Nothing that the United States does is on a whim. Everything is planned. Everything is strategic. Everything is for a purpose. The Smith-Mundt Act is no exception. The legislation itself, present in two separate parts, was a manipulatively brilliant way for the government to gain the trust and control of not only the American public, but of millions of people across the world.
The first half of the Act came in 1948, just shortly after the end of the second world war. This timing is a very important piece of the puzzle. After its involvement in the global uproar that was the start of the 1940's, the United States had made a name for itself across the world. The question then presented itself as what for? The answers varied, most directly depending on which side of the war a country had been on and prior or resulting relationships with the United States. While many portrayed the U.S. in a positive light, there were still many enemies left behind and those who were simply uneducated. Thus, the United States, like a teenage girl determined to make everyone like her, created the Smith-Mundt Act. Later known as the Information and Educational Exchange Act, it was designed to create a better, mutual understanding of the United States, its background, culture, and foundations, for outside nations and regions. This was done in several different ways. First, through the radio. A station was developed in 1948 called The Voice of America. It was an international broadcasting station, meaning that its news, music, and events could be spread to other countries to listen to and enjoy. Another way for this cultural diffusion to occur was through the construction of information centers and libraries. Through this Act, 67 educational hubs were put together in different countries around the world and slowly filled with books, exhibits, and films from and about the United States.
While in theory, most of this sounds positive and like a significant contribution by the United States towards "world peace," it is in the most undeniable way a load of horse shit. The goal of this project was not to show how beautiful our country is and was, spreading the American dream one library at a time. The goal was to reform any damaged relationships, make others sentimental towards our country, and establish, build, or grow relationships that could help in commerce or war in years to come. The name of the game is strategic propaganda and it was executed flawlessly. In the definition given earlier, the phrase "better, mutual understanding of the United States" was used. The key word in this is mutual. A "mutual understanding" implies that there is a concept at hand and that all parties involved have an agreed upon opinion for the said idea. This is ironic given that the nations involved in the Smith-Mundt Act are coming to a formal opinion of one of the countries involved in the agreement and they are basing that opinion on items and media created by that same country. The United States knew what they were doing and they did it without hesitation.
While the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 was successful outside of the nation, inside the borders of the U.S, there was still an active ban on domestic propaganda. This was until 2012 when the Obama Administration lifted this legislation and the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act was put into effect. Over the course of 2012-2013, an amendment to the Information and Educational Exchange Act occurred. With the lift of the ban of internal propaganda, this meant that the general American public could now enjoy the same types of movies, news, books, articles and advertisements as those around the world had done decades before. While there was a barrier of communication that is removed between society and the government, one cannot be completely sure of whether or not it is an entirely positive thing.
The Smith-Mundt Act, though occurring in two parts, both with similar yet differing objectives, had a serious effect on the public that many average individuals overlooked. This strategic propaganda, both inside and outside of the United States, can give a false reality to those who have less access to media or technology and those in lower social classes. With less advanced or more impoverished societies, typically there comes the risk of vulnerability and lesser opportunities for education. This, in turn, leads to trust in unreliable or misleading information by populations who would never know better. Yet, this is the price the government was and is willing to pay for public support and blind trust.
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