X.
-11-
likely to provoke considerable interest and suggested that discussion of it would be valuable.
51.
Mr. F.R.H. Murray said that there was a danger of a fallacy in Mr. Thomson's argument. The whole point of the directive agreed between the Colonial Office and the Foreign Office to which we were all working was that we were tackling a group of agencies of a central foreign power working in the interests of that power.
If we suggested that the struggle could be regarded as a matter of local Party politics we were obscuring the whole issue. He hoped that any impression that might have been created by Mr. Thomson's paper, to the effect that the existing paper was not a joint Colonial Office and Foreign Office directive and that the Colonial Office or the Foreign Office underestimated the importance of "positive" propaganda, would be corrected.
52.
The Chairman said that there was a great deal of interesting material in Mr. Thomson's paper, and much with which we agreed, He felt that on the positive side Mr. Thomson had perhaps overlooked the fact that in Communist countries people were being taught to hate non-Communist Governments and told that they were bound to be victorious in the inevitable struggle. This was being put about not only in Communist countries but in communist propaganda in our half of the field. One of the most important points was to build up confidence that we would ensure the safety of those for whom we were responsible. For that reason it was essential to describe the Communist system in order to show the menace.
53.
Colonel Tod pointed out that the Federation was the only territory whore we were on a war basis and from the Army point of view propaganda was hardly less important than military operations by the Security Forces. If we could get the people of the kampongs on our side, then the end of the Emergency would be a matter of weeks. Mr. Carleton Greene agreed and said that all the necessary money had now been made avail- able to extend propaganda activites on those lines.
Review of Regional Information Office's Work to Date.
54.
Mr. F.R.H. Murray explained the role of his Department in London in planning and supplying anti-Communist information for the Commonwealth Relations Office and the Colonial Office as well as the Foreign Office.
55.
One of the reasons for the establishment of the Regional Information Office was the conviction that London could not supply editorial material directly suitable for Asian requirements. He wished to know to what extent the Regional Information Office was meeting the needs of all posts, for both positive and anti-Communist material, and what more could be done, either
/from London..