WarLecture2 (Monday, 1-14-8)

Updated 1-14-08

War truths assignment/overhead/website: instructions/grade form (Wednesday)

Questions: Selections of interviewee for first writing assignment?

Knightley questions? Difficulties faced by WWI correspondents (censorship, transmission of stories, pressure from sources, officials, nationalism)

Defence of the Realm Act – censorship and propaganda by all the major powers. Creation, marketing of atrocity stories – nuns, babies, buckets of eyeballs, etc.

U.S. entry late in the war (1917), following extensive propaganda campaign from previous participants seeking U.S. entry on their sides or to stay out.

OH – British on German ‘nun’

Also, atttempts to keep correspondents from reporting the terrible truths about trench warfare – millions of casualties, wasteful tactics.

Communications context in U.S.:

Strong public sentiment to stay neutral, including not only isolationism but strong anti-war, peace movement (Socialists, Debs), opposition from German-American and Irish-Americans. Wilson barely re-elected in 1916, ran under slogan: “He Kept Us Out of War.” Wilson later became convinced war was necessary, and that it was a crusade of good vs. evil, aiding Britain. “The War to End All Wars.”

Challenge in national persuasion, assisted by British propagandists, German incidents (torpedoes, Zimmerman telegram).

Belief in press irresponsibility: Pulitzer, Hearst circulation campaign in Spanish-America War: (OH). Hearst. Pulitzer died in 1911, but Hearst still force to be reckoned with. Wilson studied press carefully, as professor, as governor and President, and was unimpressed. First President to hold regularly scheduled press conferences, beginning in 1913, and was disappointed at outcome, behavior of correspondents.

Also, great admirer of British parliamentary system, history, from study as professor. Wanted to aid Britain, adopt British approach to war information, especially censorship. Once Congress officially declared war in May 1917, Wilson asked for legislation granting him extended wartime powers – Control over agriculture, fuel, war, and, create propaganda agency (Committee on Public Information), and the Espionage Act to control war information, including the power to directly censor newspapers.

Congress granted most of his requests, but not authority to directly censor newspapers. Democrats lost control of Congress in 1916, and Republicans, especially Progressive Republicans who mostly opposed the war, reluctant to give Democratic president sweeping authority. Sen. Hiram Johnson – in war, first casualty is truth, comes from this debate.

War opponents unable to stop declaration of war, Espionage Act, but were able to delay passage of Farm Bill to control food production, forcing the wartime Food Administration to fight food shortages, enforce conservation of food, by persuasive communication rather than by regulation. Inadvertently encouraged creation of another propaganda campaign. (Hoover).