How to Win an Information War: The Propagandist Who Outwitted Hitler
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- Create Date：2024-03-08 13:23:39
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Peter Pomerantsev
- ISBN：1541774728
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Summary
From one of our leading experts on disinformation， this inventive biography of the rogue WWII propagandist Thomas Sefton Delmer confronts hard questions about the nature of information what if you can't fight lies with truth？ Can a propaganda war ever be won？
In the summer of 1941， Hitler ruled Europe from the Atlantic to the Black Sea。 Britain was struggling to combat his powerful propaganda machine， crowing victory and smearing his enemies as liars and manipulators over his frequent radio speeches， blasted out on loudspeakers and into homes。 British claims that Hitler was dangerous had little impact against this wave of disinformation。
Except for the broadcasts of someone called Der Chef， a German who questioned Nazi doctrine。 He had access to high-ranking German military secrets and spoke of internal rebellion。 His listeners included German soldiers and citizens， as well as politicians in Washington DC who were debating getting into the war。 And--most importantly--Der Chef was a fiction。 He was a character created by the British propagandist Thomas Sefton Delmer， a unique weapon in the war。
Then， as author Peter Pomerantsev seeks to tell Delmer's story， he is called into a wartime propaganda effort of his the US response to the invasion of Ukraine。 In flashes forward to the present day， Pomerantsev weaves in what he's learning from Delmer as he seeks to fight against Vladimir Putin's tyranny and lies。 This book is the story of Delmer and his modern investigator， as they each embark on their own quest to manipulate the passions of supporters and enemies， and to turn the tide of an information war， an extraordinary history that is informing the present before our eyes。
In the summer of 1941， Hitler ruled Europe from the Atlantic to the Black Sea。 Britain was struggling to combat his powerful propaganda machine， crowing victory and smearing his enemies as liars and manipulators over his frequent radio speeches， blasted out on loudspeakers and into homes。 British claims that Hitler was dangerous had little impact against this wave of disinformation。
Except for the broadcasts of someone called Der Chef， a German who questioned Nazi doctrine。 He had access to high-ranking German military secrets and spoke of internal rebellion。 His listeners included German soldiers and citizens， as well as politicians in Washington DC who were debating getting into the war。 And--most importantly--Der Chef was a fiction。 He was a character created by the British propagandist Thomas Sefton Delmer， a unique weapon in the war。
Then， as author Peter Pomerantsev seeks to tell Delmer's story， he is called into a wartime propaganda effort of his the US response to the invasion of Ukraine。 In flashes forward to the present day， Pomerantsev weaves in what he's learning from Delmer as he seeks to fight against Vladimir Putin's tyranny and lies。 This book is the story of Delmer and his modern investigator， as they each embark on their own quest to manipulate the passions of supporters and enemies， and to turn the tide of an information war， an extraordinary history that is informing the present before our eyes。
Reviews
Richard Derus
，
“Thirty percent of Americans claim， despite all evidence to the contrary， that the last presidential elections were “rigged”。 Millions are sure that the “deep state” is plotting to import immigrants to vote against “real Americans” in the future。 Meanwhile in Russia， the majority of people claim that the Kremlin is the innocent party in its brutal invasion of Ukraine。 When Ukrainians call their relatives in Russia to tell them about the atrocities， all too often they hear their own kin parrot “Thirty percent of Americans claim， despite all evidence to the contrary， that the last presidential elections were “rigged”。 Millions are sure that the “deep state” is plotting to import immigrants to vote against “real Americans” in the future。 Meanwhile in Russia， the majority of people claim that the Kremlin is the innocent party in its brutal invasion of Ukraine。 When Ukrainians call their relatives in Russia to tell them about the atrocities， all too often they hear their own kin parrot the Kremlin’s propaganda lines: the atrocities are faked， or false flags， or necessary in order to impose Russia’s greatness。Across the world we see the growth of propaganda that promotes an alternative reality where black is white and white is black， and where truth is cast away in favour of a sense of superiority and ever more murderous paranoia。”Please go read the rest of this review of [How to Win an Information War: The Propagandist Who Outwitted Hitler] here: https://www。theguardian。com/books/202。。。 。。。more
Andrea
，
Peter Pomerantsev wrote a fantastic biography of WWII propagandist Sefton Delmer while at the same time tying the tactics Delmer used to modern-day propaganda。 Too many historians don’t tie history to the present， so five stars and a gold medal for Mr。 Pomerantsev。 We need to hear more about Delmer; he created Der Chef， a German who spoke up and questioned Nazis。 His listeners included German soldiers and citizens， as well as politicians。 Do not underestimate the power of intelligence and propag Peter Pomerantsev wrote a fantastic biography of WWII propagandist Sefton Delmer while at the same time tying the tactics Delmer used to modern-day propaganda。 Too many historians don’t tie history to the present， so five stars and a gold medal for Mr。 Pomerantsev。 We need to hear more about Delmer; he created Der Chef， a German who spoke up and questioned Nazis。 His listeners included German soldiers and citizens， as well as politicians。 Do not underestimate the power of intelligence and propaganda in winning WWII。 Tactics are still being used， and most people still fall for it。 I thoroughly enjoyed learning about someone I had heard a little about。 Thank you， NetGalley and PublicAffairs， for an advanced copy。 。。。more
Ula Tardigrade
，
A masterpiece。 Ever since I read his first book， Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia， I have considered Peter Pomerantsev one of the most important voices on disinformation and Russian influence。 And he proves me right once again。You may be surprised that he has dedicated his forthcoming book to a virtually unknown figure from the Second World War period， but it is much more than just another history book。 In almost every paragraph， you will find a dis A masterpiece。 Ever since I read his first book， Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia， I have considered Peter Pomerantsev one of the most important voices on disinformation and Russian influence。 And he proves me right once again。You may be surprised that he has dedicated his forthcoming book to a virtually unknown figure from the Second World War period， but it is much more than just another history book。 In almost every paragraph， you will find a disturbing connection between the era of Nazi Germany and our present-day reality。 "Hitler’s power stemmed not so much from his ability to win people over with clever arguments but by his articulating the feelings that already lay within them and taking them on an emotional journey from feeling humiliated to humiliating others，” writes Pomerantsev， and adds: “Skim through the speeches of current leaders from America to China and Russia today， and they will all play the same tunes of humiliation”。The forgotten story of a propaganda genius allows the author to analyze the true nature of this dark craft and how to make it successful - because sometimes it can be used for good， as a tool that can save a world from true evil。 But it is a devil's bargain， swollen with moral dilemmas: "This is the danger of dabbling in disinformation even in a ‘good cause’: it nurtures an environment of endless distrust that benefits authoritarian instincts。"Pomerantsev raises many important questions in this timely book - but he also offers some answers。 And anyone who cares about the future of liberal democracy should read it and act on it。Many thanks to the publisher， PublicAffairs， and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book。 。。。more
Dalton
，
After reading a lot about the history of WW2 this is a part of the story not mentioned often or at all and I really appreciate the time and care that obviously went into telling this important tale。
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how to win an information war the propagandist who outwitted hitler