The paper circulated was read. The Minister questioned whether the last sentence of paragraph 4(a) was correct. Mr. Ryan said that many cases arose in which it was clear that material would appear in the Press next day. The tendency, particularly in the War Office, was that decisions to leave out material might he made for reasons which were not really valid.(e.g. a relatively junior officer might be on duty who was not in a position to give an authoritative opinion one way or the other, and sometimes the officer concerned objected to the style rather than the content and so on). The B.B.C. would like two points recognised: firstly, that the officers concerned in the Service Departments and the Ministry of Home Security should he impressed that removing pieces from a news bulletin which had been compiled by experienced persons was not to be undertaken without a very full sense of responsibility, and secondly, that the B.B.C. should he assured of access at all times without any delay to a senior officer, both here and in the other departments chiefly concerned. At present matters requiring quick decisions sometimes arose when the competent officers were not immediately available, and the B.B.C. were put into difficulties. Mr. Valentine Williams said that the same remarks applied in connection with the German news. It was found necessary to contradict lies put out by the German broadcasts in time for the next German news, and the Service Departments failed to appreciate that these considerations had any particular importance. The Minister observed that he was often met with the argument that we were concerning ourselves about news, but that the departments against which we were complaining were concerning themselves about lies. Mr. Kirkpatrick and Sir Walter Monckton pointed out that the Germans had a highly developed propaganda service, and although they were matters of secrecy they had never had any hesitation in publishing a great deal of matter of the kind which would he ruled out over here. They had a specialised corps of propaganda journalists, 27 of whom had already fallen in action.
Some discussion then arose on the powers given to the Ministry under the recent paper sent by the Minister to the Cabinet. It was generally decided that the Service Departments still had the right to keep their communiqués in the form which they themselves drafted them. Instances of disadvantages were mentioned by the B.B.C. representatives, who would like the B.B.C. to be given the right to re-write communiqués when these were not in a suitable form for broadcasting without, of course, altering the facts. It was agreed that the B.B.C. should put up a further paper illustrating by examples the troubles which it was desired to correct. In answer to a point made by Sir Kenneth Clark it was decided to put in the paper a note asking the Service Departments not to waste time in re-writing material in advertising scripts, etc., which were sent to them for factual checking. The Minister expressed himself prepared to write to Mr. Eden and Mr. Alexander after seeing the material as above by the B.B.C. We should ask for more and better material and point out the extreme importance of the positive side of propaganda rather than the negative side. The Minister also asked to see
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copies of scripts which had recently been killed by the War Office for they considered to be inadequate reasons. Mr. Ogilvie mentioned that the troubles extended to American broadcasting. Mr. Vernon Bartlett and J.B. Priestley were given very little material on which to found their talks. Sir Kenneth Clark said that as far as the Home Front was concerned we still found it impossible to get a reasonable amount of material to reassure people. Difficulties were put in the way, and although something could be made of our defence works, etc., our efforts were constantly unsuccessful.
Mr. Valentine Williams, speaking from his experience as a war correspondent in the last war, suggested that it was often possible to get very good accounts of events from men from units who had taken part in them. Mr. Ryan said that this might also be applied to broadcast accounts, but it was generally necessary to get hold of these people first to see whether they were sufficiently articulate.
Mr. Wellington asked that Ministers might recognise the desirability of giving plenty of warning to the ill about their broadcasting intentions, and in particular let the B.B.C. know to whom they wished to address themselves and what they intended to say. The B.B.C. would then advise them as to the best times, etc. Fitting in talks was frequently a very intricate matter, and it was sometimes not possible to get the distribution or audience which was considered necessary unless careful arrangements could be made well beforehand.
[[illegible]]
2.
SIR KENNETH CLARK'S POINTS
Sir Kenneth Clark's paper was read. He stated that the Treasury were now apparently prepared to grant a small amount of money for regimental bands, but he asked the Minister if he would recommend to the Secretary of State for War the importance we attached to military displays. He also considered that a further pamphlet might now be required on invasion. The Minister said that he thought that people should be told to defend themselves, and that we might go further than the pamphlet. It was agreed that the Ministry of Home Security should be approached on the subject. The “Anger” Campaign was referred to. Sir Kenneth Clark thought that there was a good deal of feeling at the present time in the country, and that on the whole there was no need to run this theme strongly at the moment.
3 .
DUTCH BROADCASTING
Mr. Ogilvie reported that the subject had been raised at Lord Swinton's Committee, at which the Ministry of Information had not been represented. The B.B.C. representative had been present and the Swinton Committee had taken the view that it was contrary to the interest of national security that a bulletin should be handed over to a foreign government. The Minister and Lord Perth pointed out that this was an anomalous decision. Either we should trust the Dutch Government or not let them speak at all. It was agreed that Mr. Ogilvie should ask Lord Swinton to explain the decision of his Committee.
4.
AIR RAID WARNINGS
The Minister said that the Cabinet would consider this morning whether air raid warnings should be abolished. In the discussion it was pointed out that there was a good deal of complaint that air raid warnings were not given in time, and it was thought that there would be a great deal of resentment if they were suddenly discontinued. Moreover, we had made the point in German propaganda that the German Government were so regardless of human life that they had themselves ceased air raid warnings. On the whole it was thought that the line should be that warnings should only be put out when they were really needed, i.e. in the event of a dangerous mass attack, and that the public should be accustomed to receiving no warnings when only a few aircraft were in the neighbourhood, even if these aircraft dropped bombs
DECISIONS
MEMBER CONCERNED
1. That the B.B.C. should put up a further paper illustrating by examples the troubles in connection with the news arrangements which it was desired to correct.
Mr. Ryan
2. That Lord Swinton should be asked to explain his Committee's decision about Dutch broadcasting.
