J. Roberts
Inspiring, war mongering, and advancing the notions of the American government both home and abroad were all goals of the propaganda machine know as the Office of War Information (O.W.I.) leading up and after WWII. Roosevelt began to combine a number of already existing governmental departments in an effort to streamline the distribution of information to the public as well spread specific messages to both Americans and her enemies. On June 13th, 1942 he signed Executive Order 9182 which created the Office of War Information or O.W.I. By merging the, “Coordinator of Information, Office of Facts and Figures (and the) U.S. Information Service,” the O.W.I. sought to,”make the war understandable to Americans…both internal and external.”[i]
With Elmer Davis, a former radio journalist in charge, the O.W.I disseminated information to the public through, “posters, radio, music, movies, comic books, newspapers and magazines.”[ii] Unlike his predecessor, George Creel and his Committee on Public Information, Davis realized early on that the old adage you catch more flies with honey than vinegar applied to distributing information to his fellow countrymen. Working in tandem with Byron Price, a former editor of the Associated Press and then head of the Office of Censorship, the two created a system of information distribution that, “asked editors (journalists, directors, artists, etc) to guide their own actions by asking themselves (if) this is information I would like to have if I were the enemy.”[iii] Consequently, there are a number of tales of the O.W.I. and the O.of C. asking news outlets to include more information due to their diligence in self censoring; whether or not this is true is up for interpretation.
Amongst the successes of the O.W.I. were their poster campaigns. Hiring popular artists, such as Norman Rockwell, the O.W.I. poster campaign focused on a number of topics such as: women in the workplace, rationing, buying war bonds, self censoring, enlisting, growing your own Victory garden and even saving cooking fats to convert into ammunition. The most popular themes throughout the war were President Roosevelt’s four freedoms of: worship, speech, fear and want. These freedoms originated from the President’s speech given on January 6th, 1942 and explained in four simple words what America was fighting for. These poster that were distributed by the Boy Scouts of America, were placed in all government builds, stores and factories they were a colorful and inexpensive way to, “link the military front with the home front.”[iv] Examples include: Loose Lips Sink Ships, He sacrificed Everything… What have you Sacrificed?, If you ride alone you ride with Hitler, Your Job is your Gun-Give the Enemy Hell. Even Mickey Mouse got into the fight by advising kids to go, “all out for Uncle Sam.” What made American propaganda unique was that it used emotions and not just the sense of duty to inspire the people of America to do their part. Another way in which these posters were also unique in the fact that they actively targeted minorities, like Dori Miller and women, such as Rosie the Riveter, in their campaigns. The catchy slogans and bold colors pulled on the heartstrings of the public and served as a constant reminder that their actions at home had a direct effect on their men overseas.
Radio was another form of media that was utilized to mobilize the American population. By 1939, “44million radios were in the U.S. (and by the early 940s) technology evolved to the point of allowing live coverage.”[v] Like posters, radio was meant to target all of society. For children there were shows like Little Orphan Annie who told tales of fighting the Germans and saving scrap metal. Adults regularly followed the reports of journalists such as Edward R. Murrow, who would later go on to controversial success in fighting Senator McCarthy in the 1950’s. Murrow provided, “intimate, first-person dispatches that brought the war in Europe home for Americans. In 1943, Murrow would fly twenty-five combat missions over Europe, many of which would be broadcast back to American listeners.”[vi] Use of the radio to garner public support can be measurably seen from a Gallop Poll that was before and then after one such broadcast. “On February 1st, 1944 31% surveyed felt that America would come to regret their involvement in the war; however on February 2nd 1944, after a broadcast that described incendiary bombings of Berlin that figure dropped to only 26%.”[vii] Overall, radio had the same effect upon the WWII generation that television did during the Vietnam Era.
The use of music also spread the O.W.I’s messages. By commissioning popular song writers, such as Irving Berlin, a plethora of songs emerged shortly after the creation of the department that addressed a number of themes. These included, but were not limited to: patriotism, military service, love songs, novelty and overt attacks on the enemy. By working in conjunction with the Special Services Division of the Army Service Forces hit acts such as: Bing Crosby, the Andrew Sisters and The Glen Miller Orchestra sang to soldiers on both theaters of war. These acts also had government sponsored radio shows that featured song titles like, “The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B, The White Cliffs of Dover, Any Bonds Today and You’re a Sap Mr. Jap.”[viii] Interestingly, the popular songs of America were also popular around the world. As a result Axis broadcasters such as Tokyo Rose and Axis Sally (in Germany) regularly played the same songs that people on the home front were listening to. Because of such cross cultural popularity, music was able to transcend the boundaries of countries and spread American ideals throughout the world.
Like posters, comic books were an inexpensive, yet vivid way to sell American beliefs during the war. In many cases it can be argued that due to the graphic nature of comic books and the simplified writing meant for a simpler audience, comic books were the most blatant forms of American propaganda. At the height of the comic book boom in 1945, “fifteen million copies were sold each month despite the fact that paper was one of the many products under national rationing… and at military post exchanges near the battle front, comics outsold magazines… by a rate of ten to one.”[ix] These numbers of course do not reflect the number of times that children traded comics with one another. Comic book heroes and villains were drawn in very stereotypical ways. Heroes were uniformed in red, white and blue and embodied what strong Americans looked like, i.e. muscles, good looking and tall. Depending upon the nationality, Axis villains could be wearing boots or helmets and be mad scientists or shown with yellow skin, buck teeth and overly large glasses. The stories from comic books also served as perfect vehicles for propaganda as well. The main reason was that they could simplify complex issues into good and evil. By doing so, children were indoctrinated quickly into the American culture norms of, “truth, justice and the American way.”[x] Secondly, they could be used to get children to buy war bonds, organize scrap metal drives or keep a watchful eye out for any suspicious activity. Because of their inexpensive cost, attention getting graphics and stories, comic books were the perfect vehicle for the O.W.I.’s propaganda machine.
Existing in a multitude of formats, American propaganda was both widespread and successful in spreading American ideals. By allowing publishers, journalists, artists and song writers to voluntarily self censor they were able to make it through the war with little to no resistance in spreading only specified information through their mediums. The Office of War Information could also be deemed a successful arm of the government propaganda machine due to its inclusion of all members of society regardless of age, sex or ethnicity. By targeting everyone, they were able to garner much more support financially as well as emotionally. This national buy-in therefore allowed for the home front to feel connected to the war front and therefore work for a more efficiently to bring WWII to an end.
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[i] Manning, Martin. Office of War Information: World War II”World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-Clio, 2011. Web. 14 Mar. 2011
[ii] Manning, Martin. Office of War Information: World War II”World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-Clio, 2011. Web. 14 Mar. 2011
[iii] Sweeney, Michael. Secrets of Victory: The Office of Censorship and the American Press and Radio in World War II. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001.
[iv]Manning, Martin. Office of War Information: World War II”World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-Clio, 2011. Web. 14 Mar. 2011
[v] Murphy, Keith. "Radio: World War II." World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 13 Mar. 2011.
[vi] Murphy, Keith. "Radio: World War II." World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
[vii] Moore, David W. Support for War on Terrorism Rivals Support for WWII. October 3, 2001. http://www.gallup.com/poll/4954/support-war-terrorism-rivals-support-wwii.aspx. 20 Feb. 2011.
[viii] Wood, Jeffrey. "Music: World War II." World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 13 Mar. 2011.
[ix] Murphy, Keith. "Comic Books." World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 13 Mar. 2011.
[x] The Adventures of Superman. WOR New York City. 12 February, 1940.