Government Publicity
If the statement by the Prime Minister on Monday that the Ministry of Information is to be brought to an end was explicit, his explanation of what machinery is to take its place was vague in the extreme. The Government, indeed, is plainly off with the old love before it is on with the new. That the Ministry of Information should disappear is right. It was created in 1939 for war purposes ; it served them well ; with the return of peace its main function is spent. But the value of some machinery through which the Govern- ment can make its explanations and appeals to the public at home,
and interpret this country to a larger public abroad, is recognised and new machinery is to be created—though largely by the absorp- tion of old. The main agents in the former. field will be the Public Relations Officers of the several Government departments, but the\ are to be supplemented by " a central office performing certain common technical and productive functions." What precisely that means appeared to be no clearer to the Prime Minister himself than his hearers. But Government publicity at home is less hn- ponant than the right kind of publicity abroad. The principal agencies here are the B.B.C. and the British Council, and official information services exist in the United States and on a smaller scale elsewhere. These last are under the control of the Foreign Office, and so clearly will the overseas services of the B.B.C. have to be, under financial arrangements which will relieve the B.B.C. of any cost. The British Council is also mainly under Foreign Office direction. Some large extension of the Foreign Office's information branch is therefore obviously indicated ; one of the three Ministers con- nected with the office ought to be made answerable to Parliament for such activities.
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