CAB80-32 — Page 68

Page 68

56

TO BE KEPT UNDER LOCK AND KEY,

It is requested that special care may be taken to ensure the secrecy of this document,

THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT

This doc was considered at cos(4) 410 Meeting.

SECRET.

-

COPY NO.

33

C.O.S.(41) 696.

22ND NOVEMBER, 1941.

WAR CABINET.

CHIEFS OF STAFF COMMITTEE.

>

COMMUNIQUES DURING INVASION.

Memorandum by Sir Findlater Stewart.

Consideration has recently been given by the

Departments concerned to the arrangements to be made for the preparation and issue of communiques in an invasion crisis.

2.

It is assumed that they will issue on the authority of the Minister of Defence, that the announcements of the three Service Departments and the Ministry of Home Security will have to be co-ordinated and issued in a composite communique, and that speed will be of the first importance. These considerations point to the concentration of the work near to the Cabinet War Room.

3.

At present any alterations in the communiques prepared by the Service Departments have to be referred back to the Departments for approval. This will take too much time in the circumstances contemplated: The arrangements below have been designed to meet the difficulty:-

(a) The communiques would be prepared in the Office of

the Minister of Defence by representatives of each of the three Service Departments, the Ministry of Home Security and the Ministry of Information, acting together and directed by a Chairman of Ministerial rank appointed for the purpose.

(b) When a communique is being prepared, the

representatives of the Service Departments and of the Ministry of Home Security would table the

contributions approved by or on behalf of their respective Ministers. These would then be welded

into a balanced whole.

(c) The Minister designated as in (a) would be responsible

for the final draft which would be submitted to the Minister of Defence for approval and, when approved, for issue as from his office by the Ministry of Information.

-1-

Page 68

Page 68

Page 68

Page 68