In a country as large and varied as the United States, shaping public
opinion was a massive task, especially when it came to overcoming opposition
or indifference to the war effort. More than 13 percent of the
population was foreign bom, and the United States contained 8 million
Americans of German descent, over 4 million with roots in Ireland, and 2
million Swedish Americans. All of these groups were traditionally hostile
to Entente countries like Britain and Russia or else emotionally linked to
Germany. Led by former journalist George Creel, the government's Committee
of Public Information (CPI) set out to arouse and maintain support
for the war. Creel moved to sell the war by mobilizing a corps of 75,000
public speakers—the "Four Minute Men"—to address crowds in places like
movie theaters. Creel's moviemakers produced propaganda films with titles
like Pershing 's Crusaders or The Prussian Cur. Specially written articles
went to elementary and high schools and to local newspapers for reprinting
on their own pages. Immigrant communities found Creel's articles appearing
in their own languages in their own newspapers, and Creel's staff,
including many university professors, watched those same newspapers to
ferret out antiwar sentiments.
World History
