Abstract
The West Indies Federation was an economic and political bloc that existed between 1958 and 1962, comprising ten British Caribbean colonies. Established without the input of its three million inhabitants, the architects were accused of failing to adequately enlighten the people on the matter and create among them the necessary mindset of ‘oneness’ needed to hold the union in place. But some substantial effort was made towards this end by the Federal Government. One of the chief difficulties facing the union was that the territories did not know each other well enough. As such, in the year before its inauguration, a Federal Information Service was created to shape the views of the populace towards support and acceptance of the union. Chapter 3 discusses the work undertaken by the service and its reception by the West Indian public.
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Bibliography
Archival Records
West Indies Federal Archives Centre, The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados:
File: Federal Secretariat Information Service—West Indies Federation Film, FWI-FS-IS-3.
File: Federal Secretariat Information Service Press Releases, FWI-FS-IS-7.
File: Federal Information Service: Functions and Staff General, FWI-FS-IS-11.
File: Federal Report By The Federal Information Officer, FWI-GG-GA-92.
File: Films About The West Indies, FWI-GG-GA-394.
File: Annual Report of the Federal Government, FWI-PM-GA-108.
File: Questions For Federal Letter-Box, FWI-PM-IS-35.
File: Questions For Federal Letter-Box Part III, FWI-PM-IS-36.
File: Focus [Broadcasting Radio], FWI-PM-IS-60.
File: Estimates 1960 & 61, FWI-PM-IS-82.
File: Estimates 1962, FWI-PM-IS-83.
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Newspapers
Barbados Advocate.
Gleaner.
Trinidad Guardian.
Pamphlets
Facts About the West Indies, Port of Spain: Federal Information Service, 1960.
Questions and Answers About Your Federation. Port of Spain: Federal Information Service, 1961.
The West Indies: The Federal Principle. Port of Spain: Federal Information Service, 1959.
Promotional Magazines
Richardson, W.A. The West Indies, 1958. Port of Spain: Federal Information Service, 1958.
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Nelson, R.A. (2017). Promotion of the West Indies Federation: The Federal Information Service, 1957–1961. In: Pantin, S., Teelucksingh, J. (eds) Ideology, Regionalism, and Society in Caribbean History. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61418-2_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61418-2_3
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Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
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