How to Recognize Propaganda | Cold War Era Educational Film | ca. 1957

this is the big picture an official television report to the nation from the United States Army now to show you part of the big picture here is sergeant Stewart Queen the film you are about to see was produced as a troop information film specially prepared to alert the American soldier against a hidden enemy an enemy that can destroy morale Rob the soldier of the will to fight and even trick him into surrendering enemy propaganda although this study of communist deception was made for a military audience we think that you the American public will also find it and enlightening let no one be deceived by the american-style peace let no one be to see that's what the man said I don't think you need three guesses to know what this is all about but longer and [Music] [Applause] that was the voice of the Kremlin or rather one of its voices there are lots of them around the world speaking in every language [Music] this material in just another sample of what you might call the Communist war without guns and this is some of their ammunition [Music] I'm Colonel foster I'm going to be your guide for a short tour through the maze of communist propaganda it's a strange shadowy world of the doctored photograph the misquotation the insinuation and the lie now some of this material to us is comical some of it is tragic some of it's weird some of it's dull but all of them as the single purpose of digging the grave of Liberty the grave diggers of communism have been trying to set America up for the kill for years and it makes them very angry that we don't just collapse as per schedule listen to this the living conditions of the American masses that's you are swiftly deteriorating our generation is going through the final convulsions of the dying world of capitalism that's what it says here and if you don't believe that pamphlet try this one bankrupt America may have one more war in its decaying carcass but her young man who faced nothing but brute labor poverty and death may refuse to fight that's what it says here if you're assigned to duty overseas you may see posters like this once in a while that's you in case you don't recognize yourself of course we get out a big Chuck amount of stuff like this but the bigger the lie the bigger the laughs but the grave diggers aren't laughing they're deadly serious and in some places around the still free world some people believe them like I know what they're saying about you and all American soldiers well in England the Communists call you arrogant gum chores they tell the Japanese your pleasure-loving pampered juvenile delinquents for Italian ears the Communists call you black marketeers bent on looting Europe the Austrians they call you uncultured young thugs the soviet-occupied countries of Eastern Europe they say you are members of the gangster army of imperialist America and to the people of Korea the Communists say you are cold-blooded murderers tortured and shot and buried alive thousands of innocent civilians did you notice how they slander progressed from the gum chores to juvenile delinquent to black marketeer to thug gangster murderer from you should be laughed at - you should be shot in just a few easy steps how is your sense of humor now I imagine that all of us gum-chewing pampered gangster murderers know why were being slandered it's because America is the major obstacle that stands between the grave digger and its intended victim here is target number one for the Reds and who's in the bullseye you are being in the bullseye it's important to know something about the enemy's weapons and how to spoil their a that aim is nothing less than world conquest and subversion by every possible means is the cheap method use the keyword is conflict outside of the red countries themselves conflict must be promoted everywhere every dissatisfaction must grow into a resentment every resentment must become an argument every argument must grow into a fight every fight must blossom into a riot every ripe must expand into a war every war must end in devastation were there in the ruins communism finds its chance for the Communists there must never be a compromise never a settlement of disputes only conflict two Americans none of it makes much sense but wherever there is poverty unemployment disillusionment there is also despair where there is despair people may listen anyone to any plan that promises a change in America practically nobody listens in all countries with stable government civil liberties and reasonable prosperity communism makes little or no headway the red countries cannot stand comparison in the light of day that's one reason for the Iron Curtain that stretches across Eastern Europe from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean the barrier works two ways it keeps free men from seeing too much inside and it keeps the slave world from glimpsing freedom back of that Iron Curtain is the biggest captive audience in the world they don't have to sell them just tell and what did they hear about themselves well let's listen Metheny Diwali spits a new program oh I switch on the Cisco causation of linear Avenue was a real journey at the recent meeting of the International Labour Organization the question was raised by one of the American delegates as to why there are no strikes in the USSR to the people of the Soviet Union this is a foolish question the reason why we do not have strikes is because we do not have exploitation of the workers here there are no catalysts and all landlords seeking profits at the expense of human welfare as all of us know in the Soviet Union authority belongs to the working people in no other country does the worker feel so much apart for his factory his farm his village and his nation our workers do not grumble or strike they leave that to the discontented masses of other countries who have not yet advanced to socialism one has but to look around the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to see an every hand evidence of our enormous progress in Uzbekistan there has been a mighty upswing in the economy and unprecedented cultural progress as well twice as many O's backs today receive higher education than in France for example in Czechoslovakia household appliances and motorcycles have ceased to be the goods exclusively for the reach today they are available to all in yellow Russia the people have received all equipment necessary for boosting agriculture such as tractors and machines we are a nation of happy builders in a blossoming land you get the picture for the people around Moscow they say everything in Uzbekistan is wonderful for the people in the Ural region they say everything in Czechoslovakia is wonderful for the people in the Ukraine the yellow Russia is a blossoming land wherever a Soviet citizen lives he's told life is just a bowl of cherries somewhere else in the Soviet Union and it's up to him to work harder to catch up as for America the Soviet people are told that conditions here are hopeless in their theaters the Soviets see newsreels made up especially to show the terrible truth of ours this is America of the big capitalists Wall Street with its big impressive buildings but this is the real America where the workers live since they are underpaid they must eat out a few pennies extra by peddling fruit on the streets almost every day in America you will see police and goon squads attacking the workers who try to strike but for the wealthy class there is not a care in the world did you recognize those old newsreel scenes you know how typical they are of America as for the Soviet soldier he is also a prime target for the Kremlin propagandists the Soviet soldiers head may be full of propaganda and his ears may be ringing with lies but he's still a soldier and a tough one in all his life he will never hear the truth about the other side I said a moment ago that we're slandered by the Reds everywhere in the world and we are but every once in a while the Kremlin changes the script in the last 40 years Russia's official attitude toward us has changed from friendship to hatred back to friendship and in fact a hatred again no less than eight times it all defends in the party line in the crazy world of communism today's friend is tomorrow's eminent today's hero is tomorrow's traitor Lavrentiy Beria chief of the Soviet secret police hero of the people shot as a traitor today's hero is tomorrow's traitor Rudolf slansky leader of the Czechoslovakian red hero of the people hanged as a traitor Laszlo right leader of the Hungarian Reds hero of the people hang is a tree and then found innocent cleared of all charges but too late here is the hero of Heroes Jesus the benevolent father of all the Russians who has been declared the greatest traitor of them all a psychopathic murderer after being hailed as a god-like leader for thirty years he don't offend the party line whether the Russian bear kills or caresses skulls or smiles and when the Reds start calling us their best friends look up that's what they said to us in some of their broadcasts over in Korea and in these leaflets they drop behind our lines all of a sudden they're our buddies here conscientious friends American officers sergeants and soldiers a great desire of the Korean and Chinese People's Army is for justice and national independence are you really fighting for freedom do you not realize by now that you have been sent by The Wall Street merchants to crush careers attempt to gain independence you cannot beat 500 billion Chinese and Koreans our brave and heroic soldiers will never surrender don't let your capitalist leaders deceive you don't fight their aggressive war let all foreign troops withdraw from Korea go home and leave in peace well every GI in Korea wanted nothing more than to go home and live in peace if only the Communists would do the same thing but they didn't of course until we fought them to a standstill now let me introduce you to another communist this is going to be hard to take so brace yourselves hi fellas how are you today not so good huh well you know what General Sherman said about war oh well it'll only last seven or eight years fellas of course it could be less than that if your leaders would only listen to reason but let's not talk about it I'm going to play some real dreamy music for you but first I want to welcome some new fellows into the line the 350 Infantry Regiment I'm sorry the weather's so bad for you we had planned to fix all the roads before you came but there isn't much we can do about it now incidentally keep your feet dry fellas your medics can't do a thing for frozen toes and your girlfriend's back home don't want you crippled take it easy huh [Music] that's the way Seoul City soo entertained us in Korea nice music and a soft sympathetic voice selling discouragement and defeat digging graves as all communists do but lining them with velvet but the men who heard that radio art of charm were sometimes interrupted and very rudely - like this [Music] thank you um we come get you now [Music] that's the way it went in Korea sometimes first the gentle voice then the loudspeaker they were interchangeable weapons in the Communists war of words propaganda from the enemy in a combat zone like Korea is one thing propaganda in a peaceful country is something else most of you who will be stationed overseas will run into the second time at first you may not notice that the gravediggers are as busy as ever slandering us trying to separate us from our lives you'll go about your business for a long time maybe and then turn a corner one day and see it splashed across a fence or a wall or maybe on an ordinary Street or square suddenly you'll come across the party insignia on a doorway and it will remind you that the gravediggers are around or maybe you'll stop and look at a poster in some European town you probably can't read the language but the picture is plain enough a while ago I mentioned the importance of knowing the enemy's weapons and how to spoil their aim through your behavior and your friendly attitude you can make a personal contribution toward combating communist accusations of gangsterism and gum-chewing arrogance it's another way to play it smart avoid any contact with political demonstrations and you'll stay out of trouble the Communists are good at making propaganda in a big noise [Applause] and in a quiet insidious way - it's a very bad mistake to rearm Germany sockets are no fools they will not allow it even if it means war France it is a corpse chopped up by American bayonets no no my friend France is not a nation it is a staging area for Americans when they are ready to attack the Soviet Union I do not say the Americans are bad only mistaken where is this Soviet threat they talk about Stalin estate the Soviets want only peace so why don't the Americans go home well if you hear enough of this kind of gossip planted by the communists enough phony rumours of America's secret plans to launch a war enough big lies little lies and medium-size lies maybe you'll begin to believe some of it maybe you'll begin to wonder if there isn't some truth in it maybe nobody really likes us maybe the world really thinks we're imperialistic war mongers maybe maybe well that's what the grave diggers want you to think because if you do you're halfway in the bag the fact is that every free nation in the world looks to America as the bulwark of Liberty the fact is behind the Iron Curtain are millions of people to whom the voice of America is the only voice of hope in a world of darkness the fact is in the exchange of war prisoners after Korea 27,000 one-time communists refused to go home after one glimpse of freedom the fact is that all along the Austrian border the Czech border the East German border every day every hour people are slipping across swimming across crashing across to freedom telling their pitiful stories and the refugee centers asking only that they be allowed to stay on our side of the Iron Curtain their stories are all different yet always the same if you heard a thousand or two of these stories they'd begin to get monotonous you'd think isn't there an end of this no there is no end not until communism ends under the weight of its own evils and its own lives well now you've seen a fair sample of enemy propaganda leaflets magazines broadcasts posters street demonstrations rumors agitation they spend millions but the funny thing is they don't get a dimes worth of good where people recognize the truth it's as simple as that if you know propaganda for what it is you are protected from it's lives not only that you can take measures against it by giving the line to the enemy at every turn how by realizing a simple fact that in foreign eyes you and your uniform are the image of America and by conducting yourself accordingly you're in the bullseye of the Communists target number one and yet our cause and our country can never be defeated unless we ourselves fail to uphold it and that can never be as long as we act like Americans and remember these words I will never forget that I am an American fighting man responsible for my actions and dedicated to the principles which made my country free I will trust in my god and in the United States of America the best defense against enemy propaganda is truth for a communist a thing is true only if it advances the Communist cause it is false if it does not the soldier who understands how enemy propaganda works is for wormed and for armed in this knowledge lies his strength now this is sergeant Stuart Queen inviting you to be with us again next week for another look at your army in action on the big picture the big picture is a weekly television report to the nation on the activities of the Army at home and overseas produced by the army pictorial Center presented by the United States Army in cooperation with this station you too can be an important part of the big picture you can proudly serve with a best equipped the best trained the best fighting team in the world today the United States Army you

Channel: The Best Film Archives

Views: 1,033,772

Keywords: propaganda, how, recognize, educational film, propaganda film, how propaganda works, how it works, American propaganda, US propaganda, Soviet propaganda, Russian propaganda, Cold War, Cold War propaganda, anti communism, anti communist, anti communist propaganda, democracy, capitalism, capitalist, vs, communism, communist, socialism, socialist, Russia, Russian, Soviet Union, China, US, USA, United States, America, American, government, history, 50s, 1950s, full, documentary, film, video, footage, movie, HD

Id: ATY0KhMSOfY

Length: 26min 40sec (1600 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 07 2017

Reddit Comments

[u/OkTransportation7243]

Things have NOT changed in the art of propaganda.

This video is probably the most honest I've seen so far.

The main thing that has corrupted America is excessive greed.

The excessive greed is causing disparity and discontent.

These minor issue being enlarge ane exaggerate.

While China is promoting itself as a utopia lol....

America is being sliced in half through greed and corruption.

[u/ngc4321]

I actually watched all 26 minutes of this and it was well worth my time

[u/[deleted]]

This video coincidentally was recommended to me by YouTube during the last few days. I was thinking of posting it, but I'm glad you did. It is still relavent now in 2023.

[u/Yudi_888]

Sound bite! Sound bite! u/SerpentZA