O Brasil na vitrine da Fifth Avenue: A atuação do Escritório de Informações Brasileiras nos EUA 1935 – 1945

Abstract

The following article analyzes a series of publicity initiatives launched in the US by the Getulio Vargas government (1930-45), and particularly the authorities linked to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Labor, Industry, and Commerce, upon the perception of Brazil’s lack of visibility abroad. The aim of these initiatives was to create a climate which would foster Brazilian interests, whether in terms of trade – with a focus on the expanding of export guidelines, affected by the 1929 crisis – or politics, as a weapon in the struggle with Argentina for regional leadership. To this end, a range of bodies sought to promote Brazil in the US, including diplomatic representatives, foreign information bureaus, sections of the National Coffee Department, and committees from the National Treasury, among others. This article analyzes the initiatives rolled out by the Brazilian Foreign Information Bureau in the spreading of publicity on Brazil in the United States, mainly by means of the publication of Brazil Today magazine.