The British Government set up a War Propaganda Bureau in 1914. David Lloyd George (1863-1945), the Chancellor of the Exchequer, was asked to set the Propaganda Bureau up. He appointed Charles Masterman (1873-1927) to head the organization. The Bureau’s offices were in Wellington House, the headquarters of the National Insurance Commission, over which Masterman presided. A major objective of his department was to encourage the United States to enter the war on the side of the Allies. It also supported and coordinated propaganda initiatives by private organizations and individuals. Known as Wellington House after its location in Buckingham Gate, London, the organization was the centre of British propaganda abroad.
The Bureau began its propaganda campaign on 2nd September 1914 when Masterman invited 25 leading British authors to Wellington House to discuss ways of best promoting Britain's interests during the war. Those who attended included William Archer, Hall Caine, Arthur Conan Doyle, Arnold Bennett, John Masefield, G. K. Chesterton, Henry Newbolt, John Galsworthy, Thomas Hardy, Gilbert Parker, G. M. Trevelyan and H. G. Wells. Rudyard Kipling had been invited to the meeting but was unable to attend.
The Bureau published over 1,160 pamphlets during the war.
Artworks
The first scheme involving art was initiated in July 1916. The intention was to provide eyewitness images to illustrate propaganda publications. In 1917 Wellington House merged with the newly-established Department of Information. Amongst the artists commissioned at that stage were William Orpen, Paul Nash and C R W Nevinson.
Source:
https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/war-propaganda-bureau/
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-the-british-government-sponsored-the-arts-in-the-first-world-war
