Evening star., 1951-06-03

President Lincoln started 1t. He
did not call it the Voice Of Amer
Iican, but that is exactly what Il
was. If we moderns think we
Ioriginated the Voice Of America
Idea, we are mistaken. Lincoln
pioneered this business Of in
Ihuencing a nation over the heads
of its leaders.
i Our 1851 Voice of America
'Inow busily broadcasting this Ma
tion's messages to the people be-
hind the iron curtain-could well
take few tips from Lincoln's
way of doing this sort Of thinking.
Our Voice will. in fact, have to
hustle up to duplicate the feat
of President Lincoln'S Voice OF
America, which some think saved
the Union.
Lincoln had fourfold purpose
when he launched his Voice OF
America in 1863: L., To tell the
British people the truth about
the struggle in America. 2. To
keep Britain from intervening for
the Confederacy. 8. To halt con-
struction of Confederate war
ships in British shipyards. 4.
To counteract the strong pro-
Southern sentiment in Britain.
England's Intervention could
have smashed Lincoln's blockade
of the South overnight and as
sured Confederate success. It was
clear. also, that If England went
Confederate, France would follow
Lincoln had no radio, no cables
no far-reaching news services at
his disposal. He used the best OF
known means of disseminating
news and propaganda, profes-
sional writer's and journalists, lee
turers and stump speakers, tracts
pamphlets and resolutions. mass
meetings and organized groups
plus a few publicity wrinkles that
would make modern public rela-
tions experts sit up and take no.
tice.
Had to Reach British
BY 1863 it had become abso-
luately necessary for America to
reach the British people over the
heads of their leaders, who were
apparently setting their sights fol-
war. Parliament was pounded
with resolutions demanding recog-
milton Of the Confederacy, the first
step in active Intervention. The
commerce-raider Alabama, bull
in Britain, was Scourging the seas
More powerful Confederate war
ships were on the stocks. British
investors had oversubscribed the
lConfederacy's cotton loan. The
cotton famine had brought 500, ,00(
millworker families to the depths
tof misery.
The big three in the govern.
lment-Lord Palmerston, Prime
Minister; Lord Russell, Foreign
Minister. and William Gladstone
Chancellor Of the Exchequer-
airted openly with the Confed.
eracy. Federal defeats had con
vinced three out of four in Brit.
ain that the North could not wiz
and must soon be exhausted
blockade running was bringing un.
told profits to the upper classes
The press was mostly and intense
| ly pro-Confederate.
In Parliament one resoundinl
. voice. John BrightS, rose agains
the constant pressure for inter
vention. Had it not been for thii
great liberal, England would un'
questionably have entered the wal
in 1861,
Smart ePropasandist
In propaganda as on the battle
field the South had stolen a marcl
on the North. Already a smar
Confederate publicist had set III
a Confederate news bureau II
London and established a Con
federate newspaper. the Index
with a circulation of 10000
! weekly. In early 1868 the build
up for recognition of the SoutI
S went into high gear and Confed
crate agents pulled out all tn
stops. Barrel organs on Londol
street corners pumped out tn
Bonnie Blue Flag" and othe
Southern tunes all day long. Con
federate propaganda poured int
the offices of the British press.
.. Facing this crisis, which actual
ly meant life or death to tn,
Union in short order, Lincoln de
!; cided to tell the British peopl,
,, the truth about America and he
struggle.
' Lincoln moved fast. He him
; self opened his Voice Of Americ,
campaign. On January 10, 1868
, on sheets of White House sta
tionery, he wrote his celebrated
reply to the Manchester Work
ingmen. from whom he had re
. ceived a letter congratuating hin
' on the Emancipation Proclama
!. ton. That letter was reprinted
|, in newspapers and leaflets al
over Britain. Later, school chill
;. dren were taught to memorize it
|. best passages.
!. Lincoln next sent to England
staff of writer's and propagandist
to rush Northern publicity int
the press offices. Soon q veritabl
tide Of news and well-aimed ar
: ticles was flowing across the desk
of the leading British dailies.
e Already Northern sympathizer
q in Britain had organized emanci
III n Eord an "