Förfäras ej.pdf - Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap

274 FÖRFÄRAS EJ
Summary
During the Second World War neutral Sweden had a State Information Board, dealing with
covert censorship, mainly to appease Nazi Germany. It had the power to block circulation of
newspapers deemed ”un-Swedish” and regularly issued ”grey slips” to the Swedish media, advising
what to write. Its work as a government press service were undercut by both the Foreign
Ministry and the Supreme Commander, who preferred to release the good news through their
own information services. This unpopular Information Board was abolished as soon as the war
ended.
After the Communist coup in Prague, the Swedish Supreme Commander reminded the
government about the need for a new agency for psychological defence. The letter led to a
government commission, led by governor Eije Mossberg. It issued its report in 1953, the birth
year of Swedish psychological defence. The report analysed the war propaganda of the great
powers, suggesting that a small government agency should be established. Its task would be to
set up a large organisation in war to disseminate news from the government and to analyse and
combat enemy propaganda. The first opinion poll on the attitude of the Swedish public
towards various defence matters was included in the report, which recommended that the new
agency should continue this opinion research.
The report led to a somewhat watered-down government proposition, which was approved
by the parliament. The agency, named The Preparedness Board for Psychological Defence, was
established in the following year. Under its energetic first chairman Gunnar Heckscher - one of
the opposition leaders - it quickly recruited a wartime organisation, which was led by publicists,
advertisers and sociologists from left, centre and right of the Swedish political and economical
establishment. When the government retired to its wartime mountain shelters the psychological
defence would provide its contacts with the media and the opinions of the outside
world. A radio monitoring section would be set up to analyse foreign propaganda broadcasts.
The Swedish media willingly cooperated with the psychological defence. The public service
radio and TV had their own emergency planning, but took part in the planning and war games
of the new organisation. A standing committee for the emergency planning of the press and the