Bernays Propaganda

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by  Edward Bernays

BOOKS AY THE SAME AUTHOR
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PROPAGANDA

By
EDWARD 1, RERNAYS

é

New York
HORACE LIVERIGHT
1928
git aga: by
HORACE LIVERIGHT-INC.

Ft prog, Momuclut, wa
Sand pring, Trent, teat

Do My Wise

Dow

£, Fiencnsay
Some of the ideas and same of the material in
this book have been used in articles written far The
Rockman, The Delissator, Advertising ond Sellisg,
The Tudepondent, The Amerison Journal of Soe
clagy, and other journals, te whom the suchor inikes
arereful acknowledgment.

1

saa

CONTENTS
Daaansame Coss
‘Daw New Paowasasve
‘Tae New Prosasinoseus
Tree Parenotosy or Pure: Reerows
Beemuts axa vax Poms

pa aye Peuricst Tzaoze-ae

ws Aeresrnins aan Pramsnans
Propagasua roe Evooanon
Peoacanna ne Saeiat Sten
Aer ap Se:
‘Tus Mrcnssa

sp Paapseasae
CAPER I
BRGOTTENE CHAOS

Tue conscious end intelligence manigulation of the

orguezed hables and opinions uf the mass

we Whee
manipulate this unseen mechanism. of sodety consti-
tuce aa ievisible government which is the trun rulEng,
power of our country.

We are governed, cur minds are melded, on
tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by moa
swe have never rar? of, This a logical result of
tae way fo which onr demmocrat’c sociaty ix organized
Vast aumbors of human beings mst cubperate ia
imanncr if thoy are ta live together aa x sraceth-
Ty fanction’ng socicty.

Ger invietle yov
avtere of the ently of #

iunportent element in democrat society.

Fella mernhurs ia the

‘They gavern us by their quali
stip, their ability to supoly needed
ey position in che social strascare.’ Whatever atti-
chooses to tke toward this condition, it
fact that in almost every acr of our daily

lives, whether
Jn our eecal conduet or sue ethical chinking, we are

9

pphexe af polos wr busiaoss,
Propaganda

dominated by the relatively small number of
s—a crifling fraction of aur hundred and terenty
million—who understand the menial processes 2nd
sovil patterns of the manes Ice they who pull the
wires which coniral the public mind, wh harness old
social forcesand contrive new ways te bind and guide
the world.

Ie is not usually realized how necessary these in
govertors are to the orderly functioning of
oar group life, In theory, every ckizcn may vote
for whom he pleases. Our Constitution does not
envisage political partics 2s part of the. mechanism
of goverement, and its fraraurs seem aot to heve
pictured to themsefves the existenes ia our natforal
pofitice of anything Tike the rosters: political oue-
ching. Bur the American voters sem Bound that
vwithow organization end direzion ther individual
vous, cae, perhaps, fur daveos or Imedceds of vane
ddidetes, would produce nothing but confusion. n-
visible government, in the shape of rudimentary
policcal parties, arose almost overnight. Ever since
then we have agcoud, for the sake of simplicity and
practically, that purty machires should marrow daa
the field of choiee ta two candidates, or ue snost three

Ta theory, every ctiaen makes up bis mizd on
public queations arc matters of private conduct, In
TWartice, 3 all men had to study for themselves he
ahsurase ecpnoni political, and aihicel dala invalved

Organizing Chaos

question, they would

di impessible so
sir. zhaut anpthing, We lave
voluntary agreed co let an invisible goveramert
sift che data and hjgh-sot che outstanding issues 30
Ghat our field of choice snall ae carroseed £0 aractied
Prepretions. Brom our feadees and che media they
tse Uo essch the nublig, we accept the evidence snd
the demercation af issaes hearing upon public que
Sins fram se et tesco he eh inte
iavorite essayist, or merely preva

atcpt a aandaedied ce of Soca ean to WAR
‘We coaform most of the Em

Jn tacory, evershody buys the
commits offeted him oe the market, In praatce,
if every one went eroned suiting, and chemically
testing tofure purchasing, the dozens cf sums of
fabries we brands of twesd which are for sale, eo
omic life would became Aaopelesly jammed To
avoid such confusions satiety con
ehoice narrowed 20 Meas and of
attention through propaganda of afl
is consequencly a vast and cotsinaus
to camture our minds ia he
commodity wr Mea,

Te wight he bere> to have, instead of oropainda
snd special plewlngy sarenitues af wie ter whe
‘sould choose our culers dietite oat wonduct, private
aud pubic, and decide upon the best 2ypes af elathes
for us to Wear and tive Prt inch of Food For us fa

andl cheapest

Mts to have Hs
Troughs to its
Js, There
going un
staf some policy or
Propaganda

eat, But we have chosen the opposite mettiad, that
of opea competition, We must find a way ta make
free competition fiction with roasenahle smootn-
nus, To achieve this society Fas consented th permit
irve competition ty be seganized hy leadership and
Propagrada. .

Some of the plienomonn of this process are crit:
‘ized]—the manipolation of ows, the inflation of
personality, and the general lallyhoo by which peli-
‘ians and commercial produets and sacial ideas ere
sionsness of the masses, The 2-

beorght to the
struments by whiok public opinion is organized! and
focused may be misused, But suck organization aad
focusing are necessary to orderly Life

As civilization fas became more complex, and as
the nced for invisible government kas boon incre
ely Cemonstraced, the technical means have brea
invented and developed by which opinion may be
regimented.

With the printing press and the newspaper, the
raileoad, the telephone, telegraph, rudia and air
planes, idews can be spread rapidly and even instenca-
neously over the whale of America,

HL G, Wells senses the vast potentialities vf these
inventions when be mites in the New York Paes:

“Modern means of commenication—the power
afforded by print, telephone, wireless and so forth,
of rapidly putting through directive strategic or toch=
nical conceptions to a great number of eobperating

Organizing Chaos

crt of yt cick reli and fie cas
sion-—have opcoed ap 2 new moc'd of lita proc.
secs. Ueit aad phaser can now be ieee a
cHewiveness grener Hoan the olfeecvenes of wey
pessonalily aad stronger haa any sectional faterst
ae coma:om design esi ie doctinentod and sustained
agnioat perversion arc betrayal, Tr can be cliborsted
anil steadily and widely wiehoxt pervoral,
focal and seetiomal misuncomsandeag.” ,
What Mr, Wells says of politica pracestey fe
equally tue af commercial gud sodal procs aud)
all menifesuitions of mast seciity. The atwupings
and affiFations of sociery conday ace no Toner aebjeee
to “local and sectional” Finacions, When thy Cone
stitution was adopted, the urit af organization wn
the es couniiy whieh prea tr pre
art of {8 ovr neorssary commnitcs and generared
scuston di its ctivens. Bu to-day,
Docse ideas can he instatascously tented "
aay ditaece are to any nomber of people, this
sriptical inexration has been sgplamentod by my
thor kinils of grouping, so that persons hrwing the
sane ideas nud interests may be assoccted and regh
mented for comaon action even though they five
toxsan’s of miles wpae :
1 is exereracly diffculs to realize haw many an

Siverscare these cleavages in our secety. ‘They amy
‘ie social, political, economis, ~acialy -eligious o¥ vthe
8
Propaganda

jal, with huncreds of subdivisions of each, Te the
‘World Almanac, for example, the following groups
are listed nader the 4's:

The League ta Abolish Capital Punishments Ase
sociation to Abolish Wary American Insitute of
Accountants; Actors? Equity Association; Actuarial
Association of America;

Ase

Society Fengue for American Citfrenship; Ameri-
cin Federation of Lalor; Amore (Rosierucien Or-
Andiren Club; American-Lish Historlal
jCigarstte Jaegue; Anti-Profanity
Tanguey Archevlogival Ascachrion of America; Na-
Gonal Arctery Assovition; Arion Singing Sudety;
Araeriain Astronomical Association; Ayruhire Breed-
ers? Atsocintion; Aztec Clnd of 1847. There are
many mare under the “A” section of this very
limited list

"The American Newspaper Annual and Directory
for 1928 lists 22,128 perindical publications in
America, I fuve selected at roudom the N?s pub-
lished in Chicago. :

Narod (Bohernfan dzily nottspaper); Narod-Pol-
ski (Polish monthly); NA.RD, (pharmaceutical);
Notional Corporation Reporter; National Culinary
Progress (for hotel chefs) Natisnal Dog Journal;
Nationel Drng Clerk; National Engineer; National

1%

Organizing Chaos

Grocers Nations! Hoel Recter; National Tncome
Tox Mrgevinos National Jeweler; Nasional Journ
ef Chivopractits National ive. Steck Poooes
stone] Miller; Nutonal Nut New; Natcoat
Poulty, Butter and Fge Rulletias Natiocal Poor
= {far mest rackess}; Natceal Real Estos
Jocrsls National Retail Clothier; Nationa) Reval
Lumber Dealers Netisal Safety News Natiseal
Spiturlist; Nations] Undersctery The Nation's
Healihs Noufleoos (Lihuasian daly aewspipey);
New Come (Republica seckly for Ticino):
Daily News; The New World (Catatis weekly)
North American Bsker; Norsk Américcn Vetr

The circulation of same of these

clic
astonishing, The National ive Stock Pzoscer has
2 sworn circulation of 155,978; The Nat
incor, of 20,2285 The New World, an
sawition of 63,000. The greater number sf the
periodicals listeé—ctoser at random from arcong
29,128—have a circulation it excess oF 10,000,
The diversity of theso pablicaGans is evident et a
glance. Yet they con only feintly
rode of cleavages which exis. In ow socie'y, ard
slong which flow informatio aed opinion carrying
authority to the individual groups, :
Hore are the couertions scheduled for Cleveland,
Ob'o, recorded in a single recent issue of “World
15
Propaganda

Convention Dutes"—e fraction of the 3,560 con
‘ations and rallies scheduled.

The Feaplaying
Araeriee; The Outdoor Writers? Assocation ; the
4s of St, Joins the Walther Leagues The Na~
tiooal Knitted Queerwear Assoritions ‘The Knights
‘of St. Josephs The Royal Order of Sphinx; The
Mortgage Bonkers’ sAssocation; "The Internatiina!
Assachation of Vublic Employment Officials; The
Kiwanis Clubs of Ohio; The American Photo-En-
arwver? Assocation; ‘The Clesetand Auto Mamufac-
turers Shaw; Tae Amecieen Society of Hesting and
Ventilating Fnyineers.

Other conversions t» be held in rgai were those
of:

The Association of Limb Manuti
céationss ‘The National Circss Tans?
Amorice; Tho American Narrapathie Assocation
The American Trap Shvoting Aswdation; "The
Tews Folklore Associations The Wotel Greeters:
The Pox Breeders? Asso Je and
Disinfectant Association; The National Assadavion
of. Egg Case and Hae Cese Pl snfactorers
Too American Butters of Carbonated Beverages;
and The National Vckle Packers? ‘Assocation, cot ro
anention the Terrapin, Derby—most of theit with
Vanquets and rations attached,

fall caese Ubousands of formal seguntzations and
inetitutions could be listed (and np complete list hes

36

‘pate-Engracers? Astocation of

Organizing Chass

ever been ede}, “hey world stil copresent but 2
parr of these existing less form:
vigorons lives, Txeas ave sifted and opieions storea-
typed in che neighborhood bridye cheb, | anders
rent their muraority Lbrough eommunity deives aed
amatcur thestriels. ‘Thousands of women may une
corsciously belong to a worcrity which fellows the
gle society leader
HLifo" aatirically expresses ra's iden 'n the reply
in American as giving to te
Britisher who praises this country for having ww
upper and lower classos or castes:

“Yorn, all we have is the Hour Elundred, the
White-Collar Mec, Boctleggers, Wall Strect Besos,
Criminals, che DAR, the KKK, the Colerial
Dames, the Mazons, Kivanis and Rotarizes, the K,
of C., the Elks, the Censurs, the Cognoscent, the
Morons, Ldsrocs like Lindy, the W.CTA, Pol
Uizns, Mencken'tes, the Rustiisie, Immigrants,
Rrowsleasters, end—the Rich

‘Yer it must be remembered that chase th
of groups interkue. John Jones Nesides be'ng a
Rotarian, ie meter Fa church, ofa fraternal atder,
of x political party, of a charitable orgeuization, of
a professional association, of a local chamber of
commerce, of a league for ar against prohibition or
oF a sncety for or against loweying the canifl, and of
2 golf club. The opinions which ie receives as a

7

iy Tut fending

Fashiuns set Hy a 8

which it represents
whith it represents
Propaganda

Rotacaa, he will tend to disseminate in the other
‘groupe ia which be may have influence, ;

This invisible, interswining structure of groapings
and associations is the mechanism by which democe
srcy has organized ite group mind 2nd simplified its
mas thinking. To deplore the evistence of rach a
‘mechanism i to ask for a society such 25 never was
and never willbe. Toadmitthatit exists, but expect
that it shall not be used, is unreasonable,

Emil Ludwig tepresents Napoleon as “ever on
the watch for indications of public opinions always
Listening 0 the voice of the penpley a voice which
defies elenlation, ‘Do you know, he suid ie those
days, “what amazes me more then all else? The
Jmpoteace of force to organize anything?”

e's the purpate of this book to oaplain the struc
tuce of the mechanian which controls the public
sind, and to tell ow it a manipulated by the special
pleader who secke to ereave public aeceptance for a
particular idea oc commodity. It wil aitempt at the
sama time to find the due place in the modern demo-
atic eheme for this new propaganda and to sug-
eat ita gradaally evolving code of ethice and prac-
tke.

#8

CHAPTER IT

Is the days when kings were kings, Louis XIV
made his modest remark, “L/Etat cost mo.” He
vas nearly sight.

Bat times have changed, ‘The steam engin, thie
multiple press and the public sthaol, that eta of the
indatrial revolution, hate taken the power away
from kings and given it to the people, “The people
actually gained power which the king fost. For
cmnomis power trads to draw after it political
fower; acd the histery of the industrial revolution
shows how that power passed from the King and the
aristocracy to the bourgen'sie, Universal suffcage
and uaivecsal schooling ecénforced this tendency, and
‘atlas even the Sourgecisie stood in fear of the com-
on people. For the mass promised to decume

To-day, homever, 2 rexction Fas act in, The mie
nority has discovered @ powerful help in influencing
Tasjorities It zs been found possible so to mold
the mind of the mawes that they will thtow
theie nemly gained strength fa the desired deection
Jn the present structure of society, this practice
nevieable. Whatever of socal importance ia done

9
Propaganda
to-day, whether in polity, nance, manufacture, agri-
culture, charity, education, oF other fields, must be
done with the help of propigzada. Propaganda is
the executive arm of the invisible government.

Universal liaracy was supposed to edurate the
common man to contol his environment. Once
he could read and write he would have a mind Git to
rule. So ran the democratic doctrine, But instead
of a mind, universtl Literacy has given hisa rubber
‘camps, rubber stamps eked with acvertising logans,
swith editorials, with published scontiic dats, with
the trivialitics of the tabloids and the platimndes of
istry, bot quite ienocent of original thought, Each
man’s tutber stamps are the duplicates of reillions
of ours, so tha when those millions are exposed to
the same stimuli, all receive identical imprints. Tt
may seem an exaggeration to say that the American
public gets most of its ideas in this wholesale Fashion,
‘The mechsnism by which ideas ace disseminated on ¢
Jorge scale is propagande, in the broad sense of
ap organized effort to spread « particular belief er
doctrine,

Tam aware that the word propaganda” cirris to
any minds an unplcatant connotation. “Yet whether,
in any instance, propaganda ie good or bad depends
upon the merit of the cause urged, aud the correct-
ness of the inferination published.

Ta iuelf, the word “propaganda” has certain tech
nical meanings which, like most things in this world,

40

The New Propaganda

are “neither good nor bad but custom makes them
50." [Bind the word defined in Funk and Wagnalle?
Dictionary in four way

1. A sorety of cardinals, the overseers of for-
ign missions; alo the College of the Propaganda at
Rome founded by Pope Urban VII in £627 for the
education of missionary priate; Sacred College de
Propoxende Fide,

Sa, Hence, any institution or scheme fot propt-
ating a docteine or system. meee

3, Effort directed systematially toward the
gaicing of public support for an opinion or a course
of action,

4 The principles advanced by @ propaganda”

‘The Scionfe American, in a rocent issue, pleads
for the restoration to respectable usage uF that “fine
old word Spropagunda.’?

“There is no word in the English language,” it
says, “whose eating has been so sully distorted as
the word ‘propaginda? The change took place
raialy during the Tate war when the term took on &
acidity sinister complexion.

SIE you tura to the Standard Dictionary, you will
find that the word was epplied to 2 congregation or
sodety of cardinals fer the cire and oversight of
foreign meisions which owas instituted at Rome in
the year 162, leas applicd alsa to the College of
the Propaganda at Rune that was fonaded by Pope
Urban VIII, for the edecstion of the missionary

at