The Fog of War: Censorship of Canada's Media in World War II

by Mark Bourrie

Historian and journalist Mark Bourrie is the first researcher to gain access to all of the files of Canada’s World War II press censors: Nazi spies in Montreal and Ottawa. U-boat attacks in the St. Lawrence. Japanese balloon bombs drifting over the Rockies and onto the Canadian Prairies. Army mutinies in British Columbia and Ontario. Pro-Hitler propaganda in the mainstream Quebec press. Nazi spies landing on Canadian shores by raft after launching from submarines. These stories were expunged from the Canadian press in World War II, yet are still not part of the public memory. Journalist, editor, and author Mark Bourrie’s research will change the way you think about Canadain World War II.

Genres: Nonfiction, Canada, History, Politics

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[M.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bourrie's "The Fog of War" explores the little examined records of the small cadre of government censors during World War II and discovers an overworked group of men that resisted the desire of politicians and the military to overuse censorship and was concerned about the complacency of the press. It is not a war book, per se, but provides valuable insight into the rarely discussed Canadian home front.

[Barth Siemens · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting, historical account of the challenges of censorship during World World II. The author does a great job of presenting the many perspectives and sides of this difficult topic; his description of the internal and external conflict for the censors themselves breathes life into this book.

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book that contained much detail about how the release of information during the wars that Canada had participated.It was a lot of research on the authors part and also showed how the information imparted to the nation was censored to provoke patriotism.