Conclusions of the Chiefs of Staff at their 178th Meeting

A volume of reports, memoranda and correspondence from the Joint Intelligence Sub-Committee (JIC). The JIC was formed of representatives from the intelligence services, the armed services, and the Foreign Office. Its purpose was to assess military, security, and foreign policy requirements and coordinate Britain’s intelligence organisations accordingly. The JIC members discussed a vast range of international and domestic issues in their meetings. In this file, subjects documented include the manpower resources and armaments of the major nations; assessments of Japan's military capabilities and the strategic situation in East Asia, the Mediterranean and East Africa (including the defence of Hong Kong and Singapore); a strategic review of the Pacific Islands; observations on the effects of air raids in the Spanish Civil War; the existence of Nazi and fascist sympathisers and organisations in Britain and her Empire; details of German anti-aircraft defences; and the organisation of the intelligence services.