Propaganda in the United States
The House of Representatives Committee, generally known by the name of its chairman, Mr. Dies, which is in- vestigating " un-American " activities in the United States, has hitherto concentrated chiefly on pro-Fascist and anti- Semitic propaganda, whether it comes from American or foreign sources. Some of its inquiries have had interesting results and, as in the case of the Fascist General Molesworth, have served the useful purpose of heaping ridicule on sub- versive movements. At present the foreign species of pro- paganda seems more dangerous than the home-grown variety; on Monday, for instance, the Dies Committee heard how German officials even attempt to influence Uni- versity administration in America, in one case by offering to donate a German library in return for the suppression of anti-Fascist spokesmen on the teaching staff. It will be surprising if the Committee discovers that similar methods are followed by Britain and France in their propaganda, into e• hich the Committee also promises to inquire. By many Arre:icans Franco-British propaganda is bitterly resented, be- c ise its main purpose is to ensure that in a coming war fr.e. United States shall be involved, on the side of the demo- ,- icies. The deinocracies appear, however, to have out- stripped their rivals. The American Institute of Public Opinion reports that 76 per cent. of the American public now believe that the United States will come to their help and this opinion is, surprisingly, strongest in the stronghold , t America isolationism, the Middle West.
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