0003230
G.F. 323
CONFIDENTIAL
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of which has been appreciated by me and my senior staff for some considerable time but, prior to the disturbances, my departmental efforts in this direction have been sporadic and only partially effective mainly due to lack o? central government and inter-departmental co- ordination and stimulus. The disturbances have provided this essential unifying factor, but it would be foolhardy to suggest that because of this, the work of the Unit is only related to an emergency situation. The Unit is providing an expanded community information service which has long been needed, and will be needed increasingly on a long-term, continuing basis. I therefore recommend that the Special Publicity Unit be established as a permanent division of my department and I believe the proposed title "Community Affairs Information Section" adequately reflects the type of work it is undertaking and will be undertaking in the changing pattern of events which must lie ahead.
6. If physical violence declines, and the battle for hearts and minds moves less obviously but with increasing dangers into the shadows, the broader spectrum of work to be undertaken by the Special Unit must inevitably become more closely associated with the more routine services of the central information machine and with the developing information activities of departments. The effective co-ordinating organisation which has been applied to Government emergency information requirements will need to be developed to embrace the overall information policy and services of Government. I do not believe that this can best be done by breaking up an oxisting organisation, but rather by modifying and expanding it.
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7. I accept as urgent the need to make available to selected departments information staff and facilities to enable those departments to operate their own information units as part of their departmental policy-making structures and I agree broadly with the departmental staffing recom- mendations contained in the Report. Preliminary attempts have been made by me during the past few years to develop specialised information services with the ultimate objective of departmental units, but only limited progress has been made because of lack of senior staff.
8. I have also on a number of occasions in the past attempted to persuade Government to second senior executive and administrative personnel to my department to assist in the improvement and expansion of information services, but due to staff shortages in the Colonial Secretariat my requests have had to be rejected. I support the Report's recommendation that renewed effort must be made to bring administrative personnel into the information field, working side by side with trained information staff.
CONFIDENTIAL
/I accont
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