Though historians have largely overlooked Robert Horton, his
public relations campaigns remain fixed in popular memory of the
home front during World War II. Utilizing all media -- including
the nascent technology of television -- to rally civilian support,
Horton's work ranged from educational documentary shorts like Pots
to Planes, which depicted the transformation of aluminum household
items into aircraft, to posters employing scare tactics, such as a
German soldier with large eyes staring forward with the tagline
"He's Watching You." Iconic and calculated, Horton's campaigns
raise important questions about the role of public relations in
government agencies. When are promotional campaigns acceptable?
Does war necessitate persuasive communication? What separates
information from propaganda? Promoting the War Effort traces the
career of Horton -- the first book-length study to do so -- and
delves into the controversies surrounding federal public
relations.
A former reporter, Horton headed the public relations department
for the U.S. Maritime Commission from 1938 to 1940. Then -- until
Pearl Harbor in December 1941 -- he directed the Division of
Information (DOI) in the Executive Office of the President, where
he played key roles in promoting the New Deal, President Franklin
D. Roosevelt's unprecedented third-term reelection campaign, and
the prewar arms-production effort. After Pearl Harbor, Horton's DOI
encouraged support for the war, primarily focusing on raising
civilian and workforce morale. But the DOI under Horton assumed a
different wartime tone than its World War I predecessor, the
Committee on Public Information. Rather than whipping up prowar
hysteria, Horton focused on developing campaigns for more practical
purposes, such as conservation and production. In mid-1942,
Roosevelt merged the Division and several other agencies into the
Office of War Information. Horton stayed in government, working as
the PR director for several agencies. He retired in mid-1946,
during the postwar demobilization.
Promoting the War Effort recovers this influential figure in
American politics and contributes to the ongoing public debate
about government public relations during a time when questions
about how facts are disseminated -- and spun -- are of greater
relevance than ever before.
General
Imprint: |
Louisiana State University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Series: |
Media and Public Affairs |
Release date: |
September 2012 |
First published: |
February 2013 |
Authors: |
Mordecai Lee
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 25mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover - Cloth over boards / With dust jacket
|
Pages: |
304 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8071-4529-6 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-8071-4529-7 |
Barcode: |
9780807145296 |
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