The Secret History of PWE: The Political Warfare Executive 1939-1945

by David Garnett, Andrew Roberts (Introduction)

Of all Britain's secret intelligence organizations, the least known is the Political Warfare Executive, developed to conduct psychological warfare against the Nazis. The PWE's history has now been declassified by the Cabinet Office and released, 50 years after it had been completed and consigned to Whitehall's secret archives. David Garnett's book tells of how such resourceful intellects as Richard Crossman, Sefton Delmer, Leonard Ingrams, and Valentine Williams waged a covert campaign against the enemy, using such unorthodox, ingenious methods as black propaganda and "false flag" radio broadcasts. It also reveals the internal conflicts with the BBC, Special Operations Executive, and the Secret Intelligence Service. At best a handbook of how to undermine an adversary and at worst a tale of breathtaking incompetence and political infighting, this volume aims to add a missing dimension to recent disclosures of Britain's covert wartime operations.

528 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2002

About the author

David Garnett, known as "Bunny", was an English writer and publisher. A prominent member of the Bloomsbury Group, Garnett received literary recognition when his novel Lady into Fox, an allegorical fantasy, was awarded the 1922 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. He ran a bookshop near the British Museum with Francis Birrell during the 1920s. He also founded (with Francis Meynell) the Nonesuch Press. He wrote the novel Aspects of Love (1955), on which the later Andrew Lloyd-Webber musical was based.

He was the son of Richard Garnett. His first wife was the illustrator and author Ray Garnett (née Marshall) with whom he had two sons including Richard Garnett. His second wife was Angelica Bell. His mother was the translator Constance Garnett.

Reviews

[Alexey Goldin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dry, but informative account of British propaganda during WW2. Recommended if you enjoy digging in dusty corners of WW2 history, skip otherwise.