Department of Propaganda in Enemy Countries
| Crewe House Electra House | |
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The Department of Propaganda in Enemy Countries was a wartime propaganda, psychological warfare, and communications department of the British Foreign Office and the Ministry of Information. It was active during both World Wars, being originally established in February 1918, during the First World War. During that war, the department was known more commonly as Crewe House, eponymously named after the building in which it was established. It was directed by Viscount Northcliffe, and maintained as its leaders high persons of British society, such as H. G. Wells and Hamilton Fyfe.
During the Second World War, the department became known as Electra House, Department Electra House, Department EH, or simply EH. The director of the department for the duration of the Second World War was Campbell Stuart. As such, the department was sometimes referred to as CS. Electra House was the eponymously derived name from the Electra House buildings at No. 84 Moorgate, and on the Victoria Embankment at No. 4 Temple Place. The department's London headquarters were at the Moorgate building, but the building on the Victoria Embankment served as expanded offices and as an emergency site for relocation should the first building be bombed. Both of the Electra House buildings were bombed. As a result of the bombings, the department's Country Headquarters (CHQ) were expanded to Woburn Abbey.
Regarding the nature of propaganda, Campbell Stuart wrote:
"What is propaganda? It is the presentation of a case in such a way that others may be influenced. In so far as its use against an enemy is concerned, the subject matter employed must not be self-evidently propagandist. Except in special circumstances, its origin should be completely concealed. As a general rule, too, it is desirable to hide the channels of communication."
In 1940, Electra House was merged with the Section for Destruction of the Secret Intelligence Service, and another department in the War Office called Military Intelligence (Research), to form the Special Operations Executive (SOE).