Deception: The Hollis Committee

A file of reports and memoranda generated by the Hollis Committee concerning the organisation of anti-Soviet deception activities during the early stages of the Cold War, with the overall goal of avoiding the outbreak of war. Subjects discussed in this file include the British plans for anti-Soviet deception, primarily based on exaggerating their military strength and scientific progress; a suggested military demonstration which might encourage the Soviets to lift the Berlin airlift; a report on Soviet deception methods, including war-time Anglo-Soviet cooperation; the possibility that Soviet atomic weapons research was intended as a deception; American deception organisation, and its inadequacies; the regional division of responsibility between American and British deception, with separate deception staffs for each theatre of operations; the need to coordinate deception efforts with British military planning; tactical deception and camouflage; and the distinction between propaganda and deception.