EXECUTIVE BOARD
Tuesday, 24th December 1940

A/634

Present :

D.G.

D.D.G.

P.S.

Lord Davidson

Mr. Radcliffe

Mr. Fraser

Mr. Wellington

Mr. Peake

Mr. Harvey (for Sir Maurice Peterson)

Mr. Gates

Mr. Waddell (Secretary)

1. The D.G. explained that he had called the meeting in order to inaugurate a Committee or Board of a similar composition than the Policy Committee or Principal Officers’ Committee. He intended that the members should meet daily at 10.0 a.m. to discuss matters of policy and that the conclusions should have executive authority, to be put into effect after discussion if necessary by the Planning Committees. It was agreed that it would be desirable for the Minister to take the chair once a week at a slightly longer meeting beginning at 9.30 a.m. On major questions, which would generally be dealt with at this meeting, it was hoped all papers could be circulated in advance; wherever possible papers would also be circulated for the ordinary meetings of the Board, but discussion would be quite informal. Members of the Board would be expected to brief themselves on items for discussion, but experts on particular topics could be invited to attend where necessary.

The D.G. said he felt that the membership of the Home Planning Committee was perhaps too large for the proper business of the Committee, and that the Committee's terms of reference were not specific enough. He would like to consider at a subsequent meeting of the Board whether all persons who had been attending were strictly necessary. In discussion on the work of the Planning Committee it was agreed

(a) that there was a general need for members of the Ministry to be more fully informed about their own places in the Ministry organisation and to know what their colleagues were working on, and

[A/583 [illegible]]

(b) that more business of a minor nature could be transacted merely by minuting and reference of papers than had hitherto been the case.

The meeting agreed with Lord Davidson that regard must be paid to the need for speed in this matter, and that small meeting [illegible] be necessary to deal with urgent situations. Reference was made to the value of having one or two people in the or [illegible] whose function would be planning rather than executive [illegible] pointed out that such people should be members of the [illegible] Board.

[A/452]

2. The D.G. referred to doubts he had been fe [illegible] quality of the service of Duty Officers, and ask [illegible] 2 - 2 -meeting felt the Ministry had the right persons staffing the Duty Room. It was agreed that in this connection ignorance of the administrative machinery and the respective responsibilities of the officers in it was a difficulty which would have to be remedied, and that subject to this, the officer in charge seemed adequate. Steps should be taken at once to see that he and his assistants were fully informed about whom they should approach to obtain answers to enquiries put to them, and it was agreed that further consideration of the staff in the Room should be deferred until Mr. Radcliffe had had an opportunity of examining the situation.

It was explained in answer to enquiries by the D.G. that Admiral Thomson and a normal weekend censorship staff would be on duty over Christmas: that the Parliamentary Secretary, Mr. Gates, Mr. Ridsdale and Mr. Wellington would be in the Ministry on Christmas Day; and that Mr. Peake would be available on the telephone.