The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was a United States government agency created during World War II. The OWI operated from June 1942 until September 1945. Through radio broadcasts, newspapers, posters, photographs, films and other forms of media, the OWI was the connection between the battlefront and civilian communities. The office also established several overseas branches, which launched a large-scale information and propaganda campaign abroad. From 1942 to 1945, the OWI revised or discarded any film scripts reviewed by them that portrayed the United States in a negative light, including anti-war material.[1]
At the onset of World War II, the American public was in the dark regarding wartime information. One American observer noted: “
It all seemed to boil down to three bitter complaints…first, that there was too much information; second, that there wasn’t enough of it; and third, that in any event it was confusing and inconsistent”.[3] Further, the American public confessed a lack of understanding as to why the world was at war, and held great resentment against other Allied Nations.[4] President Roosevelt established the OWI to both meet the demands for news and less confusion, as well as resolve American apathy towards the war. The OWI's creation was not without controversy. The American public, and the United States Congress in particular, were wary of propaganda for several reasons.
But in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the need for coordinated and properly disseminated wartime information from the military/administration to the public outweighed the fears associated with American propaganda.
President Roosevelt entrusted the OWI to journalist and CBS newsman Elmer Davis, with the mission to take “an active part in winning the war and in laying the foundations for a better postwar world.”[8]
The OWI Domestic Radio Bureau produced series such as
This is Our Enemy (spring 1942), which dealt with Germany, Japan, and Italy;
Uncle Sam, which dealt with domestic themes; and
Hasten the Day (August 1943), which focussed on the Home Front, the NBC Blue Network's Chaplain Jim. The radio producer Norman Corwin produced several series for the OWI, including
An American in England,
An American in Russia, and
Passport for Adams, which starred Robert Young, Ray Collins, Paul Stewart and Harry Davenport.[10]
The OWI Bureau of Motion Pictures (BMP) worked with the Hollywood movie studios to produce films that advanced American war aims. According to Elmer Davis, "The easiest way to inject a propaganda idea into most people’s minds is to let it go through the medium of an entertainment picture when they do not realize that they are being propagandized."[12] Successful films depicted the Allied armed forces as valiant "Freedom fighters", and advocated for civilian participation, such as conserving fuel or donating food to troops.[13]
By July 1942 OWI administrators realized that the best way to reach American audiences was to present war films in conjunction with feature films. OWI's presence in Hollywood deepened throughout World War II, and by 1943 every major Hollywood studio (except Paramount Pictures) allowed the OWI to examine their film scripts.[14] OWI evaluated whether each film would promote the honor of the Allies' mission.[15]
From 1942 to 1945, the OWI's Bureau of Motion Pictures reviewed 1,652 film scripts and revised or discarded any that portrayed the United States in a negative light, including material that made Americans seem "
oblivious to the war or anti-war." Elmer Davis, the head of the OWI, said that "
The easiest way to inject a propaganda idea into most people's minds is to let it go through the medium of an entertainment picture when they do not realize they're being propagandized."
The OWI was terminated, effective September 15, 1945, by Executive Order 9608 on August 31, 1945.[43] President Truman cited the OWI for "
outstanding contribution to victory", and saw no reason to continue funding the agency post-war.[44] The international offices of the OWI were transferred to the State Department, and the United States Information Service and the Office of Strategic Services/Central Intelligence Agency assumed many of the information gathering, analyzing, and disseminating responsibilities.[45]
Despite its troubled existence, the OWI is widely considered to be influential in the Allied victory and mobilizing American support for the war domestically.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_St ... nformation
