Minutes of the Tenth Meeting of the Committee (Deputy Directors (0 & S)), Held in Conference Room "G", at the Ministry of Defence, S.W.1. on Thursday, 26th January, 1950 at 10.45 a.m.

SECRET COLONEL HARDING-NEWMAN agreed that it was necessary to strike a balance between publicity and security, but he pointed out the value to a hostile intelligence agency of obtaining an official piece of information such as the location of a defence research establishment. Such a piece of information could be used as a basis on which to build up a fuller picture and would mean that a hostile intelligence agency could cease to devote effort to obtaining information of this type, at any rate until such a time as it became necessary to check as to whether it still held good. It would be difficult for anyone who had not been concerned in the collection of intelligence to appreciate the value of isolated pieces of information, particularly if such items had official backing. In discussion, the Committee agreed that although they were not entirely satisfied that the scientific heads of defence research establishments were in a better position than anyone else to assess the dangers of undue publicity, it was nevertheless most important to obtain the co-operation of the heads of such establishments. It was equally important, however, that the security implications of publicity in connection with their establishments should be fully explained to them. Uniformity and consultation between Ministries concerning Security of Defence Research Establishments DR. BLOUNT said that the Working Party had considered that it was most important that where research establishments under different Ministries were collaborating or working on parallel lines, there should be consultation to ensure that a uniform policy towards publication of the results of their work was adopted. Difficulties in this connection had already arisen between the Ministry of Supply and the Admiralty and was one of the reasons for the Working Party's report. In discussion, it was agreed that not only was it important that there should be consultation between Ministries to ensure a uniform policy in regard to publication of information, but it was also important that when Ministries, in consultation, prepared uniform instructions on security, the Security Branches of Ministries and the Security Service should be included in these consultations. It was also agreed that it was important that Ministries should consult so as to ensure that the policy on security of defence research was interpreted uniformly both between Ministries and between the various research establishments within Ministries. Prohibition on the Publication of the Location of defence Research Establishments MR. HOSIE, in referring to paragraph 3(d) of the Working Party's report and to his letter at (ii) above, said that the question of the publication of the location of defence research establishments had been considered by the Chiefs of Staff when they had made a thorough examination in 1946 and 1947 of the information which might be included in Service Estimates. The Chiefs of Staff had made a number of recommendations to Ministers, one of which was that information on defence research establishments which were well known might be included in Service Estimates. However, when this recommendation had been -2-