Minutes of the Sixty-fourth Meeting of the Committee, Held in Conference Room 'g', at the Ministry of Defence, S.W.I on Thursday, 22nd June, 1950, at 10.30 a.m.

4. PROPOSALS FOR A REDUCTION IN THE SECRET ESTABLISHMENT OF THE INTELLIGENCE DIVISION, CONTROL COMMISSION FOR GERMANY. (Previous Reference : J.I.C. (50) 58th Meeting, Minute 2). THE COMMITTEE considered a minute+ by the Secretary covering a revised draft memorandum for use by the Foreign Office on the subject of certain proposals for a reduction in the establishment of the Intelligence Division, Control Commission for Germany. BRIGADIER BOUCHER pointed out that in the report≠ on the Intelligence Division, Control Commission for Germany, Sir Philip Vickery had recommended that the establishment of the Intelligence Division should be reduced by 150 officers and junior grades by 1st April, 1951, and that reductions beyond this figure would materially affect the service of intelligence. Despite this report, however, the Chief of Intelligence Division had been instructed to increase the reduction by another 150, making a total of 300 officers and junior grades in all, apparently an arbitrary figure unrelated to the intelligence position. It was an accepted fact that good intelligence could, to some extent, make up for exiguous forces. The vital importance of intelligence was being advocated by the Committee and he therefore considered that the Committee would be inconsistent if at the same time they accepted a cut in an intelligence organisation of double the maximum recommended by an intelligence expert. He therefore suggested that before approving the memorandum to the Foreign Office, the Committee should be given the opportunity to discuss with those directly concerned the reasons for and the implications of the increased cut in Intelligence Division. MR. BRAIN said that the Deputy Under-Secretary of State for the Foreign Office German Section, Mr. E.A. Seal, was prepared to discuss this matter with the Committee if they considered it would be of assistance. THE COMMITTEE:- Agreed to defer consideration of the revised draft memorandum for discussion with a representative of the Foreign Office German Section, and invited the Foreign Office to convey to Mr. Seal their acceptance of his offer to attend their meeting (Directors) the following week. + J.I.C./1052/50. ≠ J.I.C./742/50. -2-