Judische Rundschau, the official organ o f German Zionists, and the positive response o f Russian Zionists and the Greek Foreign Minister to the Declaration. FO to Mr Bayley, N ew York, 14 December 1917, minute by Hyamson, 14 December 1917, Buchan, F.O. to Butler, N ew York 22 December 1917. PRO FO 395/86/237667.
rapidly.
In addition to the efforts of Butler to “perfect [the] machinery rapidly”, a propaganda committee was created by the London Zionist Bureau to formulate an overall strategy of work with the Department of Information. The first meeting o f the committee was held on 14 December 1917 with Hyamson elected as chairman. The other members of the committee were Simon Marks, Leon Simon and Shmuel Tolkowsky with Samuel Landman as
Hyamson’s secretary. In the main, the committee focused on three areas, “(1) propaganda by means of the press (2) Publication of books and pamphlets (3) Lectures and visits to Jewish and non-Jewish audiences.” The organisation, methods and objectives of this work were outlined by Hyamson in a scheme that he devised in mid-December 1917, for agitation in the USA, which was the initial and main focus for his office.
The objectives of the Jewish Branch of the Department of Information were, according to Hyamson’s definition, twofold. Firstly, it was to conduct British propaganda amongst Jews in all parts o f the world, “giving it specific tone required by Jewish
tem peram ent. . This qualification made it clear that the work to be carried out was to be specifically designed to resonate with and impact upon a Jewish audience, utilising the system of Zionist discourse and culture that had developed prior to the First World War.^^ Secondly, the Jewish Branch was to promote the Zionist m o v e m e n t . W i t h regard to the latter, Nahum Sokolow reminded Sykes in June 1918 that, “In December 1917 it was agreed that Zionist propaganda amongst Jews was desirable in order to encourage and organise among the Jews of the World support of the Zionist programme as adopted by the Cabinet
Telegram from Butler, N ew York to Buchan, P.O., 19 December 1917. PRO FO 395/86/244217. Memorandum by Albert Hyamson, c.l3 December 1917, PRO FO 395/86/237667.
See Berkowitz, Zionist Culture and West European Jewry before the First World War, Silberstein, The Postzionism Debates, Ch. 1.
and develop among them a sentiment friendly to the Zionist idea. Incidentally it may be mentioned that this work was also the best & practically the only available form o f pro- British propaganda among foreign Jews.”"^^ Although the War Cabinet had made the decision to support this movement in order to create pro-British feeling amongst Jewry, which was perceived to be pre-dominantly Zionist, Hyamson’s branch intended to use the machinery and resources o f the British Government to further the Zionist cause amongst the disparate and divided reality of world Jewry. From its inception, therefore, it was suggested that the Branch should “as far as practicable cooperate closely with Jewish bodies especially Zionist
organizations.” In particular, Hyamson’s office was run in very close contact with the London Zionist Bureau. Indeed, most of the material that was to be produced by the Branch, in terms of pamphlets, newspaper articles and the supply of news cables, was in the main written by members o f the London Zionist Bureau. This policy was in keeping with the Department of Information’s policy of attempting to mask the official nature of its pr opaganda. At the same time, however, it served to give Zionists a free hand to produce material to promote their movement, which was distributed in neutral and Allied countries by the British
Government’s vast propaganda machine. As late as June 1918, Hyamson explained that in the USA Zionist propaganda was in full swing with the distribution being managed by American Zionists, but with regard to non-Zionist British propaganda amongst Jews, Hyamson noted “I have no o r g a n i s a t i o n ” . ^ ^ But, although Hyamson appeared to place more emphasis on Zionist
Memorandum by Albert Hyamson, c. 13 December 1917, PRO FO 395/86/237667.
Draft letter from Sokolow to Sykes, June 1918, Z4/177 IV, Papers o f the London Zionist Bureau, CZA. 41 Sanders and Taylor, op. cit., p. 169.
42 Minute by A. Hyamson for Colonel Woodwark, British Bureau o f Information, N ew York, 11 June 1918, PRO FO 395/213/242073. This is not to suggest that there were no efforts to create pro-British propaganda amongst Jewry that did not relate to Zionism or Palestine. See, for example, the pamphlet Jews Among the Entente Leaders, in which it was attempted to demonstrate that Entente countries had a number o f Jews in senior positions o f government in order for Jewry to identify with the cause. But, the Jewish Section o f the Department o f Information, and then the Ministry o f Information, paid much more attention to propaganda that directly benefited the aims ofZionist leaders in
propaganda, this was in itself inextricably linked with promoting Jewish support for Great Britain. It was, after all, the Declaration together with the prospect of a British Palestine, which represented the new Zionist claim to being a serious and recognised movement. Hence, in July 1918 Hyamson lauded the fact that The American Jewish Chronicle, which he saw as “the principal American Jewish newspaper,”^^ but was thought to have been run by a German agent, had come out strongly in favour of Britain being the sole power to hold the protectorate of Palestine after the war.^4 He wrote that British control “is the English Zionist solution, not without favour at the P.O., and one of the functions of the Jewish Branch is to bring the Jews o f the world to this v i e w . ”45
With regard to the forms o f propaganda that were proposed in December 1917, Hyamson and the Zionist Propaganda Committee paid special attention to visual media such as film, picture postcards, posters, illustrated lectures and Yiddish plays.46 This attention to the importance o f tapping into the visual imagination in the attempt to impact upon the Jewish reader had been an integral part of Zionist propaganda since its inception.47 The means and resources to produce and distribute such materials on a significant scale were provided by the British Government. Visual propaganda was a key component o f the propaganda work of the Department o f Information and Wellington House. 48 In particular.
England. Jews Among the Entente Leaders (London: R. Clay and Sons. Ltd, 1918), no. 1083, Wellington House Schedule, Wellington House Papers, Imperial War Museum Library.