Public Diplomacy Department

This article is part of the Propaganda Portal project of Spinwatch.

The Public Diplomacy Department was set up in 1999/2000 as a successor to the Information Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Public Diplomacy Department (PDD) was a unit within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO, now Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office or FCDO) responsible for coordinating the UK's public diplomacy efforts, including cultural relations, media engagement, and international broadcasting support. It was established in 1999/2000 as the direct successor to the Information Department (dissolved ~1999/2000) and focused on promoting British values, policies, and image abroad in a post-Cold War context. The PDD emphasized "soft power" strategies—educational exchanges, cultural programs, digital outreach, and crisis communication—to build international partnerships, counter negative perceptions, and support foreign policy objectives. The department marked a shift from the more covert, Cold War-era propaganda of predecessors like the Information Research Department (IRD) and Information Department toward overt, transparent public engagement. It collaborated closely with the British Council (cultural relations), BBC World Service (international broadcasting), and private sector partners to deliver programs, with a strong emphasis on measuring impact through audience research, feedback, and performance indicators. The PDD's work included managing Middle East outreach, post-conflict communication in Iraq, and global campaigns on issues like counter-terrorism and climate change. By the mid-2000s, amid FCO efficiency drives and budget pressures, its functions were reorganized into broader engagement and communications directorates (e.g., Communications Directorate by 2006), with public diplomacy becoming a cross-cutting theme across the FCO/FCDO.

Activities

Managing the Middle East

The PDD played a significant role in coordinating public diplomacy efforts in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, aiming to foster mutual respect and understanding between the UK and Arab/Gulf communities. A key example occurred in early 2002, when the British Embassy in Dubai hosted an informal reception and private conference attended by press officers from British embassies across the Middle East, Gerard Russell (Head of the FCO's Islamic Media Unit), and officials from the Public Diplomacy Department. The event focused on aligning regional and London-based public diplomacy initiatives, including engagement with local communities and British expatriates. British Consul General Simon Collis stated: "Britain is trying to bring together the public diplomacy of the Middle East and North Africa with the public diplomacy in London and the related councils in the British Community." This reflected the PDD's emphasis on dialogue, cultural exchange, and countering negative perceptions post-9/11.

Propaganda in Iraq

During the 2003 Iraq War and its aftermath, the PDD oversaw the "Towards Freedom" initiative, a Coalition-run Arabic-language radio and television service broadcast directly to Iraqi audiences. Radio broadcasts began on 20 March 2003 (daily one-hour programs), with television launching on 10 April 2003 (hour-long programs). The first TV episode featured addresses by US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, recorded on 8 April 2003 during their talks in Northern Ireland. The service aimed to fill the "information gap" under Saddam Hussein's regime, providing balanced news, press reviews, public service announcements, and features on reconstruction, healthcare, women and children, politics, economy, culture, and personal stories. Presented by Iraqi journalists, content included Coalition explanations of intentions, humanitarian aid updates, and interviews (e.g., with Laith Kubba of the Iraqi National Group). The FCO's Public Diplomacy Department commissioned and ran Towards Freedom, with the Ministry of Defence (PJHQ at Northwood) covering TV programming costs. Production was outsourced to World Television (also producers of British Satellite News), with the first program produced in eight days. Broadcasts used existing Iraqi TV frequencies (via US aircraft Commando Solo and mobile SOMS-B systems) and radio frequencies (693 kHz mediumwave, 9715 kHz shortwave, 100.4 MHz FM), delivered from Fort Bragg (North Carolina) to Qatar and Iraq. The initiative was described as non-propaganda, focusing on "balanced, timely, relevant and interesting information" to build support and foster a free media sector. A consultative group of Iraqi community members in London advised on content. The service was a cross-government effort involving the FCO, MoD, and US Department of Defense.

Assisted Departures

Assisted departures (also called evacuations or repatriation flights) remained a core consular function of the FCO/FCDO after the Information Department's closure, with the Public Diplomacy Department and successors supporting crisis communication. The PDD's role included public briefings, media coordination, and online updates to manage expectations and counter misinformation during evacuations. Post-2000 examples include:

2011 Libya crisis: Organized charter flights from Tripoli and Benghazi; 4 nationals used FCO flight (charged), with ongoing options advised via public announcements. 2020 Wuhan coronavirus: Chartered flight evacuated British nationals and families from Wuhan; PDD/FCDO used social media and press releases for transparency.

These operations were funded from consular budgets, with costs sometimes recovered from evacuees (e.g., flights). Public diplomacy ensured clear messaging, reducing panic and supporting UK nationals abroad.

Activities

Managing the Middle East

The British government is trying to establish a dialogue with local community in a bid to establish mutual respect and understanding between Britons and residents in the Arab world and the Gulf region, said the British Consul General. This emerged from an informal reception hosted by the British Embassy in Dubai recently and was the outcome of a private conference attended by Press Officers from the British Embassies in the Middle East, along with Gerard Russel, the Head of the British Government's Islamic Media Unit, and  officials from the Public Diplomacy Department in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

Simon Collis, the British Consul General, said: "Britain is trying to bring together the public diplomacy of the Middle East and North Africa with the public diplomacy in London and the related councils in the British Community.

Propaganda in Iraq

Towards Freedom

Towards Freedom (TF) are radio and television services broadcast in Arabic direct to the people of Iraq. The radio service started broadcasting a daily one-hour Arabic-language programmes to Iraq on 20 March 2003.

The television service begun to broadcast daily hour-long Arabic-language television programmes designed to complement the radio on 10 April 2003.

The first episode will feature addresses by the president of the United States and the British prime minister to the people of Iraq. These were recorded especially for the programme on 8 April, during the president's and prime minister's talks in Northern Ireland.

There was a real need to fill the information gap that materialised in Iraq under Saddam's regime. The people of Iraq had no balance in the interpretation of events that was fed to them and there was no mechanism to allow the Coalition to explain its intentions.

In the long term, Iraq needs a free and open media sector which engages people in the debate needed to build a free and open society. But more immediately, the Coalition needs to be able to explain its activities, achievements and intentions direct to the people of Iraq. The mechanisms to do this didn't exist under Saddam.

Propaganda?

No. Although the Coalition wants to build support in as many ways as possible, as far as Towards Freedom goes, we think that balanced, timely, relevant and interesting information is the best way of doing this. Towards Freedom TV and radio services are designed to deliver this for the people of Iraq while Iraq gradually builds a free and open media sector.

What will be broadcast?

Presented by Iraqi journalists, the programmes include regular items, highlights and features likely to interest an Iraqi audience, as well as Coalition public service announcements.

Regular Items

News: Towards Freedom's first news bulletin will bring its Iraqi audience up to date on developments so far. The aim is gradually to start to fill the information gap that Saddam's propaganda allowed to develop. Towards Freedom's news aims build a balanced picture of developments in Iraq. This will include giving the international Coalition the opportunity to explain its intentions direct to the people of Iraq. Supporting analysis and comment by Iraqis will explain what this means for Iraq.

Press Review: The first programme will feature a review of the London press. It will also review a regional newspaper from Basra, the first publication to report about developments in Iraq in a way that shows that it is independent of the Ba'th regime and Saddam. As an independent press develops in Iraq, we plan to review other publications as well.

Public Service Announcements: Towards Freedom will include these announcements designed to address immediate practical issues. For example, to encourage people to stay at work and carry on working normally; to warn them about paramilitary activity and let them know about newspaper distribution.

Features: Towards Freedom will include feature items about key issues for the people of Iraq, including reconstruction, healthcare, women and children, political and economic developments, culture and personal stories. The first television programme will feature an interview with Laith Kubba, a representative of the Iraqi National Group, a report on the recent meeting between the prime minister and Iraqi opposition leaders, a report on humanitarian aid for Iraq, a report on Umm Qasr and an arts feature.

How will people know about it?

The programme will be broadcast on one of the frequencies of existing Iraqi television channels so Iraqi television sets will already be tuned in to receive it. The radio service is publicised through leaflet drops which list the frequencies on which it is broadcast. As more channels open to us we will let people know about the television service using the radio service, leaflets, by word of mouth and other Iraqi media as these become available.

An alternative to Iraqi television

This will be the first time that most viewers will have had an alternative to Iraqi state TV and the first direct opportunity to get honest news and information about their country. For years the regime exercised absolute control over the media, except in the Kurdish enclaves in the north. Satellite dishes were illegal. And the subscription fee for the very limited and censored satellite television was that was only recently provided was well beyond the means of all but those who were close to the regime. The media could be described as "totalitarian". Characteristics included a flood of slogans and propaganda to citizens; efforts to persuade people that Saddam was a God-like figure who never made mistakes and news bulletins which reported mainly on Saddam's activities.

How will the programme be brought to the people of Iraq?

Towards Freedom is a remarkable team effort. It is the first time so many UK government departments and international Coalition partners have worked so closely together on such a project.

The concept of Towards Freedom came from a cross-government information working group, supported by the UK National Contingent Headquarters in Doha.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's public diplomacy department commissioned and runs Towards Freedom. The Ministry of Defence's Permanent Joint Head Headquarters (PJHQ) at Northwood is meeting the television programming costs.

The programming is outsourced to World Television, the company which also produces British Satellite News. The production team was set up, and the first programme produced, in just eight days. The first programme will be seen in Iraq at 1200 gmt (1300 bst) on 10 April.

The United States of America's Department of Defence assets are delivering the broadcasts in Iraq. The programme will be broadcast primarily from a US aircraft called Commando Solo, a highly modified C-130 (Hercules-type) aircraft that has flying radio and television transmission capability.

Careful consultation

The programmes' content is agreed in close consultation with Iraqis, across government, with Coalition headquarters in Doha, staff in Iraq and other stakeholders, including Iraqis in Iraq. A consultative group or Sounding Board of members of the Iraqi community in London advises us about the content of the programmes to help make them relevant.

Cutting-edge technology

World Television sends the completed programme daily by satellite in the late evening to the US base of 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. From Fort Bragg, it is rebroadcast by military satellite to Qatar, recorded on to videotape and loaded into a video player on board Commando Solo. Fort Bragg can also send the programme to mobile US radio and television broadcasting systems called SOMS-B (Special Operations Media System-B) which allow it to be rebroadcast from different locations in Iraq. Commando Solo broadcasts on 693 kHz mediumwave, 9715 kHz shortwave and 100.4 MHz FM; SOMS-B on 756 kHz mediumwave and 11292 kHz shortwave.

The television signal will be broadcast from the aircraft and SOMS-B systems to ordinary television sets on frequencies that were used by the regime's domestic television services. So the people of Iraq will be able to turn on their televisions and view news and information about their country from the Coalition, as though it were coming from their local terrestrial transmitter. In due course the programmes will also be broadcast by US Special Operations Command mobile radio and television stations.

People

The Public Diplomacy Department had a small core team of diplomats and communication specialists, with many roles short-term or advisory. Detailed staffing lists are not fully public, but known heads and key figures from FCO reports, directories, and parliamentary records are listed below.

Public Diplomacy Department of the Foreign Office (created 2000; dissolved ~2006)
Name	Dates of service	Other roles	Notes
John S. Buck	2000–2003	Head of Department	Oversaw transition from Information Department; Later Ambassador to Portugal (2004–2007).
Paul D. Madden, C.M.G.	2003–2004	Head of Department	Later High Commissioner to Australia (2006–2010) and Ambassador to Japan (2017–2021).
Timothy P.N. Livesay	2004–2006	Head of Department	Later Ambassador to Albania (2009–2012).
Jolyon R. Welsh	2006–2008	Head of Department	Later Director for the Americas.
Richard de R. Morgan	2008–2010	Head of Department	Later Deputy Head of Mission in Washington.
Gerard Russell	2001–2004	Head of the FCO's Islamic Media Unit	Frequently collaborated on Middle East public diplomacy conferences and outreach; Later Ambassador to Bahrain (2010–2012).
Simon Collis	2001–2003	British Consul General Dubai	Hosted PDD-related events on Middle East public diplomacy dialogue; Later Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (2015–2020).
Mark Leonard	2000s	External expert/advisor to PDD	Contributed to public diplomacy strategy papers and reports; Director of the Foreign Policy Centre (1999–2007).
Simon Anholt	2000s	External consultant/advisor	Nation-branding expert who influenced PDD measurement and strategy frameworks.
David Reddaway	2002–2006	Deputy Head / senior policy role	Brother of Norman Reddaway (IRD era); Later Ambassador to Ireland (2011–2015).