Plan for Government Information Campaign

PLAN FOR GOVERNMENT INFORMATION CAMPAIGNS.
April

The subjoined plan has been developed by the following group of gentlemen as the result of conferences, and is submitted by them as representing, in their judgment, an urgent measure in connection with the prosecution of the war;Hon. Charles E. Hughes, Mr. Thomas L. Chadbourne Jr., Mr. Henry Morgenthau, Hon. John Purroy Mitchel, Hon. William R. Willcox, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Mr. William Hamlin Childs, Mr. George W. Perkins, Mr. Frank Munsey, Mr. Willard D. Straight, Hon. William A. Prendergast, Mr. Robert Adamson.
In addition, the plan has been discussed and approved by other prominent men, including Messrs. Eugene H. Outerbridge, President of the New York Chamber of Commerce, Mr. William Fellowes Morgan, President of the Merchants' Association, Mr. John I. Waterbury, and Mr. Lewis E. Pierson, Chairman of the Irving National Bank.
Careful inquiry throughout the country indicates that the people as a whole do not realize the gravity of the war situation, especially so far as their own personal share in it is concerned.
It is felt that an urgent need exists for precisely the same sort of campaign of national education and information, under Government direction, as that conducted by the English Government in the middle stages of the war. That campaign was immensely successful and succeeded in arousing the entire people of England to a full realization of what the war meant and the obligation of personal service which it placed upon each individual citizen.
This campaign was wholly distinct from the work of the censorship bureau and was not a publicity campaign in the usual sense, but was a campaign of constructive education of the people as to the meaning of the war. In other words, this branch of the Government work, conducted by the head of one of the largest publishing houses in England, interpreted the war in all of its aspects to the people.Mr. Hedley LeBas was chosen for this important work, and was given a free hand with ample means for the conduct of several big informative campaigns. He paid regular rates for all advertising space used in the newspapers and periodicals; with regard to poster advertisements, in addition to much billboard space purchased, he secured many free spaces for his huge posters, arranging with controllers of billboards and other open spaces for free use of any positions not actually booked up by regular customers; and in addition to that he utilized Government sites, buildings, monuments, post-offices, telegraph offices, railway stations, etc., all of which are now under Government control and, therefore, free for the Government's use. By affiliating with all kinds of patriotic, fraternal, labor, educational and social organizations, much additional free publicity was secured. The effect from the very outset was electrical in arousing a new spirit and a new understanding on the part of the people throughout Great Britain. In the matter of War Loans, Conscription, Economy, and other main lines of the War programme where the people's cooperation was essential to their success, there is no shadow of doubt that these Government campaigns of information succeeded in unifying public sentiment and popular effort; hence, the Government's decision to continue this work on a still larger scale after the great success of the first campaign.
Present conditions in the United States indicate clearly that a great crisis is approaching in the war situation and that it is probable the united efforts of America on a prodigious scale will be called for in the very near future. This means that the people must be stirred to a sense of their individual responsibilities in order that their whole-hearted cooperation may be secured in such important operations of the Government as:1. War Loans.2. Conscription (While a selected draft bill has been passed by our Congress, in order that its machinery should work smoothly and effectively, it is believed that publicity work is equally as important, as was the same work in England prior to conscription there).3. Readjustment of labor on a large scale.4. Food control.5. Readjustment of business and social life to harmonize with actual war conditions and war requirements.6. Intelligent cooperation of women in both direct and indirect branches of war effort.7. National economy, what it means, how to enforce it in such a way as to aid the war programme and interfere least with the essential business of the country. (This is highly important).
This spirit and this cooperation can be secured simultaneously throughout the country by means of a properly directed national campaign of information under strong and intelligent headship.
This campaign should be considered as absolutely apart from routine press publicity matters, and the ordinary output from various departments of the Government meant for publication in newspapers and periodicals.
It should be a definite branch of the Government, under the direction of the President, its head being a man of broad, practical experience, with a capacity for organization on a large scale, and possessing both energy and imagination. It may be considered wise that he should be backed by a Committee of practical, experienced men, representing perhaps both political parties, and containing among its members also leading patriotic workers and business men with a full knowledge of the country's conditions and needs. The head of this work should be known by some such title as National Director of War Publicity, or National Director of War Information, or Government Director of Information.
This Government Director of Information, in consultation with those who are shaping the main war programme, would map out such Government campaigns as might be thougiht desirable and through various channels at his disposal would, by utilization of news and advertising columns, posters, etc., promulgate throughout every part of the country simultaneously the message which each campaign would be designed to impress upon the minds and the hearts of the people.
Once this branch of effort is established in Washington, it would utilize not only the machinery of the two National Committees, but the machinery of the State Committees as well, and in addition, would establish close working relations with municipal administrative bodies and all sorts of patriotic societies throughout the country, –– such societies as the National Security League, Chautauqua Societies, Board of Trade and Chambers of Commerce, church and college societies, fraternal, labor and various social organizations, etc., etc.
If a campaign on such a matter, for instance, as the present War Loan were to be launched, advance notice would be given to all these affiliated societies and plans would be made to begin the campaign simultaneously in all parts of the country, the work to be prosecuted with the utmost vigor in all directions.
This department to be effective must be a branch of the Government, controlled and financed by the Government, and on this basis it would not fail to impress people much more strongly than would be the case if similar efforts were put forth entirely by private organizations. At least, that has been found to be so in England and there is little doubt that it would prove to be so here.
This same machinery would be used extensively for making many phases of the war situation clear in the minds of the people with a view to securing their full and genuine cooperation in the Government's war programme, thus avoiding the possibility of obstruction, friction and selfishness in various forms –– all spelling delay.
This plan would serve to unify the nation quickly and make the people as a whole understand their individual responsibilities in the progressive phases of this country's participation in war on a big scale. It is quite clear that many people do not so understand those responsibilities now.
It would serve an immensely useful purpose, the direct and immediate effect being to hasten into complete and smooth operation the whole of the Government's war programme.
This, of course, is of vital importance, not only to the interests of this country, but to the whole Allied cause.
This plan has been carefully discussed by the above mentioned gentlemen in conference, and, as stated above, the views of other representative men have also been obtained. It is their feeling that this work should not be confused with that of the regular routine publicity, such as has been already provided for, but should be regarded as providing special machinery for a broad campaign of national education, with respect to such vital features of the war as the war loans, conscription, food control, readjustment of labor, cooperation of women in the war, national economy, etc.

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