Sir Humphrey Appleby: Bernard, the minutes do not record everything that was said at a meeting, do they?
Bernard Woolley: Well, no, of course not.
Sir Humphrey Appleby: And people change their minds during a meeting, don't they?
Bernard Woolley: Well, yes.
Sir Humphrey Appleby: So the actual meeting is a mass of ingredients for you to choose from.
Bernard Woolley: Oh, like cooking.
Sir Humphrey Appleby: Like--no, not like cooking, Bernard. Better not use that word in connection with books or minutes. You choose from a jumble of ill-digested ideas a version which represents the Prime Ministers views as he would, on reflection, have liked them to emerge.
Bernard Woolley: But if it's not a true record...
Sir Humphrey Appleby: The purpose of minutes is not to record events. It is to protect people. You do not take notes if the Prime Minister says something he did not mean to say, particularly if it contradicts something he has said publicly. You try to improve on what has been said, put it in a better order. You are tactful.
Bernard Woolley: But how do I justify that?
Sir Humphrey Appleby: You are his servant.
Bernard Woolley: Oh, yes.
Sir Humphrey Appleby: A minute... is a note for the record and a statement of action, if any, that was agreed upon. Now, what happened in the meeting?
Bernard Woolley: Well, the book was discussed, and the Solicitor General advised there were no legal grounds for suppressing it.
Sir Humphrey Appleby: And did the Prime Minister accept what the Solicitor General had said?
Bernard Woolley: Well, He accepted the fact there were no legal grounds for suppression, but...
Sir Humphrey Appleby: He accepted the fact that there were no legal grounds for suppression. You see?
Bernard Woolley: Oh.
Sir Humphrey Appleby: Is that a lie?
Bernard Woolley: No.
Sir Humphrey Appleby: Can you write it in the minutes?
Bernard Woolley: Yes.
Sir Humphrey Appleby: How's your conscience?
Bernard Woolley: Much better, thank you.