Propaganda on wheels: The NATO travelling exhibitions in the 1950s and 1960s

Abstract

Despite the restrictive terms of reference and a limited operative budget, in the 1950s and 1960s the NATO Information Service launched a series of successful propaganda campaigns. One of the most effective initiatives was the organisation of a series of travelling exhibitions which toured the NATO countries. By travelling through the countryside and small centres, the travelling exhibitions reached areas that had not yet been touched by any other propaganda campaign. This paper investigates the choice of themes and objects put on display, the organisational problems and the question of assessing the impact of such initiatives in an historical context.

Notes

Linda Risso is Lecturer in Modern European History in the Department of History at the University of Reading. Her research interests focus on the history of European integration since 1945 and the history of propaganda in the Cold War. She is writing a monograph on the NATO Information Service during the Cold War for Routledge.

 [1] Both Ellwood and Aubourg have contributed chapters on these topics in Aubourg, Bossuat, and Scott-Smith, European Community, Atlantic Community; Risso, ‘“Enlightening Public Opinion”’.

 [2] Blackmer and Tarrow, Communism in Italy and France; Kriegel, Les Communistes français dans leur premier demi-siècle; Courtois and Lazar, 50 ans d'une passion française.

 [3] Journal Officiel de la République Française. Débats parlementaires. Assemblée Nationale. 28 July 1949.

 [4] An example is available in Togliatti Discorsi Parlamentari, 405–41.

 [5] ‘Mutual Aid Treaty’ signed by Churchill and Molotov in May 1942 and the ‘Treaty of Alliance and Mutual Assistance’ signed in December 1944 by General de Gaulle. Both treaties prohibited the signatories from taking part in any alliance that could be a threat to the other. These war-time treaties provided a powerful weapon for Soviet propaganda against NATO.

 [6] De Gaulle, Discours et messages, 272–5.

 [7] Nenni, Tempo di guerra fredda, 91.

 [8] CICR: Information programme for 1956, 9 February 1956, NATO Archives, AC/52-WP/14; NATO Conference on Information Policy; 8 February 1955, AC/87-R/1; Survey by the Secretary General of Progress during the Period 1 May 1955 to 30 November 1955, 6 December 1955, CM(55)122.

 [9] A good example of this is in ‘Summary Record of a Meeting of the Council of Deputies held at 13, Belgrave Square, London, SW1, on Monday, 26 February 1951’, 27 February 1951, NATO Archives, DR(51)13.

[10] CICR, Note by the Chairman, 26 August 1953, NATO Archives, CM(53)118. The same point is reiterated in NATO Information Conference, Note by the Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, 9 February 1953, NATO Archives, CM(53)6.

[11] Kenez, The Birth of the Propaganda State.

[12] Defty, Britain, American and Anti-Communist Propaganda; , The Hidden Hand; idem, ‘Putting Culture into the Cold War’. For a detailed examinaiton of the Anglo-American preparatory talks, Risso, ‘“Enlightening Public Opinion”’.

[13] ‘Summary Record of the 7th Meeting Held on the 3rd August 1950, at Lancaster House’, 3 August 1950, NATO Archives, DR(50)7; ‘Summary Record of the 8th Meeting held on the 4th August 1950, at Lancaster House’, 4 August 1950, NATO Archives, DR(50)8; ‘Information Service’, 11 August 1950, NATO Archives, DD/17.

[14] ‘The NATO Information Service’, 20 November 1950, NATO Archives, DD/186.

[15] ‘NATO Conference on Information Policy: Development of Information since 1950’, Report by the Director of Information, 24 January 1955, NATO Archives, AC/87-D/6; ‘NATO Functions in the Field of Propaganda and Counterpropaganda’, Report by the Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, 29 November 1952, NATO Archives, CM(52)115. For a detailed reconstruction of the origins of NATIS, Risso, ‘“Enlightening Public Opinion”’.

[16] During the Cold War, other committees and ad hoc working groups operated within and alongside NATIS. Among the most interesting ones was the Conference of National Information Officials; the Information Policy Working Group (1952–53, AC/24 series); the Political Committee (1957–64, AC/119 series); the Joint WG on Information Policy and Cultural Cooperation (1953–74, AC/52 series); the Atlantic Policy Advisory Group (1962–74, AC/214A); and the Working Group on Problems connected with ‘Psychological Warfare’ (1960–61, AC/186).

[17] ‘Summary Record of a Meeting of the Council held at the Palais de Chaillot, Paris, on Wednesday, 1 July 1953’, 2 July 1953, NATO Archives, CR(53)33; CICR, Note by the Chairman, 26 August 1953, NATO Archives, CM(53)118; CICR, ‘Proposed NATO information activities in 1954’, Note by Director of Information, 29 September 1953, NATO Archives, AC/52-D/17; Risso, ‘“Enlightening Public Opinion”’.

[18] Full details in Risso, ‘“Enlightening Public Opinion”’.

[19] CICR, ‘NATO Atlantic Exhibition, 1952–1954. Italy, Greece, Turkey, France’, Report by the Director of Information, 3 September 1954, NATO Archives, AC/52-D/54.

[20] Kenez, The Birth of the Propaganda State; Gorsuch, ‘Soviet Youth and the Politics of Culture during NEP’.

[21] Ellwood, ‘“You too can be like us”’; Bischof and Stiefel, Images of the Marshall Plan in Europe.

[22] In Greece, it visited Thessaloniki and Athens (September–November 1952), where it was seen by 755,148 people. In Turkey (January–March 1953) it stopped in Ankara, Izmir and Istanbul and it was seen by almost half a million people. CICR, ‘NATO Atlantic Exhibition, 1952–1954’, NATO Archives, AC/52-D/54.

[23] It stopped in Strasbourg, Lille, Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulon, Nice, Bordeaux, Rennes, Nantes and Le Havre (September 1953–June 1954). The total number of visitors during the French tour was just above 1 million. CICR, ‘NATO Atlantic Exhibition, 1952–1954’, NATO Archives, AC/52-D/54.

[24] It stopped in Strasbourg, Lille, Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulon, Nice, Bordeaux, Rennes, Nantes and Le Havre (September 1953–June 1954). The total number of visitors during the French tour was just above 1 million. CICR, ‘NATO Atlantic Exhibition, 1952–1954’, NATO Archives, AC/52-D/54

[25] It stopped in Strasbourg, Lille, Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulon, Nice, Bordeaux, Rennes, Nantes and Le Havre (September 1953–June 1954). The total number of visitors during the French tour was just above 1 million. CICR, ‘NATO Atlantic Exhibition, 1952–1954’, NATO Archives, AC/52-D/54

[26] It stopped in Strasbourg, Lille, Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulon, Nice, Bordeaux, Rennes, Nantes and Le Havre (September 1953–June 1954). The total number of visitors during the French tour was just above 1 million. CICR, ‘NATO Atlantic Exhibition, 1952–1954’, NATO Archives, AC/52-D/54

[27] ‘NATO Conference on Information Policy’, 8 February 1955, NATO Archives, AC/87-R/1.

[28] ‘NATO Conference on Information Policy: Development of Information since 1950’, Report by the Director of Information, 24 January 1955, NATO Archives, AC/87-D/6. For the examination of how the provisions of the Marshall Plan were used to finance the information activities of various CIA-led programmes, see Scott-Smith, The Politics of Apolitical Culture, 70–71. It is worth pointing out that despite the interruption of its voluntary contribution, the USA continued to support NATIS indirectly. ‘Summary Record of the 34^th Meeting of the Council held at the Palais de Chaillot, Paris, on Wednesday, 17 November 1954’, 19 November 1954, NATO Archives, CR(54)43.

[29] ‘Report by the Secretary General of progress during the period 1 December 1955 to 1 April 1956’, 26 April 1956, NATO Archives, CM(56)54.

[30] ‘Survey by the Secretary General of Progress during the period 1 May 1955 to 30 November 1955’, 6 December 1955, NATO Archives, CM(55)122; CICR, ‘Proposed information programme for 1956’, Note by the Director of Information, 1 December 1955, NATO Archives, AC/52-D/144.

[31] The capital equipment was valued at approximately 90 million francs. CICR, ‘NATO Information Activities in 1958’, Note by the Director of Information, 22 October 1957, NATO Archives, AC/52-D/267.

[32] ‘Report by the Secretary General of Progress during the Period 1st July to 31st December 1958’, 18 March 1959, NATO Archives, CM(59)29.

[33] ‘Report by the Secretary General of progress during the period 1st July to 31st December 1959’, 26 April 1960, NATO Archives, CM(60)47; CICR, ‘NATO Information Activities in 1958’, Note by the Director of Information, 22 October 1957, NATO Archives, AC/52-D/267.

[34] ‘Trends and Implications of Soviet Policy’, Report by International Staff, 3 December 1956, NATO Archives, CM(56)133; ‘Summary Record of a Meeting of the Council held at the Palais de Chaillot, Paris, on Saturday, 27th February 1954’, 5 March 1954, NATO Archives, CR(54)6.

[35] ‘Countering Soviet Propaganda Themes’, 26 April 1960, NATO Archives, PO/60/502.

[36] Official text available on the NATO website: http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-4581F841-BE8FB761/natolive/official_texts_17481.htm (accessed 8 January 2010).

[37] ‘Implementation of the Recommendation made by the Committee of Three’, Note by the Deputy Secretary General, 10 January 1957, NATO Archives, CM(57)3.

[38] ‘Conference of National Information Officials’, 1 March 1960, NATO Archives, RDC/60/44; ‘Information Programme for 1956’, Report by the Chairman of the Committee on Information and Cultural Relations, 20 February 1956, NATO Archives, CM(56)18.

[39] CICR, ‘NATO Information Activities in 1958’, Note by the Director of Information, 22 October 1957, NATO Archives, AC/52-D/267.

[40] ‘Report by the Secretary General of progress during the period 1st July to 31st December 1958’, 18 March 1959, NATO Archives, CM(59)29.

[41] ‘Report by the Secretary General of Progress during the Period 1st July to 31st December 1959’, 26 April 1960, NATO Archives, CM(60)47; CICR, ‘Meeting held on Thursday, 5 October 1961’, Action sheet, 11 October 1961, NATO Archives, AC/52-R(61)22.

[42] ‘Survey of the NATO Information Output, 1969’, NATO Archives, AC/123-D(70)1, p. 272; and leaflet ‘The NATO Mobile Information Centre’ published by NATIS in 1961.

[43] CICR, ‘Proposed 1962 Information Programme’, Note by the Director of Information, 11 September 1961, NATO Archives, AC/52-WP(61)49; CICR, ‘Second Mobile Information Centre’, Note by the Director of Information, 11 September 1961, NATO archives, AC/52-WP(61)49/1.

[44] CICR, ‘Meeting held on Thursday, 5 October 1961’, Action sheet, 11 October 1961, NATO Archives, AC/52-R(61)22.

[45] CICR, ‘Information Policy: Proposed General Lines to be Followed in Information Activities in 1965’, Note by the Director of Information, 15 April 1964, NATO Archives, AC/52-D(64)1.

[46] These changes meant a 50% cut in the budget, from 1.8m Belgian francs to 0.9m. CICR, ‘Proposed 1969 Information Activities’, Note by the Director of Information, 5 November 1968, NATO Archives, AC/52-D(68)3; ‘Survey of the NATO Information Output, 1969’, NATO Archives, AC/123-D(70)1, 272–5.

[47] Official version available on the NATO website: http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-C6A160A2-9498A202/natolive/official_texts_26700.htm (accessed 8 January 2010).

[48] CICR, ‘Activities of the NATO Information Service, January 1968–June 1968’, Note by the Director of Information, 5 September 1968, NATO archives, AC/52-D(68)2; Price left NATIS on 19 May 1972, AC/52-R(72)2.

[49] CICR, ‘Proposed 1969 Information Activities’, Note by the Director of Information, 5 November 1968, NATO Archives, AC/52-D(68)3; ‘Summary Record of a Meeting of the Council held at Reykjavik on Monday and Tuesday, 24th and 25th June 1968’, 9 August 1968, NATO Archives, CR(68)30.

[50] CICR, ‘Activities of the NATO Information Service: July 1968 to December 1968’, Note by the Director of Information, 3 March 1969, NATO Archives, AC/52-D(69)1.

[51] NATIS often worked in cooperation with the Dedo Weigert Film Company in Munich.

[52] Thompson, ‘Reception Theory’; Bruhn Jensen, Handbook.

[53] ‘Interim Report by the Committee on Information and Cultural Relations’, 8 July 1958, NATO Archives, AC/52-D(58)34(Final).

[54] ‘Survery of the NATO Information Output, 1969’, NATO Archives, AC/273-D(70)1; ‘The NATO Information Service Survey Output, 1970’, NATO Archives, AC/273-D(71)1; ‘The NATO Information Service Survey Output, 1970’, NATO Archives, AC/273-D(72)1.