Case Study: The Enemy WithinThe dangers of carelessness were a constant theme throughout wartime posters: the dangers of throwing away unlit cigarettes; thoughtless fuel consumption; and wastage of scarce goods. The biggest campaign, however, that was addressed in many different ways and styles throughout the war by the government was the campaigns against rumour and ‘careless talk’. This chapter focuses in on the campaign and the concepts associated with it, such as the ‘Fifth Column’, which became the ‘Silent Column’. Although a phrase largely associated with the Cold War, the term ‘the enemy within’ is clearly evident in the careless talk campaigns.
The chapter considers the growth of modern communication measures that meant that ‘careless talk’ was more dangerous. The chapter considers the place of spies within a war, although there is not necessarily an obvious representation of spies in posters – as the idea was that they were indistinguishable from ‘normal’ folk. The chapter considers the fears of a ‘Fifth Column’, a phrase born in the Spanish Civil War. In 1940, many were interned because of fears of spies, we look at the previous history of internment, and the process of internment in 1940. Various aspects of the ‘careless talk’ campaign are considered.
- Allinson (Colonel) A History of Modern Espionage 1965
- Boyle, A. The Climate of Treason: Five Who Spied for Russia 1979 (Out of Print)
- Buchanan, T. Britain and the Spanish Civil War 1997
- Doherty, M. Nazi Wireless Propaganda: Lord Haw-Haw and British Public Opinion in the Second World War 2000 See More…
- Gainer, B. Alien Invasion: The Origins of the Aliens Act of 1905 1972 (Out of Print)
- Knightley, P. The Second Oldest Profession:: Spies and Spying in the Twentieth Century 1988/2003
Further books need to be added to this section, and the summary needs to be updated.
See PhD Proposal and Bibliography
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