The UN in Hollywood: A Lesson in Public Relations

Abstract

IN THE past ten years, three governmental or intergovernmental organizations have recognized this power of Hollywood motion pictures and have tried to educate the public obliquely by injecting their ideas into entertainment films. Before the last war, the Office of the Co6rdinator of InterAmerican Affairs, to create better relations between the United States and South America, worked from the top down so far as films were concerned. John Jay Whitney, in charge of the Motion Picture Division, went to the financial heads of the film industry in New York and showed them that it would be good business to aid in improving relations with the Latin-American countries. The presidents of the companies cleared the way for co6peration between the studios and an office set up by the co6rdinator in Hollywood. This co6peration worked in three ways: First, the companies turned over to the CIAA any short films that it wished to re-edit and sound-track in Spanish and Portuguese and send to Central and South America in 16-mm. form, balancing films on countries south of the border which it showed in the United