«Voice of America» at the service of the US Department of State (1945–1953): the battle for existence

Tetiana Klynina
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Abstract

The article is devoted to the activities of «Voice of America» in one of the most difficult periods for this organization – 1945–1953. The difficulty of the existence of «Voice of America» in the specified period was explained by the fact that having fulfilled its task – opposition to German and Italian propaganda during the Second World War – «Voice of America» faced the threat of extinction. The purpose of the article is to consider the struggle of «Voice of America» for its existence, to show the problems «Voice of America» faced during the period of being under the State Department jurisdiction, as well as the role of the latter in preserving this radio broadcast. The article analyzes the American and Ukrainian developments regarding the research topic and emphasizes the significant positive changes currently observed in the Ukrainian scientific environment regarding the research topic. It is noted that the post-war events in the world and the immediate beginning of the «Cold War» contributed to solving the question of the feasibility of the existence of «Voice of America», as some political circles began to see in «Voice of America» a new tool for countering Soviet propaganda. Therefore, the question about the need to continue foreign information operations as an integral part of conducting foreign affairs arose on the agenda, especially considering the nature of international relations after the end of the war. It is indicated that despite the obvious advantage of «Voice of America» existence, a certain skepticism was observed among congressmen. It resulted in the reduction of funding for «Voice of America» activities which led to a reduction in staff, broadcasting hours, variety of programs, etc. Special attention is drawn to William Benton, Assistant Secretary of State of the United States, the man who single-handedly saved the «Voice of America» from complete disappearance. The methodological basis of the article was the principle of historicism, a systematic approach, problem-chronological and descriptive methods. The scientific novelty consists in a step-by-step examination of the problems faced by the «Voice of America» in the specified period, showing the role of W. Benton in preserving the existence of the radio station, as well as in refuting the thesis regarding the absolute informational independence of the «Voice of America» from the US government. It is noted that the «Voice of America» in 1945–1953 still tried to reflect American foreign policy from the official American point of view. However, it was more independent in criticizing the domestic political situation.
为美国国务院服务的“美国之音”(1945-1953):生存之战
这篇文章专门介绍了“美国之音”在1945-1953年这个组织最困难的时期之一的活动。“美国之音”在特定时期存在的困难是这样一个事实:“美国之音”在完成了反对第二次世界大战期间德国和意大利宣传的任务后,面临着灭绝的威胁。这篇文章的目的是考虑“美国之音”的生存斗争,展示“美国之音”在美国国务院管辖期间所面临的问题,以及后者在维护这一广播方面的作用。文章分析了美国和乌克兰在研究课题方面的发展,并强调了乌克兰目前在研究课题方面的科学环境发生的重大积极变化。值得注意的是,战后世界上发生的事件和“冷战”的立即开始有助于解决“美国之音”存在的可行性问题,因为一些政界开始将“美国之音”视为对抗苏联宣传的新工具。因此,关于需要继续开展对外新闻业务作为开展外交事务的一个组成部分的问题出现在议程上,特别是考虑到战争结束后国际关系的性质。文章指出,尽管“美国之音”的存在具有明显的优势,但国会议员中仍存在一定的怀疑态度。这导致了“美国之音”活动经费的减少,从而导致了工作人员、广播时间、节目种类等的减少。特别值得注意的是美国助理国务卿威廉·本顿,他以一己之力拯救了“美国之音”免于完全消失。本文的方法论基础是历史决定论原则、系统方法、问题年代法和描述法。科学的新颖性在于一步一步地考察“美国之音”在特定时期所面临的问题,表明W.本顿在维护广播电台存在方面的作用,以及驳斥关于“美国之音”绝对独立于美国政府的信息独立的论点。值得注意的是,1945-1953年的“美国之音”仍然试图从美国官方的角度反映美国的外交政策。然而,它在批评国内政治局势方面更加独立。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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