Minutes of the Fifteenth Meeting of the sub-committee, held in the Secretary's Room, Great George Street, S.W.1. on Tuesday, 23rd March, 1943 at 10.15 am

(b) that plans be prepared for closer and more official liaison with the patriot forces in Yugoslavia. THE DIRECTOR OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE pointed out that if Italy fell out of the war the need for Intelligence regarding that country would become of immediate urgency. It you for consideration whether Joint Service Military Missions should not at once be attached to the forces of General Mihailovitch and to the Partisans. THE DIRECTOR OF MILITARY INTELLIGENCE pointed out that there would be little advantage in sending Military Missions to the centres of resistance in Yugoslavia. Both General Mihailovitch and the Partisan leaders would have little interest in receiving Military Missions unless they were accompanied by the provision of weapons, stores and equipment. From the point of view of the Sub-Committee, what was required was an intensification of the measures being taken to obtain Intelligence from Yugoslavia. SIR STEWART MENZIES pointed out that there was some danger lest it be assumed that the Special Operations Executive were the only organisation concerned in obtaining Intelligence from Yugoslavia. In fact, the principal agency for obtaining Intelligence from that country was the Secret Intelligence Service. He Was at the present time making arrangements for getting into touch with the partisans; already an officer had been selected who would be sent at a favourable moment to General Mihailovitch's Headquarters for the purpose in which the Sub-Committee were interested. Reference had been made in a number of official documents to "S.O.E. aircraft" in this regard. He reminded the Sub- Committee that the responsibility for the penetration of Yugoslavia, both from the operational and the Intelligence point of view, lay with the Commander-in-Chief, Middle East, who allocated such facilities as he had available to S.I.S. and S.O.E. according to the necessities of each particular case. Sir Stewart Menzies gave the Sub-Committee details of steps that had already been taken by his organisation to penetrate the country. He suggested that the Service Departments should inform him of their particular requirements 'X' for Intelligence in the area in question, when he would telegraph to the Middle East to arrange for whatever measures were possible to meet those requirements. THE SUB-COMMITTEE:- Took note with approval of the suggestion made by Sir Stewart Menzies at 'X' above. 3. SPECIAL BEACH RECONNAISSANCE. The attention of the Sub-Committee was drawn to the Chiefs of Starr request contained in Minute 4 of C.O.S.(43) 51st Meeting (0) (Item 11) THE SUB-COMMITTEE - (i) invited the Service Departments to provide the Secretary with material for a draft Report to the Chiefs of Staff Committee; -2-