Minutes of the Fifteenth Meeting of the Committee (Deputy Directors (0 & S)), Held in Conference Room "G", at the Ministry of Defence, S.W.I, on Thursday, 9th February, 1950 at 10.45.a.m.

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Minutes of the Fifteenth Meeting of the Committee (Deputy Directors (0 & S)), Held in Conference Room "G", at the Ministry of Defence, S.W.I, on Thursday, 9th February, 1950 at 10.45.a.m.

2. SECURITY OF METEOROLOGICAL CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION IN WAR AND PEACE (Previous Reference: J.I.C. (49) 92nd Meeting, Minute 4). THE COMMITTEE considered a minute+ by the Secretary covering a memorandum≠ from the British Joint Services Mission, Washington, to the Secretary, Chiefs of Staff Committee, attaching a letter from the British Joint Services Mission to the United States Chiefs of Staff on the subject of security of meteorological information in war and peace, and the reply from the United States Chiefs of Staff. The approach to the United States Chiefs of Staff had been made as a result of the reportØ by the Joint Intelligence Committee on this subject, and their reply had been referred to the Joint Intelligence Committee for report and draft reply in anticipation of the instructions of the Chiefs of Staff. GROUP CAPTAIN BRODIE said that he had discussed the reply by the United States Chiefs of Staff with the Director of the Meteorological Office who had asked that the Committee should postpone taking any action until he (the Director of the Meteorological Office) had had an opportunity to consider the matter further. The American authorities were taking a more negative attitude to the problem than we were. The enclosure to their letter laid down the policy for the security of weather information in peace and the criteria for a policy in war, but the American authorities considered that in war, the security of weather information in each theatre should be considered on its merits. In our view this was unsatisfactory as it was doubtful whether if we were attacked, there would be time to make the necessary security arrangements, and we therefore considered that plans should be laid down now for all the theatres concerned. It was suggested, therefore, that we should put forward a strong plea in the Atlantic Pact Regional Groups in which we were concerned (i.e. all but the North American Regional Group) that if the Commonwealth or any of the Atlantic Pact countries were attacked by the Soviet Union, weather data on the areas in which we were interested should be encyphered. CAPTAIN LITCHFIELD said that he entirely agreed with the Air Ministry that plans in regard to the security of weather information in war should be worked out in detail and agreed with the Americans. COLONEL HARDING-NEWMAN said that the War Office considered that if the American policy was applied to any of the Atlantic Pact countries, it would automatically entail our policy being adopted. In discussion, it was agreed that the United States policy for the security of weather information as contained in the enclosure to the letter from the United States Chiefs of Staff was the same in effect as our own policy, but it did not ensure that detailed plans were laid for guarding the security of weather information immediately on the outbreak of hostilities. The Air Ministry would, therefore draft a reply on these lines in the form of a report to the Chiefs of Staff when the Director of the Meteorological Office had had time to consider the matter further, and the Director of the Meteorological Office should be invited to attend the meeting of the Committee at which the draft report was discussed. + J.I.C./247/50. ≠ C.O.S. (50) 42. Ø J.I.C. (49) 71 (Final Revised). -2-
Collection ID
CAB159
Conflict
Cold War
Document Reference
CAB 159/7/17
File Reference
CAB 159/0007
Identifier
10.1080/swwf.cab159.0007.017
Keywords
Propaganda Colonies Empire Subversion Broadcast Services Press Reports Security Classified Documents Secrecy Meteorological Intelligence Climate Intelligence Gathering Intelligence Requirements Military Intelligence Military Strength Release Of Information Interrogation Hong Kong Contingency Planning Allies Information Sharing Captured Documents Intelligence Channels Scientific Experts Scientific Research Technology Border Controls Security Checks
Pages
7
Published in
United Kingdom
Series
Ministry of Defence and Cabinet Office: Central Intelligence Machinery: Joint Intelligence Sub-Committee Later Committee: Minutes (JIC Series). Joint Intelligence Sub-Committee. Meetings 1 (0)-60 (0)
Themes
Propaganda, Censorship and Psychological Warfare Intelligence Gathering and Surveillance Intelligence Organisation and Administration