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. 

Funding for the OWI topped Dirksen’s legislative agenda upon his return.  He committed eight pages of typed notes to prepare for a speech on the House floor on July 13.  His remarks reflected his thinking about the role of information, or propaganda, in securing the peace.

Document Note: At virtually every stop, Dirksen made a point of visiting the Office of War Information.  He came away impressed by the agency’s work and vowed to increase funding for its work, as the notes here confirm.  These remarks are one of the site’s “anchor documents.”  [Everett M. Dirksen Papers, Notebooks, f. 70, 26]