20 21 -2-

EXECUTIVE BOARD
Tuesday, 8th April, 1941

Present:

D.D.G.

P.S.

Sir Maurice Peterson.

Lord Davidson.

Sir Kenneth Clark.

Mr. Radcliffe.

Mr. Bamford.

Mr. Waddell (Secretary)

1. The minutes of the meeting on 4th April were taken as read and approved.

2. Easter Leave.

[A/345]

Reference was made to a circular which had been issued based on a Treasury circular. The main points were that Easter Monday would be treated as a holiday and it would be the responsibility of Controllers to see that Divisions under them were adequately staffed. Good Friday was to be treated as a working day, but it would be permissible for those who could be spared to be given a holiday on that day.

3. Broadcasts on Bombed Towns.

[B/123.]

It was agreed that the first nine paragraphs of the paper which had been circulated might be issued to Regional Information Officers along with some general guidance based on the succeeding paragraphs, which would be redrafted by Mr. Parker.

Reference was made to discussion by the Executive Board on 7th March and it was agreed that Mr. Ryan should be shown the document, but that it need not be treated by the B.B.C. as a directive. It was agreed, however, that before another broadcast on a bombed town was undertaken the B.B.C. should consult the Ministry. The Secretary was to bring this decision to the notice of Mr. Ryan.

4. The Lease-Lend Act.

The D.D.G. referred to a Treasury letter which would be circulated to those primarily concerned; it laid down that Treasury authority would still be required for materials and supplies from America even though they were covered by the Lease-Lend Legislation.

[AM/283]

5. War Diary.

The D.D.G. said that Officers from the Cabinet Offices had recently visited the Ministry and it was understood that a communication would be received from them about maintenance of a Diary. As a temporary measure it had been suggested and it was agreed that Mr. Balfour should keep a brief record of the more important decisions taken each week on the work of the Ministry and should circulate it to the Private Secretaries to the Minister, and D.G., and also to the D.D.G. It was felt that such a record might not be of great value to future historians, or to a future Ministry of Information, but might be useful to the Ministry's own Officers and it was agreed that as an experiment the Executive Board at its meeting on Friday of each week should consider whether there were any items which ought to be brought to Mr. Balfour's notice.

[A/380]

6. Description of the Ministry's Work.

It was reported that the Air Attaché to the American Embassy had been promised an account of the Ministry's structure and work and it was agreed that Mr. Bamford should put in hand preparation of a brief and factual record and that the Parliamentary Secretary should see Mr. Herschel Johnson and discuss with him the intentions behind the proposal.

[A/46/23.]

7. The Battle of the Atlantic . (Minute No.3 1st April, 1941)

Sir Kenneth Clark reported that a meeting had now been held with the Admiralty and representatives of the Merchant Navy and that the question of suitable publicity was being examined on the lines of the discussion on 1st April.

[6P/297.]