New Frontiers of Knowledge: Science and Technology in the Late 1950s American Cold War Propaganda

Abstract

My essay assesses how science and technology were depicted in American Cold War propaganda and suggests these themes were vital to the US propaganda strategy of the late 1950s. Focusing on the United States Information Agency and its radio organ the Voice of America, I examine the significant role played by the VOA, tracing a shift towards the exploitation of science and technology themes in the late 1950s, and briefly analyzes the content of the 1957 science-themed VOA series “New Frontiers of Knowledge.” Finally, some concluding remarks explore how science was used to advance the broad foreign policy strategy of the United States.