FAR EASTERN LIAISON OFFICE (FELO)
MILITARY PROPAGANDA SECTION
SECTION "D" OF ALLIED INTELLIGENCE BUREAU (AIB)
IN AUSTRALIA DURING WW2

Section D - the Far Eastern Liaison Office (FELO) or Military Propaganda Section of Allied Intelligence Bureau (AIB) was initially responsible for:-

- Preparation of propaganda material useful to the other sections and initially for dissemination by them to lower the morale of the Japanese forces

- Misleading the Japanese regarding our military intentions.

- Influencing the New Guinea native populations so they would impair the Japanese war effort and assist the Allies

Group Captain C.C. Bell RAAF was appointed Deputy Controller of FELO. He set up Camp Tasman at Indooroopilly in Brisbane where they created leaflet propaganda.

Alfred Deakin Brookes was appointed as the chief of the Australian Army section of the Far Eastern Liaison Office (FELO). Brookes joined the Army as a Lieutenant and was seconded to the Allied Intelligence Bureau in Melbourne.

Naval Commander John Proud, Director of FELO,  relocated FELO to Brisbane where he commandeered a house called "Kirkston" in Rupert Street, Windsor. He kept his office in Melbourne which was located in a house called "Goodrest" at 104 Toorak Road, South Yarra. Lt. McGuire stayed in Melbourne in charge of FELO Special Branch, the "dirty tricks" side of FELO.

Sgt. Robert Ian Caporn

Robert Ian Caporn was a Sergeant in FELO from mid 1943 until the end of the War. Ian Caporn was the signal Sergeant with Lt. Bob Cole when they went behind enemy lines with 20 native Police Boys in 1943 to the junction of the Sepik and Yellow Rivers on Intelligence gathering work. Ian did not go with Bob on his next trip, which was behind Hollandia when the Americans landed there. Bob Cole was promoted to Captain and awarded a Military Cross. The other three men with Bob were also decorated. 

Camp Tasman at Indooroopilly

	Members of FELO at Camp Tasman at Indooroopilly. Ian Caporn is sitting on the bonnet of the jeep wearing a singlet
	Members of FELO at "Goodrest" in Toorak Road, South Yarra in Melbourne. Albert Klestadt is 3rd from the left, Dov Notkin, a Russian Engineer, is on the far right and Ian Caporn is 7th from the right.
	Members of FELO at "Goodrest" in Melbourne.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Ian Caporn for his assistance with this home page. Ian was the signal Sergeant with Lt. Bob Cole in Far Eastern Liaison Office (FELO.

Heaps of WW2 books available at Amazon.com

"Australia @ War"

This page first produced 24 February 2002

This page last updated 14 December 2007