FILE NO. IRD/1948-77 // OPEN SOURCE // HANDLE VIA SECURE CHANNELS
RESEARCH.ANALYSIS.DISCRETION.
Commissioned research for clients who need more than a search engine — from a doctoral historian of Britain’s Cold War information war.
SECTION 01 — CAPABILITIES
THE DOSSIER OF SERVICES
Every commission is treated as an open file: scoped, sourced and delivered with full citations. Hover over the black bars — some material only reveals itself to the curious.
POLICY ANALYSIS
Briefings, backgrounders and position papers on live policy questions. Legislative tracking, stakeholder mapping and evidence synthesis delivered to deadline — written for decision-makers, not for the archive.
HISTORICAL RESEARCH
Archival deep-dives, literature reviews and source criticism. Confident working in the archives and with the obstacles that come with them — secrets acts, the classification of records, and files that were never meant to be read.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Country and regional profiles, geopolitical risk monitoring, and current-affairs digests. Keeping pace with events as they break, and placing them in the long context that headlines omit.
COVERT ACTION RESEARCH
Historical and open-source research into covert action, intelligence history, propaganda and state-sponsored influence — the world of the IRD and its successors. Strictly research and analysis, never operational. Declassified files, defector testimony, and the sources others overlook.
FIG. 01 — TOOLS OF THE TRADE
SECTION 02 — ABOUT
BENJAMIN TURNER
“I study how states wage war with words. My doctoral research examines the Information Research Department — the covert unit of the Foreign Office that waged Britain’s side of a truly global Cold War, fighting with everything from pamphlets and journalists to the full spectrum of propaganda and political warfare.”
That training — rigorous archival research, careful source criticism and close attention to current affairs — is available for commission. I work with authors, journalists, researchers, campaigners and businesses to locate hard-to-find material, verify what is claimed, and set out what it means in clear, fully sourced analysis.
SECTION 03 — THE RECORD
CASE FILES & PUBLICATIONS
Client identities are withheld where confidentiality demands it — references and work samples are available on request.
PAST & PRESENT COMMISSIONS
CASE FILES
DOCTORAL THESIS — IN PROGRESS
An archive-based history of the Information Research Department: Britain's covert campaign in the global Cold War of words.
MANUSCRIPT VERIFICATION
Historical fact-checking and source verification for long-form work touching on Cold War propaganda. Client identity withheld.
CURRENT-AFFAIRS MONITORING
Sample geopolitical digest compiled to commission standard. Available on request as evidence of tradecraft.
FOR THE PUBLIC RECORD
PUBLICATIONS
DOCTORAL THESIS
The Information Research Department and the global Cold War. University of Nottingham.
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Articles drawn from the doctoral research, in preparation for peer-reviewed submission.
SECTION 04 — OPEN A CHANNEL
TRANSMIT AN ENQUIRY
Describe the question you need answered. Every message lands in a secure file, reviewed personally. Expect a reply within two working days — sources permitting.
RATES
Please get in touch to learn more about my experience and expertise.
ALL CORRESPONDENCE TREATED IN CONFIDENCE