Total Cold War: Eisenhower's Secret Propaganda Campaigns

A book by Kenneth Osgood chronicles U.S. psychological warfare programs in over three dozen countries during the Cold War. It draws on recently declassified documents to analyze campaigns like Atoms for Peace and People-to-People, examining their impact on both foreign and domestic audiences. The work provides a distinctive interpretation of public diplomacy in the context of mass politics and total war.

Use Cases

• Analyzing themes and narratives in Cold War propaganda based on the described Atoms for Peace and People-to-People campaigns.
• Studying the relationship between foreign and domestic propaganda efforts based on the description of campaigns targeting the American people.
• Examining the use of disarmament negotiations as propaganda maneuvers based on the described superpower interactions.
• Researching the propaganda challenges posed by technological events like the Sputnik launch as mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Analysis is based on recently declassified documents, suggesting primary source material.
• Scope covers psychological operations in over three dozen countries, indicating a broad geographical focus.
• Examines multiple major campaigns, including Atoms for Peace and cultural exchange programs.

Limitations

• The dataset is a single book; row count, columns, and file formats are unknown.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred from the text.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Kenneth Osgood (author), sourced via paperswithcode.

Collection Method

Historical research and analysis of declassified documents.

Time Range

Cold War era, focusing on the Eisenhower administration.

Geography

Global, with campaigns targeting virtually every country in the free world and operations documented in over three dozen countries.