Scope and Contents Subjects include: living in London during the Blitz; the broadcast by the Prime Minister [Winston Churchill] to the people of France ["Dieu protège la France"], Oct 1940; staying at Ditchley Park, Oxfordshire, while Churchill was there; the difficulty of working with other Government departments in producing propaganda; being replaced as Minister of Information by Brendan Bracken; Cooper’s posting to Singapore; visiting Burma [later Myanmar], India, Australia and New Zealand, Oct-Nov 1941. ...

Scope and Contents Includes cuttings from the Sunday Dispatch for: "The other Winston Churchill" on WSC's correspondence and meetings with his namesake, the American author; "Primrose Day" on the influence of [Benjamin] Disraeli [Lord Beaconsfield and Lord Hughendon], and the founding of the Primrose League by Lord Randolph Churchill and Sir Henry [Drummond] Wolff; "Life under the microscope" on cells and the blood (also on the same page is an article on "Press and the Censor" by Brendan Bracken [Minister of...

Scope and Contents From the Fonds:

The papers cover every aspect of Lord Noel-Baker's very full and varied career and include constituency papers, Labour Party material, extensive sections on domestic and international affairs, peace and disarmament, sport, books and articles, speeches and correspondence.

Scope and Contents Printed directives by the Prime Minister, WSC, on subjects including: the battle of the Atlantic; food imports; army scales; the naval programme; the Mediterranean; warning Stalin against Germany (including extracts of correspondence between WSC, the Foreign Secretary [Anthony Eden, later 1st Lord Avon] and Sir Stafford Cripps [British Ambassador to the Soviet Union]; policy in Syria; Egypt and the Middle East; security of cabinet papers; the maintenance of forces in the Middle East; the...

Scope and Contents Other correspondents include: Major-General Sir Vernon Kell [MI5] (3); Monsieur Berthoin, Secretary General of the French Ministry of the Interior; Lord MacMillan [of Aberfeldy, Minister of Information] (3) and [1st] Lord Camrose [earlier Sir William Berry, Principal Adviser to Ministry of Information] on WSC's recommendation to make use of Reves' services; Paul Reynaud, French Minister of Finance.Subjects covered by the file include: Reves distributing articles and Allied propaganda in the...

Scope and Contents Correspondents include: Richard Casey [Australian Minister for Supply and Development]; John Boland, General Secretary, Catholic Truth Society, on allegations in the United States press on WSC's opposition to the entry of the United States into the First World War (3); Sir Charles Petrie on using letters by WSC in his biography of Sir Austen Chamberlain (2); Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister, on speaking in the House of Commons; Sir Evan Charteris on WSC's broadcast (1 October ["The First...

Scope and Contents Correspondents include: George Lambert; Harold Laski on the death of his father Nathan Laksi; "Jack" [John] Lawson (2); [Bernard] Sendall [Principal Private Secretary to Minister of Information] on United States recordings of WSC's speeches; Major [Richard] Eric Long (3) including (1) sending on a letter from [Robert] Hudson [Minister of Agriculture] on Long's gardener; [Dame] Edith Lyttelton [Mrs Arthur Lyttelton] (3) including (2) on an English Speaking Union luncheon; Oliver Lyttelton...

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Mainly broadcasts made by Duff Cooper as Minister of Information, on subjects including: Winston Churchill; counteracting rumours; the war in France; Italy’s entry into the war; the fall of France; German propaganda; the role of the Empire; victory in Libya; Joan of Arc; the Atlantic Charter; avoiding the mistakes made after the First World War; survey of the Munich Crisis, 1948 (see also 8/1/20); Westminster Abbey.

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Letter from WSC to [Alfred] Duff Cooper [Minister of Information, later 1st Lord Norwich] advising him to avoid spending so much time away from London as comments have been passed on his "trying to run the Ministry of Information from Bognor" [Sussex]. [See CHAR 20/21/203 for a further copy].

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Prime Minister's Personal Memorandum M.402 to the Minister of Information [Alfred Duff Cooper, later 1st Lord Norwich] drawing attention to J B Priestley's remarks in a BBC broadcast describing life in England as "wildly and solidly abnormal"; believes Priestley's popularity could be turned against the Government.

Scope and Contents Correspondence and Cabinet report concerning broadcasts by J B Priestley [author] for the BBC, which despite an initial following declined in popularity; concern over anti-Government sentiments expressed with correspondents including: WSC; Martin Russell and 6th Lord Hood [Private Secretaries to the Minister of Information]; [Alfred] Duff Cooper [Minister of Information, later 1st Lord Norwich]; John Peck and Edith Watson [Private Secretaries to WSC]; Rupert Beckett [Chairman, the Yorkshire...

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Letter from J Alfred Spender [author; former Editor of the Westminster Gazette] to WSC expressing concern over relations between the younger journalists in the National Press and the Government, quarrelling with the Ministry of Information. [Manuscript and typescript copy].

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Correspondence between Leslie Rowan [Private Secretary to WSC], WSC and the Ministry of Information, including Brendan Bracken [Minister of Information], discussing an appropriate response to J Alfred Spender [former Editor, Westminster Gazette] and how to deal with press issues raised by him.

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Note by "J R C" [John Colville, Prime Minister's Private Secretary] to WSC explaining why a Life magazine article on the Queen [Elizabeth] was passed by the censors. Manuscript.

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Letter from Martin Russell (Ministry of Information) to [John] Colville [Prime Minister's Private Secretary] (10 Downing Street) explaining why a Life magazine article on the Queen [Elizabeth] was passed by the censors. Signed typescript.

Scope and Contents Prime Minister's printed personal minutes, June 1941.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (annotated with additional printed information) to: Sir Edward Bridges [Secretary to the War Cabinet]; General Sir Hastings Ismay [Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence]; Desmond Morton and F A Lindemann [later 1st Lord Cherwell, Prime Minister's Personal Assistants]; members of the Cabinet and other government ministers; the Chiefs of Staff.Subjects covered by the minutes include: the defence of...

Scope and Contents

Letter from WSC to [Alfred] Duff Cooper [Minister of Information, later 1st Lord Norwich advising him to avoid spending so much time away from London as comments have been passed on his "trying to run the Ministry of Information from Bognor" [Sussex]. [See CHAR 20/25/105 for a further copy].

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Letter from WSC to Harold Nicolson asking him to vacate his Office as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Information and become a member of the Board of Governors of the BBC instead.

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Letter from WSC to J Alfred Spender on improvements in the Ministry of Information and the Prime Minster's role.

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Letter from WSC to 2nd Lord Elibank informing him that lectures supplying information about the war are already being arranged by the Ministry of Information.

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Letter from [Alfred] Duff Cooper [Minister of Information, later 1st Lord Norwich] to WSC on finding employment for 2nd Lord Lytton: possible role as Chairman in reorganisation of the British Council which shares functions of Ministry of Information; suggests giving it authority over the arts to improve British cultural projects such as state-subsidised orchestras to compare with German operas. [Copy].

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Letter from Margot, Lady Oxford and Asquith [earlier Margot Asquith] to WSC asking for promotions for Sir Walter Monckton [Director-General, Ministry of Information] and Cyril Radcliffe [Ministry of Information]. [Manuscript and copy].

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Letter from Anthony Bevir [Private Secretary to WSC] to 6th Lord Hood [Private Secretary to Minister of Information], enclosing a letter [copy] from Arthur Woodburn criticising the Ministry; suggests it should broadcast a more positive message instead of concentrating on defeatists and treachery, also "better to have two ministers complementing each other, one with working class knowledge and experience and the other with the Eton outlook". [Manuscript original and copy].

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Note from Anthony Bevir [Private Secretary to WSC] on independent action taken by the Minister of Information [Alfred Duff Cooper, later 1st Lord Norwich] over the announcement of the appointment of the Duke of Windsor [earlier King Edward VIII and Edward, Prince of Wales]; suggests that such behaviour undermines authority.

Scope and Contents Prime Minister's printed personal minutes, March 1945.Includes texts of minutes from WSC (annotated with additional printed information) to: senior civil servants, including Sir Edward Bridges [Secretary to the War Cabinet]; members of the Cabinet and other government ministers; General Sir Hastings Ismay [Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence]; the Chiefs of Staff; the Chief Whip [James Stuart].Subjects covered by the minutes include: matters concerning Romania, Poland, the Netherlands,...