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Britain, America and Anti-Communist Propaganda 1945-53

The Information Research Department

By Andrew Defty

Published May 3rd 2013 by Routledge – 312 pages

Series: Studies in Intelligence

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    Description

    In the Cold War battle for hearts and minds Britain was the first country to formulate a coordinated global response to communist propaganda. In January 1948, the British government launched a new propaganda policy designed to 'oppose the inroads of communism' by taking the offensive against it.' A small section in the Foreign Office, the innocuously titled Information Research Department (IRD), was established to collate information on communist policy, tactics and propaganda, and coordinate the discreet dissemination of counter-propaganda to opinion formers at home and abroad.

    Reviews

    'This is an admirable book on an important subject, and all the better for being commendably brief.' - Michael Herman in The Naval Review

    Contents

    Introduction: Historians, the media and British Cold War propaganda 1. The Origins of Britain's Anti-Communist Propaganda Policy, 1945-47 2. Launching the New Propaganda Policy, 1948 3. Building a Concerted Counter-offensive: Co-operation with other powers 4. Close and Continuous Liaison: British and American co-operation, 1950-51 5. A Global Propaganda Offensive: Churchill and the revival of political warfare 6. A New Strategy of Political Warfare

    Author Bio

    Andrew Defty was awarded his Ph.D by the University of Salford in 2002. He is a graduate of Salford's MA in Inrelligence and International Relations, and has lectured on intelligence, US-UK relations and the Cold War. this is his first book. He has published articles in the journal Intelligence and National Security and is editor of the newsletter of the Security and Intelligence Studies Group (SISG).

    Name: Britain, America and Anti-Communist Propaganda 1945-53: The Information Research Department (Paperback) – Routledge 
    Description: By Andrew Defty. In the Cold War battle for hearts and minds Britain was the first country to formulate a coordinated global response to communist propaganda. In January 1948, the British government launched a new propaganda policy designed to 'oppose the...
    Categories: Politics & International Relations, British Politics