8,000 declassified files reveal Britain's covert Cold War propaganda operations and lessons for today.

Research Seminar:

FAKERS: Lessons from the Rise and Fall of Cold War Counter-Disinformation

This research seminar explores the role of covert propaganda during the Cold War - and what this reveals about disinformation and counter-disinformation today. It draws on 8000 recently declassified files to tell the story of the rise and fall of the UK's top secret black propaganda team. Through fakes, forgeries, phantom organisations, and covert media operations, the unit sought to expose covert influence, shape political debates, and counter hostile propaganda across the world. Some of the operations were comically absurd, others dangerously controversial. Cold War history reveals the dilemmas of operating amid uncertainty, competing narratives, and shifting political realities. The rise and eventual downfall of Britain’s covert counter-disinformation effort offers timely lessons about truth, credibility, influence, and "success" in today’s information environment

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