20
Popular Culture Review
Movies as the best substitute for word-of-mouth persuasion. The purpose
of USIA films was “attitude formation, not information.” The Agency
considered movies effective in creating a positive climate of opinion, es
pecially in “planting seeds” among people who were on the ideological
borderline (Bogart, 1995, 169).
Cold War Policy Themes and Internal Debate
Throughout the years, the program content of the Project Kingfish newsreels,
distributed abroad, reflected five U.S. foreign policy themes steeped in
Cold War rhetoric:
1. Free Choice: From 1953 to 1961, one-fifth of these newsreel stories
related to U.S. military aid or relief activities. From 1961 to 1963, the
“Free Choice” theme predominated, but when emphasis shifted to Viet
nam, one-fifth of the newsreel material reflected the U.S. mission there.
By 1966, coinciding with the elimination of regional reels, Vietnam ac
counted for half of the “Free Choice” stories (USIA, 1966a, 9).
2. The United Nations: Until 1959, this was the second most used theme,
but it steadily declined in frequency after that (USIA, 1966a, 9).
3 .U.S. Strength and Reliability: A major theme advanced consistently by
Kingfish, it reached its peak in 1965 when nearly half of the items in this
category concerned U.S. support for Vietnam (USIA, 1966a, 9).
4. Pursuit o f Peace: As of 1966, the USIA shifted its emphasis to this
theme in its newsreels, with three-fourths of the items focusing on the
prospects for negotiations (USIA, 1966a, 9).
5. U.S. Scientific and Educational Strength: The amount of thematic ma
terial in this category was directly proportional to the number of U.S.
space achievements, and steadily increased in the wake of U.S. space
progress (USIA, 1966a, 10).
The space race between the United States and the Soviet Union fueled a num
ber of USIA newsreels and preoccupied much of the Agency’s propaganda pro
gram. For example, Agency officials believed that exhibiting, in key countries,
John Glenn’s “Friendship 7” space capsule could make a “terrific impact” abroad.
However, the Agency stopped short of exhibiting Glenn himself in these countries
for fear he would be perceived as nothing more than a “trained seal.” Moscow was
being targeted for showcasing the capsule if the Soviets agreed because “the world
will note their failure to show their capsules even to their own people” (USIA,
1962, 1-2). The Agency also wanted the capsule displayed in the “Transportation
USA” exhibit at the Belgrade Fair, as well as in sixteen other cities throughout the