The Media Offensive: How the Press and Public Opinion Shaped Allied Strategy during World War II

World War II was a media war. President Franklin D. Roosevelt used the press to a great extent, of course, but as the war progressed, the media also came to influence commanders’ decisions on the battlefield. Rescuing General Douglas MacArthur from the Philippines in deference to public opinion forced the Allies to divide the Pacific War between two competing theaters. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Omar Bradley’s concern over US public opinion convinced President Dwight D. Eisenhowe...