Networks of Screen Diplomacy: The United States Information Agency and Analog Disinformation Wars

The United States Information Agency (USIA) was a Cold War-era U.S. federal agency dedicated to disseminating positive information about America abroad, while also counting misinformation and disinformation from America’s ideological enemies, including the Soviet Union. During the height of the Cold War, from the 1950s through the early 1970s, one of the USIA’s core activities was the acquisition, commission, creation, and distribution of motion pictures for international audiences. These works were created on film, primarily in the 16mm format, and exhibited in nontheatrical and theatrical settings.

This presentation will highlight some specific documentary films in the USIA collection, but the primary focus will be on the networks that allowed for the acquisition and distribution of these works. This will include discussions of the USIA’s relationship with nontheatrical filmmaking communities in the United States and abroad, its ability to exert control over global film festivals, and its establishment of libraries throughout the world. It will discuss parallels and contrasts between these analog systems and digital information systems that would emerge in the following years, along with issues of misinformation and disinformation that help us to better understand our current political moment.