At the end of the war, the Allies faced a serious problem in the
revolutionary propaganda of the Russian Communists, who had established
a Soviet communist form of state which denied the legitimacy of all other
states. The Soviet leaders expected revolution to break out throughout the
world. Communist revolts did occur in Hungary, Bavaria, Berlin and else-
where. The Allies countered these with military intervention on the side
of the Conservatives in Russia and with diplomatic and military aid to the
states around Russia ("cordon sanitaire"). The reciprocal bitterness and
suspicion which resulted from this clash between Allies and Bolsheviks
later provided a line of cleavage which Hitler utilized in preparing World
War II.
""
114. THE CREEL COMMITTEE. The national propaganda agency
of the United States government--the Committee on Public Information,
usually known by the name of its chairman, George Creel--was the "Creel
Committee. This was actually an emergency wartime department of the
government. It was set up by order of the President and was financed out
of his special war funds, later supplemented by congressional appropria-
tions. The Creel Committee organized both domestic and foreign propa-
ganda. (There was no War Department or General Staff agency charged with
the military side of psychological warfare.) Coordination was effected by
Mr. Creel himself; he had close access to the President and to the appro-
priate cabinet members.
T15. DOMESTIC PROPAGANDA. Internal propaganda within the
United States was more difficult than it was to be in World War II. The de-
cision to declare war had to be taken by the United States. The Germans had
been too clever to unite us, as did the Japanese with their psychological blun-
der at Pearl Harbor, by means of an overt attack on American territory. The
Creel Committee had the normal problems of wartime morale (slackers, profi-
teers, inert people); it also had well-organized groups of Irish-Americans
(Ireland then being anti-British), German-Americans and powerful isolationists
to counter. The Committee proceeded vigorously on the domestic front. Since
there was no radio, it organized "Four Minute Men," standardized public
speakers who carried war messages throughout the country. It served the
press by systematizing government information policy. It used posters, ad-
vertising, cartoons, civic clubs, the theatre, movies, and women's organiza-
tions as outlets for its material. The political warfare--the extent of the
promises made for a democratic, war-free, prosperous post-war world--
probably contributed to the post-1918 reaction against "propaganda" which
continued down to World War II; in retrospect, it appears excessive and
certain to have caused post-war disappointment and embarrassment to the
government.
116. TACTICAL PROPAGANDA. Leaflets were the chief means of
battle-front propaganda on the Western front. The Germans threatened to
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