The Office of War Information, created in 1942, formulated and executed information programs to promote understanding of the status and progress of the war effort and of war policies, activities, and aims of the U.S. government. Besides coordinating the release of war news for domestic use, the office established an overseas branch to manage the information and propaganda campaign abroad. Congressional opposition to the domestic operations of the OWI resulted in increasingly curtailed funds, and by 1944 the OWI operated mostly in the foreign field. At virtually every stop, Dirksen made a point of visiting the OWI outpost. He came away impressed by the agency’s work and vowed to increase funding for its work, as his remarks confirm. He did not succeed, however. OWI ceased operations in September 1945, and its foreign functions were transferred to the Department of State.