Often when I explain the background of my yet-to-be published book to someone, The French Desk – A Brooklyn Gal’s Journey into Wartime Propaganda, about my mother’s World War Two experiences working for the Office of War Information (OWI), my companion is usually intrigued, and looking for more information.
Propaganda is a loaded word to throw out in casual conversation, especially in relation to your mother – and in today’s divisive political climate. With an advertising background, I know to immediately talk about OWI’s greatest hits. I ask if they have ever heard of the Voice of America (VOA)? Maybe they’ve seen some of the famous wartime posters with targeted messages such as “Loose Lips Might Sink Ships”? Have they ever heard of the radio program “Music for the Wehrmacht” featuring Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore, among others – or know that Glenn Miller, the famous band leader, performed concerts over the radio that the Germans could hear in their homeland (before he tragically died flying to a concert)? Or perhaps they’ve seen some of the old movies and newsreels that the OWI sponsored and produced during the war to boost morale, from famous Directors such as Frank Capra. The Why We Fight movie series is among the most well known, the first of which was Prelude to War.
While a few recognize some of the content, most people don’t know much about how these initiatives were central to the US propaganda effort during WWII. The OWI is a lesser-known nor well-remembered federal agency created in 1942 by President Roosevelt – although the US recognized that it needed to manage its messaging overseas as early as 1940 with the creation of the public / private Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs (OCIAA), and in mid-1941 the Coordinator of Information (COI). The OWI was designed to handle all the ‘white’ propaganda including all paper-based copy services such as posters, newspaper leaflets, fake newspapers and magazines in enemy territory, as well as news reels, movies and radio programs.
Long-time newspaper editor Elmer Davis was appointed OWI Director as he was well-known and respected in newspaper and radio circles. Davis wanted to tell the truth about the war, both at home and abroad. Playwright Robert Sherwood, famous for his Pulitzer Prize winning dramatic works including Idiot’s Delight (1936) and Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1938), also had a leadership role, but as a former speechwriter for FDR, he was considered too far left by some to reflect the US’s messages and was a constant target of Capitol Hill conservatives. He eventually became Director of Overseas Operations in London.
Davis and Sherwood brought on board well known behavioral psychologists, public relations experts, country-specific (native) writers, novelists, intellectuals, artists, newspaper execs, radio personalities and production staff. The OWI French Desk, which my mother worked on, was led by Pierre Lazareff (famous French newspaper editor). The team included, among others, Jacques Maritain (French philosopher), Diana Bourbon (American writer and actress), Julien Green (American novelist), Leon Kochnitzky (Belgian poet), Sim Copans (American Professor of French), Helene Iswolsky (Russian philosopher), Laurence Blochman (American novelist) and Andre Breton (announcer). A central character in the book is Dr. Jerry Bruner, an American Psychologist who was my mother’s boss in Psychological Operations throughout her time on the OWI French Desk. He went on to publish many of the most important books in the area of cognitive psychology and educational psychology in the 20th century.
At the same time that the OWI was created, President Roosevelt appointed Colonel William (“Wild Bill”) Donovan, a decorated WW I officer and a lawyer in New York City, to be in charge of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The OSS, which became the Central Intelligence Agency after the war ended, would handle all the ‘black’ propaganda, including special operations like sabotage and military-style operations that regular soldiers would not be well-equipped to handle.
Donovan had previously owned all propaganda – “black” and “white” – as head of the COI, so was miffed when the “white” propaganda was taken away from him with the creation of the OWI. This set-in motion some inter-agency tension between the OWI and OSS, although they mostly overcame it in the field.
Both agencies were to collaborate with the British Ministry of Information and other special services the British authorities supported. They had been at it since 1939 and had more experience. For the most part, these partnerships were successful, but the Americans often felt like the kid brother who had to be told what to do, and that did not sit well with the distinguished and accomplished US soldiers, writers and psychologists.
As things developed, there was constant political wrangling as to what exactly the OWI was to message domestically and to the world about the US and what was happening in the war. The early days of 1942 were difficult to report on as American and Allied casualties were high and the military did not want to have any talk about how the US was not prepared to fight a large-scale war – yet. Production of tanks, guns, planes, jeeps, medicine and so much more had to catch up to our military goals.
The military and diplomatic corps were very suspicious of the civilian-led OWI, feeling that it was left-leaning, possibly communist-run, and pro-FDR, which was not to the liking of many leaders in Washington. This created contentious congressional hearings where the OWI would have to defend itself against many detractors, justify its growing personnel count and continue to request funding.
In addition to all that, there was a lot of backdraft if the messages did not match military or diplomatic goals. Complicating matters were the turf wars with the OSS, as well as communist sympathizers among the ranks – especially within the VOA. This caused some in Congress to fear the impact of OWI’s state-side propaganda initiatives. By mid-1943, it was decided by the Joint Chiefs of Staff that all OWI operations from then on would tie into military initiatives and all the white propaganda would support their overseas mission and campaigns. From 1944 until the end of the war, the OWI was solely focused on the main Theaters of War, and became a more tactical than strategic agency. This made everyone feel better about the efforts of the OWI.
Even with all those challenges, the OWI made significant contributions to the war effort in the European Theater of Operations (ETO), which is the division my mother worked for. It would be impossible to rank them, so I’m reviewing the many media the OWI was involved with.
As the war began to wind down, OWI’s mission evolved and its name was changed to the US Information Service (USIS), then to the US Information Agency (USIA), and in 1999 it became the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM). The Voice of America is a legacy of WW2 that continues to this day.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be authoring a series of blog posts that highlight major OWI programs and initiatives. Here’s a list as they have been published:
- A Love Affair with Radio [Part 1]: A Lifetime Passion
- A Love Affair with Radio [Part 2]: The Roots of the Voice of America (VOA)
So interesting! Love to hear the teasers from your book, just a few of the countless details you’ve amassed. Can’t wait to keep reading here and in the novel!!