This British overseas information agency, eventually housed within the Foreign Office, is best known for its campaigns in the United States. BIS was founded in 1941 as part of a consolidation of the various British information offices working in the United States to combat American neutrality. The word “service” was borrowed from the existing British Press Service (BPS), which was founded in New York the previous year. The word “service” had been selected by British ambassador Lord Lothian (1882—1940) as an alternative to the terms “propaganda” (taboo since World War I) and “relations,” which Lothian felt had been debased by both commerce and U.S. government overuse.
BIS played an important role in smoothing Anglo-American relations during the war years and thereafter. Branches in other locations followed, and BIS offices became an important mechanism of overt British propaganda during the Cold War. Between 1952 and 1954 the whole system of British publicity overseas—including BIS, the British Council, and the BBC World Service—was scrutinized by the Drogheda inquiry but managed to survive. As John Dumbrell has noted, BIS offices in the United States played a significant role in the 1970s and 1980s, promoting Britain’s view of the conflict in Northern Ireland. Activities included the distribution of specially produced television segments on the crisis.
