The Information Research Department, founded in 1948 by Christopher Mayhew MP, was a department of the British Foreign Office set up to counter Soviet propaganda and infiltration, particularly amongst the western labour movement.
The Soviet Union was fully aware of its existence as Guy Burgess had been posted to IRD for a period of two months in 1948 before being sacked by Mayhew for being "dirty, drunk and idle."
Read more about Information Research Department: Origins, Staff, Propaganda, Controversy, Orwell's List, Closure
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