SECRET
EXECUTIVE BOARD
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9th, 1943.

PRESENT:

The Director General

The Parliamentary Secretary

The D.D.G.

Mr. Francis Williams

Mr. Gates

Mr. Grubb

Mr. Royds

Mr. Cruikshank

Mr. Grisewood

Mr. Macgregor

Commander Easton

Brigadier Neville

Admiral Carpendale

Mr. Lyne

Mr. Carter

1. REPORTS FROM SERVICE ADVISERS.

2. BARCELONA TRADE FAIR.

[DE/22/2.]

The Board considered the question of participation in this year's Trade Fair at Barcelona. Mr. Grubb recalled that the Department of Overseas Trade had successfully objected to participation in last year's fair, but that the absence of Great Britain had been widely and unfavourably noticed. He explained that Department of Overseas Trade were adopting the same attitude this year, but that the Foreign Office and those concerned in this Ministry were most anxious to take advantage of one of the few propaganda avenues of this type open to us in Spain. He said that, although the fair was ostensibly a trade show, it would be the Ministry's intention to provide a prestige exhibit as near the borderline of propaganda as could be prudently contrived.

The Board agreed that participation would be desirable, and the Chairman endorsed. Mr. Grubb's view that a Ministry's representative should proceed without delay to supervise the preliminary arrangements.

3. BRITISH TROOPSHIPS FOR U.S TROOPS.

[N/429.]

Mr. Cruikshank called attention to Admiral Emory Land's references to the use by American troops of British troopships, and suggested that this provided an excellent opportunity for the release of stories and photographs of troop-carrying operations of such vessels as the “Queen Mary” and the “Queen Elizabeth”. He explained that the Admiralty had no objection, provided the publicity was kept in the past tense, but that the Ministry of War Transport were apathetic to the point of obstruction. The Board approved Mr. Cruikshank's proposal, and agreed that further pressure should be exerted on the Ministry of War Transport.

N.B . There were no Minutes issued on the 6th and 8th February, 1943.