Propaganda
During war time, the government-controlled information to ensure that the population remained enthusiastic and supportive of the war effort. President Franklin D Roosevelt gave control over Information, often biased or misleading, designed to persuade people to adopt a particular point of view. to key government departments.
Government propaganda efforts
The government needed to get the country ready for war. Propaganda was crucial in keeping up morale and ensuring that there was a spirit of unity among the American people.
| Government body | Role | Key actions |
| Office of Censorship | To ensure that public enthusiasm for the war was maintained |
|
| Office of War Information | To provide the public with information about the war and to counter enemy propaganda |
|
| Government body | Office of Censorship |
|---|---|
| Role | To ensure that public enthusiasm for the war was maintained |
| Key actions |
|
| Government body | Office of War Information |
|---|---|
| Role | To provide the public with information about the war and to counter enemy propaganda |
| Key actions |
|
Posters, newspapers and songs were all used as propaganda. They promoted Devotion and support for a person's country about the USA and as well as hatred towards the enemy. Germans were falsely depicted as cruel and Japanese people were dehumanised, sometimes depicted as rats.
The attack on Pearl Harbor presented an ideal propaganda tool. Posters showed the Japanese as cruel and treacherous because of the unannounced nature of their attack on the US fleet. Simple posters stating the message “Avenge Pearl Harbor” were created to win support for the war effort.
Through propaganda, the government hoped to encourage hatred of the USA’s enemies so that the American people would be prepared to contribute more to the war effort.
Anything that might obstruct the war effort was not published. Newspapers were When information, considered unsuitable, is removed from publications. and no reports of American defeats or deaths were allowed. Victories were celebrated.
Popular entertainment as propaganda
The USA used the film industry to help to mobilise public opinion in favour of the war effort. Films depicted the American army as brave and their enemies as cruel. Between 60 and 100 million people per week visited the cinema. They saw superheroes on the World War Two battlefields. Even the London fictional detective Sherlock Holmes was shown in Hollywood films investigating plots by Nazi spies. These Nazi plots also featured in weekly radio serials such as Dick Tracy.