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EXECUTIVE BOARD
Saturday, 30th August, 1941

Present :

D.G.

D.D.G.

Mr. Bamford

Mr. Francis Williams

Sir Victor Schuster

Mr. Gates

Mr. Ryan

Mr. Kirkpatrick

Admiral Carpendale

General Tripp

Colonel Treadwell

Mr. Ridsdale

Mr. McIver

Mr. Waddell (Secretary)

1. The Service Advisers reported on the day's news and then left the meeting.

2. The minutes of the meeting on 29th August were taken as read and approved.

3. TOM HARRISON

[A/82/78]

The D.D.G. referred to the value of Harrison's services, and pointed out that from October onwards the Ministry would be unable to claim deferment for him on the ground of his work in Mass Observation. Mr. Kirkpatrick promised to enquire about his usefulness to the B.B.C., and Mr. Bamford said he would ascertain the legal position from Communications Division.

4. B.B.C. ADMINISTRATION

Mr. Bamford promised to discuss with the D.G. on Tuesday morning questions concerning B.B.C. administration.

5. COLONIAL OFFICE POLICY

Mr. Bamford referred to the Colonial Office project for publicising the Colonies in this country and abroad. It was agreed that he should accept an invitation he had received to represent the Ministry at a meeting and that he should make clear that control of films and broadcasting was to be regarded as the business of the Ministry; it 206 - 2 -would, of course, be intended that the Ministry should give every assistance within its power in carrying out the policy of the Colonial Office. It was emphasised that there would be nothing to prevent the B.B.C. seeking information and background material from the Colonial Office, but the commissioning of programmes etc. should come only through the Ministry.

6. SPY STORIES

Mr. Francis Williams said that the Swinton Committee had accepted an arrangement whereby the Home Office or War Office would supply to the Ministry a week before publication, details of spy stories. If he had any point to raise Brigadier Harker would be willing to discuss it with him.

1. Official letters coming to the Ministry are addressed to “the Director-General” but the correct disposal of the great majority of them (as distinct from letters addressed to Sir Walter Monckton by name) is for the Registry to send them with previous papers, if any, to the Division primarily concerned.

2. The Registrar is responsible that exceptional official letters on matters of great urgency or importance are brought to the immediate notice of the D.G., the D.D.G., or a Controller concerned, before being otherwise circulated.

3. A Director reporting on an official letter does so to his Controller. The Controller is competent to send an official reply, and it is in his discretion whether the matter should be referred to the D.D.G., his in turn whether it should go to the D.G., and his in turn whether it should go to the Minister.

4. Similarly in matters originating within the office a section officer minutes or reports verbally to his section head, the section head to the Director of the Division, the Director to his Controller and so on. Each must exercise his discretion (within the instructions he has received from higher authority) as to how much business he is competent to dispose of finally and how much he should refer higher. The practice of relatively junior officers reporting or minuting direct to the Director-General or the Minister, or sending copies to them, or prescribing a circulation including them, must cease.

5. This filtering process, if properly carried out from the bottom to the top of the office, ensures

(a) the quick despatch of easy and non-controversial business on the lower levels,

(b) a sense of responsibility commensurate with their position in all officers even the most junior, whereby they are encouraged to feel that they are vital parts of the Ministry and are trained for promotion,

(c) the freeing of senior officers from contact with less important matters and masses of detail, so that they can apply their time and their minds adequately to the more important work for which they are appointed.

6. Efficiently and sensibly used the filtering process is a time-saver and not a time-waster. There are, of course, occasions when short-circuiting is called for, but officers trained to responsibility and to definition of it will be the quickest to spot such occasions and to act wisely. A general habit of short-circuiting can only result in senior officers having to give snap decisions on inadequate information or having to collect for themselves the information which ought to have been made available to them by their subordinates in the ordinary course of business.

7. Emergency short-circuiting is no more than the principle that “The King's Government must be carried on”. Every officer confronted with public business which is beyond his competence to deal with has the normal duty of referring it to higher authority clearly, concisely, and speedily. If, however, it is a matter of great urgency he has an additional duty to see that the reference actually reaches higher authority quickly, and therefore if his immediate superior is not available he must go higher until he finds a senior officer to accept responsibility. If he cannot succeed within the time available he must deal with the business to the best of his ability on his own responsibility. Subsequently he should report the exceptional procedure and his reasons for it to his immediate superior. The King's Government must be carried on and anything bona fide and reasonably done to that end will be supported but the subsequent report of exceptional action is the check on irresponsibility, misguided haste, and personal arrogance.

8. A senior officer may, of course, give instructions or minute direct to anyone below him in the chain of command, and in that case the junior may reply or report direct. This is a normal and convenient time-saving practice as long as it is confined to routine instructions and the elucidation of facts. Sooner or later it crosses the wires if 209 - 3 -it is extended to matters involving policy, and the senior officer himself suffers by being inadequately briefed. A junior officer who is thereby put in an embarrassing position may protect himself by reporting or minuting back through his immediate superior instead of direct.

9. Cross-minuting, as between Controllerships, Divisions, and sections, is a matter of common-sense, convenience, and good-will. It is highly desirable that as much as possible of a factual character should be agreed, and as, much as possible of a non-controversial character should be settled, on the lower levels, otherwise business involving more than one aspect in the Ministry is delayed and senior officers are encumbered with unimportant detail. Grade should deal with grade as far as it is possible to do so until a difference is disclosed which can only be settled by higher authority. Once such a difference is disclosed each side should refer to its own superior. A senior officer giving instructions to a junior not in his chain of command, or a junior seeking support against his own immediate superior from a senior officer outside his particular chain, is merely looking for trouble.

10. Private Secretaries and Personal Assistants are not in the chain of command. They cannot be instructed except by their own chiefs, and on the other hand they cannot give orders except in the name of their chiefs. It is their responsibility that they correctly interpret the mind of their chiefs.

11. The general effect of the methods by which public business is conducted is that an officer going outside his authority is probably blamed more severely than he would be in private business, irrespective of the actual harm done. This is because the whole fabric of government, legal and political, depends on the precise definition of authority. On the other hand anyone bone fide acting within the ambit of his duty will be supported officially, irrespective of the consequences or the personal views of his superiors, so that, properly understood and properly administered, the system encourages initiative and enthusiasm in individual officers more than private industry usually does for comparable grades, as long as the initiative and enthusiasm is canalised in the job 210 - 4 -the officer is employed to do.

12. It may be noticed also that when properly understood and properly administered the “passed-to-you” system of the public service lends no support to dilatoriness or the avoidance of responsibility. On the contrary it is intended to avoid those evils by fixing responsibility at every stage for delay and indecision, and providing a system in which any public business can be dealt with on adequate information by a competent officer at the earliest time at which it is ripe for action.