Press Release

Office of the Historian
Bureau of Public Affairs
United States Department of State
December 5, 2017

The Department of State released today Foreign Relations of the United States, 1917–1972, Volume VI, Public Diplomacy, 1961–1963.

This volume documents the public diplomacy efforts of the John F. Kennedy administration. A major emphasis of the volume is the role the United States Information Agency (USIA), led by Edward R. Murrow during this period, played in presenting U.S. foreign policy objectives to the world during a time of social change within the United States. The volume illustrates how USIA and the Department of State pursued public diplomacy against the backdrop of crises, including the Bay of Pigs invasion, the construction of the Berlin Wall, Laos, Vietnam, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Additional documentation chronicles the Kennedy administration’s attempts to develop a national cultural policy, the importance of overseas polling, and the Department of State’s educational exchange activities.

This volume was compiled and edited by Kristin L. Ahlberg and Charles V. Hawley. The volume and this press release are available exclusively on the Office of the Historian website at http://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1917-72PubDipv06. For further information, contact history@state.gov.