Campaigns: War, Politics and Propaganda

When war was declared in 1917. Bernays immediately began looking for a way to be involved in the war efforts. His eyesight was too poor to enlist, but he eventually found a position on the Creel Committee, a job that would ultimately shape his understanding of public relations (Cutlip, 1994; Cutlip, Center and Broom, 1994).

"The work I did for the [Committee on Public Information], based upon my publicity experience, aroused some interest at the time. It gave me the first real understanding of the power of ideas as weapons and words as bullets. When I came back from the war, I recognized consciously what we had done to make ‘the world safe for democracy’ in intensifying the attitude of our own people in support of our war aims and ideals, in winning over the neutrals and in deflating enemy morale"

Edward L. Bernays (in Cutlip, 1994, p. 165).

The work he did during this time, allowed Bernays to develop ideas and theories on propaganda, which he felt was beneficial to a society. Bernays believed that propaganda “tends to keep open an arena in public life in which the battle for truth can be fairly fought” (Bernays, 1929).

"The propagandist delivers a technique which minorities can employ equally well to break up majorities. Thus employed, propaganda becomes a powerful weapon against intolerance and tyranny of the herd"

Edward L. Bernays, The Forum, March  1929

_{* above photo of C. P. I. propaganda poster from http://www.vw.vccs.edu/vwhansd/his122A2AHH.html}