/Leu,     fo** ci.j[
Extract from Minutes of Meeting of
British Joint Staff Mission held on
Tuesday, November 4th 1941 (M,M.(41
_3Gth Meeting;)_
l.   British r^QUir^:u;TS for t^chkxcal o??ic2h3 tap;:
THE UKIT3D STATES.
(Previous Reference:   11.::. (41) 25th Meet inf.:,
ETnute 1).
QUI. (41) 199).
TIE COMMITTEE had before the a Note by "Ir, Cribbet
of the Royal Air Force Delegation (L.:;.(41) 199),
MR. CRIB3ETT explained that with regard to the
technical officers required for the fighting services,
the      Service Departments had agreed chat these
officers could be commissioned into the British fi-htin^
services, and paid at Canadian rates of pay. However,
while the Admiralty v;ere prepared to grant comissions
on entry in the rani: of Acting Lieutenant at the rate
of $5 a day, the Army and the Royal Air For?.2 were only
prepared to commission these officers into "no lowest
ranks;    and it was therefore doubtful vhetiu-, in view
of the low pay which they would receive, many
volunteers v/ould be forthcoming.
In the course of discussion, difficulties
were foreseen in view of the anomalies in pay
which would arise should these American technical
officers be paid at Canadian rates, whereas
American volunteers serving as operational pilots
in the Royal Air Force were only being paid at
British rates.    It was felt that this difficulty
might to some extent be overcome if only the
comparable British rates were actually paid to the
technical officers, while the difference between
these and the Canadian rates could be credited to
them in the United States.
With reference to the existing British-
recruited Civilian Technical Corps, MR. CRIBBBTT
explained that about 700 had already been recruited,
and that it was hoped that the United States would
set up an American-recruited Civilian Technical
Corps, to whom more attractive rates of pay would
be offered.     In this event, it was probable that
most of the original British-recruited Civilian
Technical Corps *7ould wish to turn over to the
American organisation.
With regard to the recruitment of technical
officers, Mr. Cribbett proposed:-
(a) That for the defence forces (Annex "A11
to M.U.(41) 199), the following procedure should
be adopted:-
(i) Pursue the possibility of direct
recruitment" into the three British
Services through the medium of the
Clayton Knight Committee.
(ii) Establish the true nature of the
"Conant" scheme, and if suitable nake
further use of it to supplement (i)
above if necessary.
(iii) If (i) and (ii) above did not have
the desired effect, then an approach
should be made to the U.S.
authorities, with the suggestion that
;m officer section of the American-
recruited Civilian Technical Corps
should be created, if and when this
organisation was set up.
(b) Txhat for the Surely Departments (Annex 11BM
to Li.!;.(41) 199) an officer section of the
Civilian Technical Corps, referred to in (a)(iii)
above, should be the first line of approach; and
that if this did not materialise, it would be
necessary to explore the possibility of obtaining
civilians^of the required professions.
THS COlU ilTTEiS: -
Invited Mr. Cribbett, in consultation
as necessary with the ot.ier
Departments, to pursue the matter on
the lines set out above.
-2