Inventing Public Diplomacy: The Story of the U. S. Information Agency

In 1941 Orson Welles directed the USIA's first propaganda film—which turned out to have so little to do with the purported topic, US friendship with Latin American nations, that it wasn't distributed. The propaganda agency eventually got a better handle on how to influence world opinion, making use of radio, print, and other media. Dizard's history, which ranges from World War II to the information age, gives a nod to renewed efforts since Sept. 11, 2001, in the face of formidable opposition to the US war in Iraq. Dizard served in the State Department and the USIA from 1951 to 1980. Nine pages of b&w images depict agency-allied events from book fairs to ballet performances to cocktail parties. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR