Propaganda War: The Committee on Public Information and World War I at the Library

During the summer of 1918, the American Expeditionary Force engaged its first large-scale battles of the war, yet this effort and the American public’s support of it required an unprecedented propaganda campaign by the newly created Committee on Public Information (CPI). Signed into law by Woodrow Wilson and overseen by George Creel, CPI would have long-ranging consequences for the government, military, and free press.
John Maxwell Hamilton, Hopkins P. Breazeale LSU Foundation Professor of Journalism at Louisiana State University and a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, D.C. joins us to discuss his award-winning 2020 book, "Manipulating the Masses: Woodrow Wilson and the Birth of American Propaganda" and the issues it engages and the questions it asks about the role of journalism, government, and propaganda during wartime in a democracy.
This discussion, moderated by historian Ryan Reft and reference librarian Bruce Kirby, will demonstrate how researchers search for and discover relevant materials within the Manuscript Division’s holdings, draw conclusions and arguments from historical documents, and connect historical events and trends to our present day circumstances.
For transcript and more information, visit www.loc.gov/it...