The record of the Intelligence department is somewhat involved.
The Intelligence service partly arose out of Press Intelligence reports. A reference to the Press Section indicates that Regional reports based on the trend of opinion expressed in the Regional Press were periodically forwarded to London. Later reports were called for based on public opinion as expressed by selected contacts representing cross sections of the community in all parts of the Region.
The first Intelligence contacts in the Southern Region were officers nominated by the Inland Revenue in September 1939. The Regional Commissioner also initiated a scheme whereby reliable information could be collected and co-ordinated and this material (compiled at the Regional Commissioner's Office), together with matters touched upon by M.O.I. contacts, was sent to London in the form of a fortnightly Situation Report by the D.R.I.O.-cum- Intelligence Officer pending a definite policy on the subject of Intelligence formulated by Headquarters.
On 21st May, 1940, the first of a series of short daily Reports dictated by the R.I.O. was telephoned to Home Intelligence Division. Public reactions to the German advance in Europe, demands for franker news and action against enemy aliens, the state of morale, rumours, etc., were thus brought quickly to the attention of the Government. From November onwards, however, these telephonic reports became more irregular and were interspersed with typed ones, which were mailed to London.
When the Assistant Press Officer was appointed Intelligence Officer in September 1941, he was able, by means of personal visits, to rope in some useful individual contacts. Members of the Regional staffs of other Government Departments also proved co-operative.
Owing to the suspicion of the “Cooper Snoopers” and to lack of definite instructions from London as to the status and duties of the Intelligence Officer and a refusal of Committees to play without such instructions, considerable difficulties were experienced. The Officer was not allowed to assume the title of “Intelligence Officer” and, although information was to be obtained by personal contact, the Officer had to camouflage his intentions. Reports obtained in such a way were obviously meagre, and physically the Officer could not get many reports by interview, as his calls were limited by the time taken, length of journey, and the fact that he also had inside work to do. A request then came from London that the Intelligence Officer's reports should be based on written material, and this brought matters to a head. The Intelligence Section was re-organised and its purpose made clear to L.I.Cs. and all contacts of the Ministry, and it was thus possible to set up a sound organisation. As a result, through the Emergency organisation, L.I.Cs. and personal effort, a file of over 500 contacts was speedily compiled - people who were willing to submit a report once a month on comments overheard in public. This enabled weekly reports to London to be based on an average of as many as 100 contact reports a week.
A most valuable phase of the work in the Intelligence Section came under the heading of “Action Points”. This meant taking up at a Regional level with other Ministries complaints or adverse comments that were noted in reports received from contacts. An average of 43 points per month were dealt with during 1944, and from letters of appreciation received it was obvious that the Ministry built up goodwill throughout the Region and people began to look upon the Ministry as a means of remedying many of those minor but annoying difficulties that
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made war conditions so irritating. Other Ministries, too, became very appreciative of the fact that they were being kept informed of difficulties affecting their respective services.
When the Ministry decided to close Home Intelligence, the news was not at all favourably received by other Ministries or the general public in the Region, and the service was therefore carried on a Regional basis until the Local Information Committees and Emergency Information Officers were disbanded on June 12th, 1945.
Whilst a small minority regarded the “Questions and Answers” as of little value, by far the largest number of contacts stated that they were most useful.
