Black propaganda Black propaganda is false information and material that purports to be from a source on one side of a conflict , but is actually from the opposing side . It is typically used to vilify , embarrass or misrepresent the enemy . Black propaganda contrasts with grey propaganda , the source of which is not identified , and white propaganda , in which the real source is declared and usually more accurate information is given , albeit slanted , distorted and omissive . Black propaganda is covert in nature in that its aims , identity , significance , and sources are hidden . The major characteristic of black propaganda is that the people are not aware that someone is trying to influence them , and do not feel that they are being pushed in a certain direction . Black propaganda purports to emanate from a source other than the true source . This type of propaganda is associated with covert psychological operations . Sometimes the source is concealed or credited to a false authority and spreads lies , fabrications , and deceptions . Black propaganda is the " big lie , " including all types of creative deceit . Black propaganda relies on the willingness of the receiver to accept the credibility of the source . If the creators or senders of the black propaganda message do not adequately understand their intended audience , the message may be misunderstood , seem suspicious , or fail altogether . Governments will generally conduct black propaganda operations for two different reasons . First , by using black propaganda a government is more likely to succeed in convincing their target audience that the information that they are seeking to influence them with is disguised and that its motivations are not apparent . Second , there are diplomatic reasons behind the use of black propaganda . Black propaganda is necessary to obfuscate a government ' s involvement in activities that may be detrimental to its foreign policies . Black propaganda in World War II . British . In the United Kingdom , the Political Warfare Executive operated a number of black propaganda radio stations . Gustav Siegfried Eins ( GS1 ) was one of the first such stations — purporting to be a clandestine German station . The speaker , ' Der Chef ' , purported to be a Nazi extremist , accusing Hitler and his henchmen of going soft . The station focused on alleged corruption and sexual improprieties of Nazi Party members . Another example was the British radio station " Soldatensender Calais " , which purported to be a radio station for the German military . Under the direction of Sefton Delmer , a British journalist who spoke perfect Berliner German , " Soldatensender Calais " and its associated shortwave station , " Kurzwellensender Atlantik " , broadcast music , up - to - date sports scores , speeches of Adolf Hitler for " cover " and subtle propaganda . Radio Deutschland was another radio station employed by the British during the war aimed and designed to undermine German morale and create tensions that would ultimately disrupt the German war effort . The station was broadcast from a signal close on the radio dial to an actual German station . During the war most Germans actually believed that this station was in fact a German radio station and even gained the recognition of Germany ' s propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels . There were British black propaganda radio stations in most of the languages of occupied Europe as well as German and Italian . Most of these were based in the area around Woburn Abbey . Another possible example was a rumour that there had been a German attempt to land on British shores at Shingle Street , but it had been repulsed with large German casualties . This was reported in the American press , and in William L . Shirer ' s " Berlin Diary " but was officially denied . British papers , declassified in 1993 , have suggested this was a successful example of British black propaganda to bolster morale in the UK , USA and occupied Europe . Author James Hayward has proposed that the rumours , which were widely reported in the American press , were a successfully engineered example of black propaganda with an aim of ensuring American co - operation and securing lend lease resources by showing that the United Kingdom was capable of successfully resisting the might of the German Army . David Hare ' s play " Licking Hitler " provides a fictionalised account based on the British black propaganda efforts in World War II . German . German black propaganda usually took advantage of European racism and anti - Communism . For example , on the night of April 27 , 1944 German aircraft under cover of darkness ( and possibly carrying fake Royal Air Force markings ) dropped propaganda leaflets on occupied Denmark . These leaflets used the title of " Frihedsposten " , a genuine Danish underground newspaper , and claimed that the " hour of liberation " was approaching . They instructed Danes to accept " occupation by Russian or specially trained American Negro soldiers " until the first disorders resulting from military operations were over . The German Büro Concordia organisation operated several black propaganda radio stations ( many of which pretended to broadcast illegally from within the countries they targeted ) . Pacific Theatre . The " Tanaka Memorial " , a document describing a Japanese plan for world conquest , beginning with the conquest of China , is now believed by most historians to be a forgery . The following message was distributed in black propaganda leaflets dropped by the Japanese over the Philippines in World War II . It was designed to turn Filipinos against the United States : Cold War black propaganda of the Soviet Union . Disinformation is a form of black propaganda because disinformation campaigns are covert in nature and use various forms of false information . Disinformation can be defined as false information that is deliberately , and often covertly spread in order to influence public opinion and obscure the truth . Prior to , and during the Cold War , the Soviet Union used disinformation on multiple occasions . It also employed the technique during the Iranian hostage crisis that took place from 1979 until 1981 . For strictly political purposes , and to show support for the hostages , Soviet diplomats at the United Nations vocally criticized the taking of the hostages . At this same time , Soviet " black " radio stations within Iran called the National Voice of Iran openly broadcast strong support for the hostage - takers in an effort to increase anti - American sentiment inside Iran . This was a clear use of black propaganda to make anti - American broadcasts appear as if they were originating from Iranian sources . Throughout the Cold War , the Soviet Union effectively utilized the KGB ' s Service A of the First Chief Directorate in order to conduct its covert , or " black " , " active measures " . It was Service A that was responsible for clandestine campaigns that were targeted at foreign governments , public populations , as well as influence individuals and specific groups that were hostile towards the Soviet government and its policies . The majority of their operations was actually conducted by other elements and directorates of the KGB . As a result , it was the First Chief Directorate that was ultimately responsible for the production of Soviet black propaganda operations . By the 1980s , Service A consisted of nearly 120 officers whose responsibilities consisted of covert media placements , and controlled media to covertly introduce carefully manufactured information , disinformation , and slogans into the areas such as government , media , and religion of their targeted countries , namely the United States . Because both the Soviet Union and the KGB ' s involvements were not acknowledged and intentionally disguised , these operations are therefore classified as a form of black propaganda . The activities of Service A greatly increased during the period of the 1980s through the early 1990s presumably as the Soviet government fought to maintain control during the declining period of the Cold War . Office of Strategic Influence . Following the September 11 attacks against the United States , the Pentagon organized and implemented the Office of Strategic Influence in an effort to improve public support abroad , mainly in Islamic countries . The head of OSI was an appointed general , Pete Worden who maintained the mission of " circulating classified proposals calling for aggressive campaigns that use [ d ] not only the foreign media and the Internet , but also covert operations . " Worden , as well as then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld planned for what they called " a broad mission ranging from ' black ' campaigns that use [ d ] disinformation and other covert activities to ' white ' public affairs that rely on truthful news releases . " Therefore , OSI ' s operations could include the blackest of activities . OSI ' s operations were to do more than public relations work , but included contacting and emailing media , journalist , and foreign community leaders with information that would counter foreign governments and organizations that are hostile to the United States . In doing so , the emails would be masked by utilizing addresses ending with . com as opposed to using the standard Pentagon address of . mil . and hide any involvement of the US government and the Pentagon . The Pentagon is forbidden to conduct black propaganda operations within the American media , but is not prohibited for conducting these operations against foreign media outlets . The thought of conducting black propaganda operations and utilizing disinformation resulted in harsh criticism for the program that resulted in its closure in 2002 .