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Cold War Propaganda

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 April 2017

John B. Whitton
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Coincident with the outbreak of the “cold war” the Soviet Union began a series of propagandistic attacks on the United States, its leaders and its policies, using every medium of communication for this purpose, but with special emphasis on radio propaganda. For some time the United States Government suffered these attacks to go unanswered, but in February, 1947, the “Voice of America” began to include among its other foreign programs regular broadcasts in Russian to the Soviet Union. At first these programs were confined almost entirely to music and straight news reports, but gradually more and more time was devoted to answering Soviet attacks considered hostile to the United States or harmful to its national interests.

In retaliation Moscow, on April 24, 1949, embarked on a vast effort to jam the American programs, and is at present devoting over 1000 broadcasting stations to this single purpose. The American Government protested through diplomatic channels and to the International Telecommunications Union against this jamming campaign. Furthermore, jamming was condemned by the United Nations Sub-Commission on Freedom of Information and of the Press at its Montevideo meeting in May, 1950, as a violation of accepted principles of freedom of information. Also, the Economic and Social Council, at its eleventh session, held in Geneva during the summer of 1950, adopted a resolution recommending to the General Assembly that it call on all Members to refrain from jamming.

Type
Editorial Comment
Information
American Journal of International Law , Volume 45 , Issue 1 , January 1951 , pp. 151 - 153
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of International Law 1951

References

1 New York Times, Feb. 2 and 16, 1947. Discussed in Eadio, Television and Society, by Chas. A. Siepmann (New York, 1950, 302 pp.).

2 Clucas, , “Piercing the Iron Curtain,” Yale Review, Vol. 39 (Summer, 1950), pp. 603 ff.Google Scholar

3 Ibid.; New York Herald Tribune, Nov. 18, 1950.

4 Department of State Bulletin, Vol. XX, No. 515 (May 15, 1949), p. 638.

5 Ibid., Vol. XXII, No. 571 (June 12, 1950), p. 954.

6 U.N. Doc. E/1827, pp. 1-2. Acting on this recommendation, the General Assembly adopted on December 14, 1950, a resolution condemning “measures of this nature (jamming) as a denial of the right of all persons to be fully informed concerning news, opinions and ideas regardless of frontiers.” Furthermore, it invited all Member Governments to refrain from such interference and called on them “to refrain from radio broadcasts that would mean unfair attacks or slanders against other peoples anywhere and in so doing conform strictly to an ethical conduct in the interest of world peace, by reporting facts truly and objectively.” U.N. Doc. A/1746, Dec. 18, 1950; United Nations Bulletin, Vol. X (Jan. 1, 1951), pp. 14, 79.

7 It was only after the outbreak of hostilities in Korea that Congress decided to increase the appropriation for the information activities of the Department of State to $110,000,000 a year, tripling the sum thus far available for this purpose. Under the new program thus made possible, the Voice of America is to broadcast 57 hours daily instead of 30 hours, the present output, but despite this increase Soviet Russia’s transmitters will be sending out 540 hours of broadcasting each week as against our 400 hours. New York Times, Sept. 3, 1950. See also Barrett, Edward W., Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, “Expanding Techniques for a Truth Strategy,” Department of State Bulletin, Vol. XXIII, No. 597 (Dec. 11, 1950), pp. 945, 947Google Scholar.

8 New York Times, Nov. 18, 1950.

9 Van Dyke, , “The Responsibility of States for International Propaganda,” this Journal, Vol. 34 (1940), p. 73 Google Scholar. See also Preuss, Lawrence, “International Propaganda against Foreign States,” this Journal, Vol. 28 (1934), pp. 649 ffGoogle Scholar.

10 Quincy Wright, “Freedom and Responsibility in Respect to Trans-National Communication,” Proceedings of the American Society of International Law, 1950, p. 104.

11 Hyde, , International Law (2nd rev. ed., Boston, 1945), Vol. I, p. 606 Google Scholar.

12 Department of State, Eastern European Series, No. 1 (Washington, 1933); this Journal, Supp., Vol. 28 (1934), p. 3.

13 2 Cranch 187 (1804).

14 Oppenheim, International Law (6th ed. (Lauterpacht), London, 1944), Vol. II, sec. 33.

15 Hyde, op. cit., Vol. II, sec. 588.