Persuaders-in-Chief: The Presidents and Propaganda That Shaped Modern America

In the wake of September 11th, the question was raised "why is the U.S. so hated by so many in the world?" In response to this, the Bush administration set out to "change the heart and minds" of the rest world by "selling" America and its values to the rest of the world. This was to be accomplished by appointing Charlotte Beers, a former advertising executive once nicknamed "the most powerful woman in advertising," to serve as U.S. Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy. Beers spearheaded the creation of the State Department's "Shared Values" campaign, whose goal has been to counteract the anti-American sentiment in Arab countries. In this book, Nancy Snow, the author of Propaganda Inc., and the forthcoming Information War, shows that this is hardly the first time a president has employed the use of propaganda at home and abroad to promote the themes of peace and freedom. Through the examination of twelve presidents beginning with Woodrow Wilson and the journalist George Creel's attempts to mobilize mass support for the U.S. entry into WWI, Snow documents a 100 year legacy of White House propaganda efforts. She examines how new technologies have challenged and/or bolstered the efficacy these efforts.