British “Black” Productions: Forgeries, Front Groups, and Propaganda, 1951–1977

Cormac, Rory

Abstract

Recently declassified files reveal a sustained black propaganda campaign conducted by the United Kingdom at the height of the Cold War. This article examines around 350 operations in which the UK spread propaganda through forgeries and notional groups. Placing the campaign in its broader global history, the article demonstrates that UK black propaganda predominantly targeted Soviet activity in Africa and Asia as part of the post-colonial battle for influence. It argues not only that the UK engaged in more black propaganda than historians assume, but that this was often offensive and aggressive: seeking to disrupt, attack and sow chaos as much as simply to expose lies. Although much of the content was broadly accurate, the fake sources deliberately deceived audiences in order to encourage a reaction, incite violence, or incite racial tensions.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 26, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Sep 2, 2022
• Publication Date: Sep 2, 2022
• Deposit Date: Sep 22, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 2, 2022
• Journal: Journal of Cold War Studies
• Print ISSN: 1520-3972
• Electronic ISSN: 1531-3298
• Publisher: MIT Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 24
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 4-42
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1162/jcws_a_01087
• Keywords: Political Science and International Relations; History
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/6295895
• Publisher URL: https://direct.mit.edu/jcws/article-abstract/24/3/4/112897/British-Black-ProductionsForgeries-Front-Groups?redirectedFrom=fulltext
• Additional Information: Accepted for publication in Journal of Cold War Studies