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There is also the question of personnel records to consider. To what extent will they have to be duplicated in London? Preliminary indications, here, are that the pension records of all HMOCS officers will have to be held by the ODA. There may be other questions regarding personnel records which will arise as time goes on, however: one cannot honestly be sure.
Turning now to my para. 3(b) above, Ian Diamond commented just before going on retirement to Australia:-
I would recommend the formation of
a working party to prepare guidelines for this exercise and to consider the procedures to be used in carrying it into effect. Thereafter, for the duration of the exercise, I believe that an officer of suitable seniority and experience should be appointed to see it through, aided by a committee, or some sort of consultative body, to advise on any problems which may arise."
I would also like to discuss this with you, if I may, because it will almost certainly have implications for the future discosure of information from British files under the 30 year rule. Clearly, there would be little point destroying papers here which might subsequently appear on show in Kew, inadvertently.
Grateful to know whether you will be free during the period mentioned in para. 2 above and, if so, whether it would be convenient to you for me to call on you then.
yours sincerel
alex.
معن سرد معديد
ALP/cl
(A. L. Purves)
Deputy Secretary, (Administrative Services)
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