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. Continue reading “OWI’s WW2 Propaganda Greatest Hits”