Freya Stark in America: orientalism, antisemitism and political propaganda

In 1943-44, when the destruction of European Jewry was at its height, the British government sent the writer, Orientalist, and Arabian adventurer Freya Stark to conduct propaganda in the U.S. in defense of British policy, especially in regard to its White Paper which severely limited Jewish immigration to Palestine. The British opposition to Zionism, which was popular among American Jews, demonstrated complete indifference to the Jewish tragedy in Europe. The British anti-Zionism, which reflected a pro-Arab policy in the Middle East, in Stark's case also reflected a personal antisemitism, as indicated in her correspondence. The Foreign Office attempted to depict Great Britain as the main victim of the Nazis, and viewed Stark's efforts in the U.S. as a success that had some effect on high U.S. officials.