Historical Dictionary of American Propaganda

by Martin J. Manning, Herbert Romerstein

Overview

From the French and Indian War in 1754, with Benjamin Franklin's Join or Die cartoon, to the present war in Iraq, propaganda has played a significant role in American history. The Historical Dictionary of American Propaganda provides more than 350 entries, focusing primarily on propaganda created by the U.S. government throughout its existence. Two specialists, one a long-time research librarian at the U.S. Information Agency (the USIA) and the State Department's Bureau of Diplomacy, and the other a former USIA Soviet Disinformation Officer, Martin J. Manning and Herbert Romerstein bring a profound knowledge of official U.S. propaganda to this reference work. The dictionary is further enriched by a substantial bibliography, including films and videos, and an outstanding annotated list of more than 105 special collections worldwide that contain material important to the study of U.S. propaganda.

Students, researchers, librarians, faculty, and interested general readers will find the Historical Dictionary of American Propaganda an authoritative ready-reference work for quick information on a wide range of events, publications, media, people, government agencies, government plans, organizations, and symbols that provided mechanisms to promote America's interests, both abroad and domestically, in peace and in war. Almost all entries conclude with suggestions for further research, and the topically arranged bibliography provides a further comprehensive listing of important resources, including films and videos.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313296055
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	11/30/2004
Pages:	448
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

MARTIN J. MANNING is a research librarian in the in the Bureau of Public Diplomacy, the U.S. Department of State, which was formerly the United States Information Agency (USIA). There, among other duties, he maintains the Bureau's Public Diplomacy Historical Collection, which was created at the suggestion of the USIA director from 1961-1964, Edward R. Murrow, to answer questions on the history of USIA, its successors, and its functions. This book is an outgrowth of the knowledge the authors acquired from a combined total of over 70 years of research at USIA and in the U.S. Congress.

HERBERT ROMERSTEIN retired in 1989 as the Soviet Disinformation Officer of the USIA.

Table of Contents

List of Terms
Guide to Related Topics
Preface
Introduction
List of Abbreviations
Chronology of Important Events in American Propaganda
Dictionary
Selected Bibliography
Appendix: Research Collections and Sources of Propaganda Materials Relating to the United States
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Baby parts," "Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss)," and "Women as Propaganda Images in Wartime" are among the 350-plus entries making up this dictionary-like reference work, which explores the history of U.S. government propaganda. Research librarian Manning (U.S. State Dept. Bureau of Public Diplomacy) and Romerstein, a retired USIA Soviet Disinformation officer, who drew extensively from the bureau's historical collection in their research, avoid the negative connotations associated with propaganda by defining it as "one-side[d] communication designed to influence people's thinking and actions." They focus on U.S. government propaganda directed toward foreign countries as well as the propaganda of other nations aimed at the United States, choosing not to discuss propaganda relating to activist movements, "morale builders such as Clara Barton and the Red Cross," and other persons and events readily found in such works as The Encyclopedia of Propaganda (edited by Robert Cole) and Propaganda and Mass Persuasion: A Historical Encyclopedia (edited by Nicholas Cull and others). Interestingly, the authors do not include selections about the major propaganda agencies of such U.S. allies as Great Britain or such adversaries as the former Soviet Union. The alphabetically arranged entries range from 75 to 1000 words, and most have bibliographic references. An index would have been useful in making their contents readily accessible. Bottom Line A fine acquisition by itself, this work nicely complements the above-mentioned works by Cole and Cull. Recommended, but not essential, for academic and large public libraries.-Charles L. Lumpkins, Pennsylvania State Univ., State Coll. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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