/437]

6. In answer to a question by Mr. Wellington, Sir Maurice Peterson explained that the Foreign Office hoped not to have to continue the Luxemburg National Anthem in the B.B.C. Sunday night programmes; he thought that Mr. Harvey would already have the final answer.