1 Telegrams: Telephone: 'Contitute, Phone, London' Victoria 9740 (11 lines) The National Unionist Association
Of Conservative and Liberal Unionist Organizations Joint Principal Agents Sir John Boraston } Honorary Secretaries
William Jenkins Thomas Cox, Secretary Private Unionist Central Office,
1.Sanctuary Buildings,
Great Smith Street, S.W.1 February 15th, 1919. Dear Mr. Dawson Bates, The Press Department of this Office has been
communicating with you with reference to obtaining informa-
tion on newspapers in Ireland, and you were good enough in
your letter of February 10th to send a list of the Irish
Unionist Agents. Captain Malcolm Fraser has not, however,
been demobilised yet, and pending his return, I wonder
whether, if I explained matters, you would be kind enough
to assist. We are obtaining from the Agents in the English and
Scottish Constituencies detailed information as to the Local
Press. Forms similar to the enclosed have been sent to each
Agent and when all the forms have been returned, they will be
classified and we shall then have a complete survey of the
politics, etc., of the Press of the country. We took similar
action in 1912 and on the result we were able to base a series
of Press services which we sent out weekly to the various local 2 and other papers, and by this means we were able to supply,
chiefly the smaller Press, with Leaders, Articles and House
of Commons Sketches, each of which did not overlap the neigh-
bouring paper's territory. In this way we were enabled to
obtain excellent and widespread propaganda of the right kind.
In order efficiently to do this, you will, I know, realise
how necessary it is to have the detailed information for
which the form asks from each constituency. Can you advise
me how this can beat be done so far as Ireland is concerned?
Would it perhaps be wiser to supply you with the blank forms
and encroach on your courtesy by asking you to forward them
to the Agents to obtain the necessary details and then return
them out to us here? I am sorry to trouble you in this manner but I think
that the importance and urgency of the matter will prove
sufficent excuse. Yours sincerely, John Boraston.