Eisenhower The Public Relations President [Hardcover]

This volume offers a clear, compelling argument that few scholars (or media pundits) have dared to suggest: Dwight D. Eisenhower, not John F. Kennedy, was the first US president to truly embrace the use of public relations while in office . . . Parry uses archival materials and interviews with figures associated with Eisenhower to establish that Eisenhower had an under-appreciated strategic approach to public relations. She credits Eisenhower with reinventing the presidential news conference, reinvigorating the stature of the presidential press secretary, using mass media advertisements in his presidential runs, and creating the United States Information Agency to merge diplomacy with propaganda. Parry also points out that despite his intuition vis-?-vis public relations, Eisenhower suffered from poor speaking skills, a propensity for secrecy, and unwillingness to use the presidency in the service of the emerging civil rights movement. A welcome volume for those who wish to see how the presidency began to embrace strategic public relations. Includes extensive endnotes, a listing of archival sources, and photos. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers.Dwight D. Eisenhower had an illustrious career that has been well documented. Despite the vast literature on him, however, Pam Parry has managed to find an underexplored area. . . .Other mass media scholars have touched on Eisenhowers attitudes toward the media, innovative use of television, and public relations savvy, but no one has taken the focused look at his impact on public relations as Parry has. . . .The book would make an ideal addition to a course in the history of public relations as well as in political science classes focused on the presidency. It is an interesting and informative look at a president about whom we continue to learn much.Pam Parry has crafted a deeply sourced, fascinating look at our first television president, notas lore would have itJohn F. Kennedy, but rather his predecessor Dwight Eisl“}