Catalogue description Foreign Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Information Research Department: General Correspondence (PR and IR Series)

This series contains registered and miscellaneous files of the Information Research Department (IRD) concerning the provision of anti-Communist information via British overseas missions and posts and other outlets, such as regional information offices. The series covers the relationship between IRD and other government departments such as the Ministry of Defence and the Central Office of Information, as well as the British Broadcasting Corporation; IRD's relations with Western European governments including the United States; persons of interest; and the establishment of IRD's working methods. The files reveal the difficulties encountered by the existing services in carrying out IRD work which fell outside orthodox Foreign Office activity.

For later IRD files, see FCO 95.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1968-

Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Information Department, 1980-2002

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

From 1995 Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The Information Research Department was formed in 1948 to collect information concerning Communist policy, tactics and propaganda and to provide material for anti-Communist publicity. In 1968, the department became the responsibility of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.