Catalogue description Foreign Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Information Research Department; Registered Files (O, RJ and V Prefix)

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Details of FCO 168
Reference: FCO 168
Title: Foreign Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Information Research Department; Registered Files (O, RJ and V Prefix)
Description:

The collection contains policy files of the Information Research Department in different series documenting the policy and workings of the IRD in different areas of the world. It also contains general admin files on the day to day running of the department.

Date: 1951-2012
Arrangement:

This series is arranged by file prefix order.

Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Former reference in its original department: O, RJ and V prefix
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Language: English
Creator:

Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1968-

Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Information Research Department, 1968-1977

Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Overseas Information Department, 1977-1980

Foreign Office, Information Research Department, 1948-1968

Physical description: 8305 file(s)
Access conditions: Open unless otherwise stated
Immediate source of acquisition:

From 2018 Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Selection and destruction information: Selected under Records Collection Policy
Accruals: Series is accruing
Administrative / biographical background:

The Foreign Office Information Research Department (IRD) was formed in 1948 to combat Soviet propaganda and communist influence worldwide. It became the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Information Research Department in 1968 until 1977. Initially operating mainly in Western Europe and South East Asia, it later expanded to South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean/Latin America and also operated within the UK creating different series of policy and general administration files on the workings of the IRD in different areas of the world.

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