Imperial Valley press., 1941-05-18
Rv PETER EDISON

WASHlNGl lON, WAY IL liC Jop
of selling the country on the IDEA
of this defense effort Is one OF the
more amazing SideliglIts OF prepar-
edness for war. Since it's the news
paper reader who has to be sold, yoa
may be interested IN knowing a
little about the innel workings OF
the sales technique.
It isn't organized into anything
like a ministry OF propaganda yet
for the main acts Are run as sep
arate, independent shoWs-the ar
my, navy and the Office for Emer-
gency Management. Also, every ar
my camp, naval station and ali
base has its own publicity officer.
SELLING BY
SOUND &,
The selling job, the idea OF get
ting everybody all hipped up on
this program. begins at the top ana
goes right through every defense
agency. There is a constant de-
mand for speakers. Cabinet men,
bers in cutaWays, assorted admir-
ais and generals in or out of gold
braid, and dollar -a-year brass hats
in business suits or dinner jackers
can always expect q call to say
something before national conven-
tions, trade associations or regular
sessions of the 75-cent blue special
luncheon clubs.
Among the starred and striped Of
ficers of the armed services, these
speeches take the Line of telling
the citizenry what a great navy we
got and what great army we will
have Assurances must be given
that soldiers and sailors are just
one big happy family and the folks
back home don't need to worry
about their boys.
The job of cabinetetrS of late has
been to preside at the launching
OF trial balloons, as witness the re-
cent speeches of Seer etarieS Knox
and Stimson. Here is where real
high pressure SaleSmanShip is re-
quiIed as the number of success
ful balloon statesmen in the coun-
try is extremely limited and the
American public haS considerable
sales resistance to mel chandise that
might get it in trouble.
The real burden Of gumshoe sales
manship on the defense effort has
therefore fallen to the dollar-a-
year men in OPM. Bis business men
themselves, they have had to go
out and speak the language of bus
mess to convince chambers of COM
merce and individual manufactur-
ers that this defense effort is no
sideline or by-product that plant
expansion and full speed are neces-
sary, and that normal business pro-
duction would have TO be cut if
sufficient military supplies were 70
be supplied in time.
All these speeches have to be care
fully prepared and approved SC
there won't be any apologies and
explanations to make later. AS a
result, there has grown up a size
able force of Washington speech
writer's. The big shots obviously
haven't time to prepare all these
talks themselves so the job is turn
ed over to experts who write rough
drafts that are prayed over by
economic advisers and passed on
by lawyers before they get to the
consumers.
TO LET YOU KNOW
Taking care of the press, the ra-
dio and the neWsreeis, the special
magazine writer's, columnistS, and
commentators is, however, by far
the biggest part Of the selling CAM
paign. Perhaps it's incorrect to call
this aspect of the work selling
Information spreading is more ex-
act, for the public does want to
know what's going on and how and
why.
In Washington alone, navy's press
office has more than a dozen Of
ficers and army more than a score.
Army Corps has its own press sec
ton, so specialized has its work be-
come. There is a degree of censor
ship in the work of these organiza-
tions, as military and naval oper-
ations secrets must be guarded, and
photographs withheld that might
reveal information Of value TO the
enemy-pardon, the potential enc
my.
Office for Emergency Manage
ment. including OPM and 16 differ
ent defense agencies, has It's diyi-
sim Of information with "a qfaff