KL
POLICY COMMITTEE
EMPIRE PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN
Paper for discussion on Tuesday, 1st October, 1940

Since the outbreak of war the Ministry of Information has been engaged in long-term publicity about the British Empire both at home and abroad. It is now proposed to intensify this effort by a specific ‘Empire’ campaign in this country over a period of ten weeks beginning on Monday, October 7th. It will be conducted by means of press advertisements, posters, films, talks and features by the B.B.C. and by addresses at public meetings, clubs and so on.

The Campaign has two related objectives. In the first place, it is intended to drive home the fact that in spite of Hitler's temporary domination of a large part of Europe, Great Britain is not engaged in this great struggle alone, but as the senior partner in a world-wide organisation, which includes the self-governing Dominions, the 380 millions of India, and a great Colonial Empire. The theme is therefore of an Empire of tremendous power, which by working in full co-operation, is bringing into the fight reserves of man power, industrial equipment for the production of armaments of all kinds and aircraft, and vast supplies of essential raw materials and food supplies. By giving a vivid factual presentation of the growing war effort and resources of each part of the Empire-Commonwealth an impressive and inspiring picture can be built up in the mind of the public.

The theme that we are members of a powerful team leads directly to the question - ‘Why are all these communities, scattered across the earth, different in race, culture and religion, providing a demonstration of enthusiastic co-operation in a world-war?’ The answer to that question forms the second and larger theme of the Campaign.

The Nazis are proclaiming loud and long that they are creating ‘a new world order’. In fact, they are merely resurrecting the old vicious idea of a slave Empire in which the subjugated races are held down by force and exploited for the benefit of the herrenvolk - ‘the master folk’. It is not the Nazis and the Gestapo who have the goods to deliver, so to speak, for the postwar world, but the British Commonwealth. This is true because the Empire has been gradually transformed from being a political organisation owing obedience to central authority in London to an association of free and equal partners. It is in itself a League of Nations.

The same progressive and creative process is at work in India, which is rapidly approaching the goal of full nationhood, and in many other communities in the Colonial Empire which are moving towards the same level of political and economic maturity.

P.T.O

The British Commonwealth of Nations is thus a unique political achievement. By combining national freedom with international co-operation it has done pioneer work which may well prove of inestimable value after the war to a world riven by the debasement of nationalism. Perhaps the chief need to-day is to translate the vague- word ‘Freedom’ into concrete terms.

There is, of course, no question about the British determination to ‘stick it out’ and eventually to conquer: but if the public is fully apprised of what it is fighting for in preserving the Commonwealth, the comparatively negative sentiment of ‘defeating Nazi Germany’ will be reinforced by a positive and dynamic faith. A nation in arms, possessed by such a faith, becomes irresistible.

The public in general still tends to think of the Empire in terms of the last war - as a mother Country with dependent “Colonies” which rushed to her aid out of loyalty to their “Homeland”. Moreover, there are large sections of the community whose minds are strongly prejudiced against the Empire owing to ignorance of the evolution which has transformed British Imperialism.

A Campaign which enlightened the public by illustrating the true character of the Commonwealth during the grim months immediately ahead would produce the effect of reassuring them that, despite the suffering and dislocation of bombing attacks, possible invasion, and possible reverses in Africa, the future of the war was in their hands, because they were part of a world-wide and immensely powerful association of nations. This theme could be widened, as the war effort of our Allies matured and American assistance increased, to the conception of all the free nations of the world working in combination for the overthrow of tyranny, thus justifying the hope of a great Spring offensive.

H.V.H.

27th September, 1940