Glamorous Notions

by Megan Chance

The story of the US government using popular culture during the Cold War to influence both Soviet and American thought was the inspiration for this book. Many Americans opposed the shaping of minds through propaganda and would have been horrified to learn what the CIA was doing in the Soviet Union and throughout the world. They would have been more horrified to learn that the CIA was also using propaganda to influence Americans. The CIA not only helped to produce several books and articles with the intention of demonizing communism and to warn of a monolithic aggressor, but also used popular culture to urge a “normal” American way of life; that is, “the people’s capitalism,” blissful domesticity, American strength reflected in whole families with healthy children, and a racially diverse and happily blended society with equal opportunity for all.