Minutes of the Fifth Meeting of the Sub-committee, held in the Secretary's Room, Great George Street, on Tuesday. 20th January, 1943, at 10.15 a.m.

2. THE BRITISH MILITARY MISSION IN MOSCOW. THE SUB-COMMITTEE had before them J.I.C.(43) 25(Draft) comprising certain recommendations regarding future policy concerning No. 30 Military Mission. THE CHAIRMAN suggested that it would be advisable, before this Report was finalised and submitted to the Chiefs of Staff Committee, that he should discuss the draft with Sir Archibald Clark Kerr and ensure that in the form in which the Report was finally submitted, it carried the concurrence of His Majesty's Ambassador. THE SUB-COMMITTEE:- Approved the above suggestion. 3. THE MIDDLE EAST INTELLIGENCE CENTRE. (Previous Reference; J.I.C.(43) 4th Meeting (0), Item 6). ADMIRAL BOUSFIELD gave the Sub-Committee an account of the Way in which the responsibilities of the Middle East Intelligence Centre had developed recently. Admiral Bousfield stated that he himself was not a member of the Centre. The Centre no longer had any responsibility for operational Intelligence. Its work was entirely concerned with political and economic questions. The Middle East Joint Intelligence Committee made use of the Centre to some extent in obtaining political background for their work. The Centre also acted to some extent as a distributing centre for certain types of political Intelligence. The Centre was responsible to the Middle East Defence Committee. In discussion, the view was expressed that there might be advantage in making the Centre responsible to the Minister of State. This might have the advantage of reducing the danger of duplication of Intelligence work. THE DIRECTOR OF MILITARY INTELLIGENCE reminded the Sub- Committee that the Middle East Intelligence Centre had also certain responsibilities as regards security. He was, therefore, anxious that no recommendation should emanate from the Sub-Committee on this subject until further enquiries had been made, particularly of the Security service. THE SUB-COMMITTEE:- (i) Invited the Chairman to make enquiries regarding the views of the Staff of the Minister of State on this subject: (ii) Instructed the Secretary to circulate draft letters for despatch by the Directors of Intelligence to their representatives on the Middle East Joint Intelligence Committee, inviting their views on the proposal that the Middle East Intelligence Centre should become the Intelligence Office of the Minister of State. -2-