Radio Free Europe's "Crusade for Freedom": Rallying Americans Behind Cold War Broadcasting, 1950-1960

Front Cover
McFarland, Jan 10, 2014 - Performing Arts - 265 pages

From 1950 to 1960, millions of Americans participated in Radio Free Europe's "Crusade for Freedom." They signed "Freedom Scrolls" and "Freedom Grams," attended Crusader meetings, marched in parades, launched leaflet-carrying balloons, and donated Truth Dollars in support of the American effort to broadcast news and other programming to the peoples of communist-governed European countries. The Crusade for Freedom proved to be a powerful tool of the state-private network's anti-communist agenda. This book takes an in-depth look at the Crusade for Freedom, revealing how its unmatched pageantry of patriotism led to the creation of a dynamic movement involving not only the government but also private industry, mass media, academia, religious leaders, and average Americans.

 

Contents

Preface
1
Introduction
5
1 How It All Began
9
2 A Roll Call of All Americans Who Love Freedom
29
3 Help Truth Fight Communism
47
4 From FreedomGrams to Flying Saucers
75
5 Help Stop World War III Before It Starts
96
6 How YOU Can Help Fight Communism
116
10 Truth Broadcasts Bowling and Harlem Globetrotters
177
11 Concluding the Crusade for Freedom
193
Appendix A
209
Appendix B
211
Appendix C
215
Appendix D
217
Appendix E
219
Chapter Notes
233

7 Newspaper Boys and Balloons Against Communists
135
8 The One Thing the Iron Curtain Cant Keep OutTRUTH
148
9 Freedom Is Not Free
161
Selected Bibliography
245
Index
249
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2014)

Richard H. Cummings was the director of security for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty for 15 years beginning in 1980. He currently lives in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Bibliographic information