Ext 6765/46 'Requests by Political Resident Persian Gulf for copies of General Instructions, Regulations (Orders in Council) etc for the Residency' [‎9r] (17/158)

[ Y 8638/8638/650 ]
^ CIRCULAR No. 0193
Top Secret
Foreign Office,
24:th November, 1947
Economies on Communications: Report
My dear
AS you know from the Chief Clerk’s circular letter No. 0177 of
14th October, we have recently had our communications system under
examination with a view to effecting economies. The Treasury some
months ago drew my attention to the heavy cost of our communications
and asked whether anything could be done about it. I accordingly
requested the newly-appointed Director of Communications, Brigadier
Gambier-Parry, to let me have a report, with recommendations.
2. A copy of the report, which I have now approved, is enclosed.
It is, I am afraid, necessarily rather long but I shall be grateful if you
and the appropriate members of your staff will study it carefully. You
will see that its two main sections deal with telegrams and bags,
respectively, and that a summary of the recommendations is given in
the last paragraph.
Summary of Report
3. As to telegrams, we hope to be able to cut them down con
siderably in number and length (a) by producing time-tables for Foreign
Office bags and for the air-mail and ordinary posts so that telegrams shall
not be sent when other and cheaper means of communication would
do; (b) by circulating revised instructions enjoining economy; and
(c) by maintaining a close scrutiny of telegrams and making sure that
the rules are observed. It is really, I think, mainly for lack of strength
in the scrutiny staff that our existing rules have largely fallen by the
wayside.
4. We hope, too, to be able to effect savings by extending the use
of the Diplomatic Wireless Service and, in due course, the relay system
for telegrams in suitable cases. The eventual introduction of machine
cyphering and decyphering should also, in the long run, produce a great
saving in man-power and money.
His Majesty’s Representative
at
14480 34411—42