Black Propaganda

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

Black Propaganda is a form of information that is spread by one source, and is produced to look as if it has come from another source. The whole idea behind Black propaganda is that it is convincing enough to be accepted as something other than what it really is. Its defining feature is that it intends to subvert and deceive its audience in regard to its origins. The moment that Black Propaganda is recognised to be fake, it ceases to be effective as Black Propaganda. Being defined by its subversive nature, the information given in Black Propaganda does not necessarily have to be fabricated, it can be true or false .

It has been argued that the best wartime Black Propaganda was often based on truth. The truth it told may have only been partial, but it could still relate to a disturbing fact that the audience’s Government would rather they did not know . Black Propaganda was utilised heavily during both the First World War and the Second World War, with the purpose of disrupting the enemy side’s will to carry on fighting .

It is argued that this kind of Propaganda is notoriously hard to create convincingly, requiring a great knowledge and cultural understanding of the source which it is mimicking. When creating material in another language, for example, a single grammatical error or unusual use of language can reveal that the author is not a native speaker, and cast the Black Propaganda into doubt.

Case Studies

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The War Propaganda Bureau

During the First World War the British Government established the War Propaganda Bureau as a means of promoting Britain’s interests and viewpoints during the war. Famous writers, such as Arthur Conan Doyle, Thomas Hardy and H. G. Wells, agreed to secretly author publications that would then go on to be distributed under the guise of a commercial printing company. One such piece was the Report on Alleged German Outrages, created to back up the idea that German soldiers systematically tortured Belgian civilians.

The Political Warfare Executive

During the Second World War an organisation called the Political Warfare Executive was set up by the British Government, with the sole aim of producing Black Propaganda to demoralise Axis troops and citizens. Throughout the 1940s, this organisation created postcards which would be airdropped or mailed directly to German citizens. These postcards were created to mimic misdirected German communications, and detailed demoralising reports, like how German officers were frequently enjoying lavish banquets whilst the rest of the population starved under rationing.

Counterfeit Ration Cards

During the Second World War, Allied propaganda efforts extended to the forgery of German food ration cards, delivered by the millions into Germany through RAF air drops. The intention was that German civilians could easily acquire additional food rations, stressing domestic food supplies and rationing capabilities in Germany.

Black Broadcasting

As part of Britain’s Black Broadcasting efforts during the Second World War, numerous covert radio stations were broadcasting on medium or short wavelengths across Axis-occupied Europe. One of these stations, Soldatensender Calais, reportedly had a larger audience than official German radio stations, and was considered an accurate news source. Radio stations like Soldatensender Calais reported both real German news and fabricated propaganda. Describing the content of such black broadcasters, Denis Delmer, the head of black operations, says that their motto was “cover, dirt, cover, cover, dirt, cover, dirt”.

Resources

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• Dedman College of Humanities & Sciences, Black Propaganda: An account of multiple incidences of Black Propaganda by the Allies during the Second World War.
• Robert Rowan, Gray and Black Radio Propaganda against Nazi Germany: A look into Black Broadcasting efforts by both the Allies and Axis during the Second World War.
• Psywar, The Story of Cornflakes, Pig Iron and Sheet Iron: A study into many types of printed black propaganda during the Second World War.
• John Simpkin, Black Propaganda: Various accounts of black propaganda use during the First World War.
• Debra Kelly, The Difference Between Gray, White And Black Propaganda: A comparative definition of black propaganda
• National Library of Scotland, Second World War black propaganda: A description and links to images of various black propaganda leaflets during the Second World War

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