20 21 - 2 -

12th Meeting
MINUTES of POLICY COMMITTEE
Friday, 5th April, 1940.

PRESENT:

Minister

D.G.

D.S.

Lord Perth

Sir Kenneth Clark

P.P.S.

Secretary

7. (1) Work of the General Division .

Division to be termed “Productions Division”.

Three Branches under Mr. Bevan:

Photographs - Mr. Francis

(Title to be found) - Mr. Vaughan All business procedure, contracts, statistics, etc.

(Title to be found) - Planning and ideas, possibly under Mrs. Hamilton.

All literary and editorial work at present in the Division to be transferred, as shown below.

8. (6) Literary Division.

Division to be termed “Literary Publicity” under a Director reporting to Sir Kenneth Clark to be formed.

Functions:

(a) to commission and stimulate writing of books and pamphlets, mostly by outside authors. If writing within the Ministry is required the Director will requisition from Editorial Section (see below);

(b) to read existing publications and decide in consultation with Overseas Group what is suitable for distribution overseas;

(c) to arrange translations.

Mr. Hampden and staff to be transferred from Foreign Division.

Director to be found outside.

9. News and Public Relations .

Suggested that there should be two groups, the head of each of which should be on Policy Committee, one dealing with the collection, issue and censorship of news, the other with the Press as a propaganda medium and public relations, including particularly relations with the Press. Since some overlap is inevitable it might have been preferable to have had one group but this is not now considered possible.

There will be an Editorial Section in the Public Relations Group to cover the work done by Home Editorial under Mr. Stevenson, and Foreign and Empire under Messrs. MacBride and Fraser.

10. Relations with Services .

Reported that the Sea Lords were agreeable to a Ministry representative having access to news in their war room with a view to Ministry point of view being put on all occasions.

Presumably the calibre of the representative would vary and be as occasion demanded.

Principle implies similar arrangements with War Office and Air Force Commands.

11. (3) & (4) Ministry Organisation.

Arising from discussion above, paper on Ministry organisation as attached approved, but this cannot be complete until appointments are made to the News and Public Relations Groups.