CAB148-30-Defence and Oversea Policy Committee Meetings Relating to 1967 Disturbances-1967 — Page 346

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2. INFORMATION OVERSEAS SERVICES

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The Committee considered a memorandum by the Foregin Secretary, and the Commonwealth Secretary (OPD(67) 96) on Overseas Information Services.

THE COMMONWEALTH SECRETARY said that, in his report on the overseas

information services, Sir Harold Beeley had made proposals for a balanced

long-term programme of expenditure by our posts abroad, by the

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and by the British Council which would cost £30.4 million for current expenditure a year and £16.1 million

for capital costs over the next four years. This was an area of expenditure of great importance to the export drive and in promoting confidence in

this country abroad; the recent devaluation of sterling had made these

objectives even more important; and, despite the need to make all possible

economies in Government expenditure in the present financial situation,

it would be contrary to our interests to look for savings that would damage

our effort. He had examined Sir Harold Beeley's proposals closely with the

Foreign Secretary and they recommended that the Committee should approve

£29.9 million for current expenditure on these services in 1968-69 and $13 million for capital costs over the next four years.

In discussion the view was expressed that expenditure on overseas information services should not be singled out for approval in advance of

general decisions early in the New Year on Government expenditure as a whole;

there was no immediate need to do so and it would be wrong as a matter of

principle. Opinion in the Committee was however strongly against this

view and in favour of a decision that the proposals by the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretaries should be approved. Experience during the recent

war in the Middle East had shown that earlier cuts in the service overseas

of the BBC had been mistaken; as a result we had lacked the means to make

our point of view known in the Middle East. It was essential both in the

interests of our export trade, and of our position in the world generally

as we withdrew from our world-wide military role, to maintain the effective-

ness of our overseas information services; indeed it could be that since

he had been instructed to make his report on a conservative basis,

Sir Harold Beeley's proposals were too modest. It would moreover be

impossible to carry out current examination of the whole Government

expenditure programme in the time available if every decision had to be

deferred until a late stage. In the longer term it might be that some

changes in the pattern of expenditure on the overseas information

services would be desirable but for the present the proposals before the Committee should be approved.

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The Committee

Approved OPD(67) 96.

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