Public Diplomacy’s Books and Publications: Time for Reviews, by Donald M. Bishop


In its heyday, the U.S. Information Agency commissioned, wrote, edited, and published many books and publications. Some described American institutions, others introduced American culture.  After USIA’s consolidation into the State Department, the Bureau of International Information Programs continued this work. The English Teaching Division published titles that integrated ESL teaching with learning about American society. 
 
Because of the Smith-Mundt Act, the titles were not available or circulated in the United States, though the bar ended in 2013. They were never cataloged by the Library of Congress or assigned ISBN numbers. As a result, few copies are available from used booksellers, though some are available online. Copies of some titles may only be found on the bookshelves of retired PD officers.
 
The passage of time, along with new trends in American thought and scholarship, make some of the old USIA titles seem out-of-date. I admired, for instance, how the editions of An Outline of American History skillfully presented consensus narratives of the past. That consensus has collapsed. USIA’s compilations of American documents no doubt omit many now included in anthologies. To criticize these old titles as “propaganda” is, to my mind, mean-spirited.  Rather they were works of scholarship expressing the times when they were compiled.
 
Hoping that domestic readers can appreciate this work of USIA, I’ve published Amazon reviews of some of these publications.  I urge other members of PDCA to do the same.  Even as a good review can present the “then” as well as the “now,” it can show how Public Diplomacy focused not just on advocacy but also in the work of helping other nations understand the United States. 
 

Here are the few titles I reviewed. [Ed. note: To access the reviews it is necessary to log in to your Amazon account.]

 
“A superb American studies anthology published by the U.S. Information Agency”
An Early American Reader, by J. A. Leo Lemay
 
“An outstanding American studies reader published by the U.S. Information Agency”
A Nineteenth-Century American Reader, by Thomas Inge
 
“An American Studies Reader: Early foreign visitors to the United States”
Travelers to the New Nation 1776-1914, by Marc Pachter
 
“Another American studies reader by USIA and TESL great Tom Kral”
Portraits and words: Reading and listening skills text for students of English as a foreign language: advanced level, by Thomas Kral
 
“An ESL and American Studies reader, prepared by the U.S. Information Agency”
An American grab bag: Views of the American experience in prose and poetry, by Dean Curry
 
“Learn more English, learn about America, learn to think”
Twelve Famous Americans: Reading and listening skills text for students of English as a foreign language: high intermediate/advanced level, by Thomas Kral
 
“Gathering significant speeches by President Reagan in one volume”
President Ronald Reagan: The quest for peace, the cause of freedom: Selected speeches on the United States and the world

“Milestones in technological progress . . .  the early Voice of America edition”
Technology in America (Voice of America edition)
 
“A lavishly illustrated introduction to Jazz through the late 1960s, published by the U.S. Information Agency”
Jazz: Where it Came from Where it’s At, by John S. Wilson
 
“A 1970s introduction to modern American architecture published by the U.S. Information Agency”
Modern Architecture America, by Peter Blake
 
“A large-format glossy introduction to American dance, published by the U.S. International Communication Agency”
The Dance in America, text by Agnes de Mille, edited by Ruth Traurig and Wesley Pederson
 
“An introduction to the American poet and author Carl Sandburg, published by the U.S. Information Agency”
Carl Sandburg: His Life, His Poems, His Land
 
“A superb compilation of key documents in American history, published by the U.S. Information Agency”
Basic Readings in U.S. Democracy, by Melvin I. Urofsky
 
To see more book and magazine covers plus other photos displaying legacy public diplomacy people and products, go to https://www.flickr.com/photos/tellingamericasstories/.

More Background on the Titles 

I have ended each review with this background material:
 
This book was published by the U.S. Information Agency for readers in foreign countries. In accordance with a 1972 amendment to the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948, U.S. public diplomacy products were not allowed to be available in the U.S. After USIA was folded into the State Department in 1999, the restriction continued for publications issued by its Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP). The restriction ended in 2013.

The imprints for USIA publications were "United States Information Service," "International Communication Agency" (1978-1982), or "Embassy of the United States of America." The volumes were usually printed at one of the USIA regional printing plants in Vienna, Mexico City, or Manila and shipped to U.S. diplomatic posts for distribution. Subsequent print runs and minor updates of standard volumes were usually printed with the same cover design as the original edition, but revised editions usually had new cover designs. The English texts were often translated into other languages. To date an individual copy, look for the number at the bottom of the last page inside the back cover. The first two digits represent the year the volume was printed.

Because the texts were not copyrighted, some USIA and IIP volumes were repackaged by publishers under private commercial imprints.
 
You’ve been wondering what to do with those old USIA titles on your bookshelf. Blow off the dust. Write a review.
 

Donald M. Bishop served as a public diplomacy officer in the U.S. Information Agency and the Department of State for 31 years. Formerly he held the Donald Bren Chair of Strategic Communication at the Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Future Warfare at Marine Corps University in Quantico. Bishop is a past President of the Public Diplomacy Council.