Foreign Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office: British Information Service,...

This series contains registered files produced in the overseas offices of the British Information Service in the course of their work.

Some British Information Service post files may be found in the relevant series of consular or embassy files for the post concerned.

• Foreign and Commonwealth Office, British Information Service, 1968-1968
• Foreign Office, British Information Service, 1946-1968

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Topics

International

The British Information Service based in overseas posts originated in the corps of Press Attaches who were appointed between the First and Second World Wars to the more important posts to advise ministers and ambassadors on public opinion in the countries concerned. They also liaised with journalists and, later, broadcasters, British and foreign, working in the countries concerned.

During the war, all information service work was taken over (and greatly expanded) by the Ministry of Information, which remained in charge of overseas information work until 1946. The ministry's overseas representatives were attached to diplomatic missions and responsible to the head of the post for their local work, but were paid for and supplied by the ministry.

On the dissolution of the Ministry of Information in 1946, the Foreign Office assumed control of all foreign information work, and the service was known as the British Information Service. Information Officers since then have covered the whole field of British publicity directed towards foreign countries, except for the cultural and educational work of the British Council.