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POLICY COMMITTEE.
MINUTES OF SIXTH MEETING. 16th February, 1940.

Minister

Sir Kenneth Lee

Sir Walter Monckton

Mr. Waterfield

Mr. Peake

Mr. Tree

Mr. Wiltshire (Secretary)

1. MINUTES OF LAST MEETING , noted.

2. EVACUATION CAMPAIGN

Note to be circulated.

3. OTHER BUSINESS

(a) Financial Operations.

It had been decided that the Ministry would take on publicity about the Loan.

(b) Representation of Economic and Financial interests in the Press Bureau.

To be taken up between Sir Walter Monckton and Mr. Waterfield.

(c) Hours of attendance of staff.

Sir Kenneth Lee and Mr. Waterfield to make recommendations.

(d) Co-ordinating Committee.

Decided to continue for the present.

(e) “Common-Room Tea”

Enquiries to be made.

(f) Spiral Campaign .

Minister will circulate letter to Chancellor

(g) Protestant Bulletin - “The Christian Commonwealth.”

Agreed.

(h) Liaison with French.

M. Giraudoux had recently stated two points to Sir Walter Monckton:

(i) reluctance to see criticism of French internal politics in British press

(ii) desire for contact between the two sides before any declarations affecting foreign policy were made.

Notes of a Meeting on “EVACUATION” held on the15th February, 1940, between

It was emphasised at the start that H.M. the Queen was not to be identified with the “Roll”. She was only going to send a message of thanks in a form not yet specified for hospitality already given over a certain period.

The general sense of the Meeting was against strong measures of publicity to put over either:-

a. The enlistment on the Roll and the spreading of the burden in Reception Areas; or

b. The registering for Evacuation by parents in Evacuation Areas.

RECEPTION AREAS :

Apart from the work which is already being done by the other Ministries, which includes leaflets being distributed through letter boxes through the G.P.O., and the Local Authority liaison work with the Ministry of Health and the Scottish Office, the only two points on which the Ministry of Information was asked to co-operate were:-

1. A scheme for Posters, and

2. The work of the Regional Information Officers.

Mr. Bevan explained that the Poster Scheme would cost somewhere between £5,000 and £10,000 for thirteen weeks, and although there was some demurring at a commitment for so long a period ahead, it was finally decided to recommend the use of Posters in principle, and Mr. Bevan agreed to produce some designs.

The suggestion for the use of local advertising in order to secure the publication of the names of those who are willing to accept the obligations of the “Roll” was not accepted for the present though it was agreed that the idea was not permanently ruled out and might easily be brought into effect at short notice, should the response prove to be less than anticipated.

Mr. Bevan said that the Posters, while a very useful part of the campaign in the Reception Areas, would not in themselves make a very strong campaign, especially as posting facilities in country districts are not first-class.

Mr. Bevan also made the point, which was generally agreed, that the weekly press, although very closely read in the different localities, was read for “news” much more than for “opinion,” and that it would be necessary therefore to have a regular press advertising campaign in order to keep up the pressure after the news dropped - as it was bound to drop - out of the National papers and magazines.

Interest was also expressed in the possibility of putting the case through the clergy by the help of the Ministry of Information, Religions Branch, and Mr. Bevan promised to investigate this.

EVACUATION AREAS :

The suggestion for a Poster Campaign to urge parents to register their children for evacuation in the event of Air Raids danger was not accepted as desirable at the moment.

Mr. Thompson rang me up to-day to say that it was hoped that this subject would be discussed again at the Meeting of Ministers next Monday morning, and he thought that if the line of action recommended at the Meeting were to be circulated in the week-end bag to-morrow morning (Saturday), this would save a good deal of time.

I told him that I would put this to the Minister and hear what his views were on the campaign and would then let him know.