Newsreels as Domestic Propaganda: Visual Rhetoric at the Dawn of the Cold War

Atomic bomb test newsreels from Bikini Atoll served as a critical, understudied tool of Cold War-era military propaganda. Analysis of Army-Navy task force records and Universal Pictures production files reveals these films were coproductions designed to shape public perception and reinforce military control over nuclear technology. By examining the visual rhetoric of these newsreels, the study demonstrates their role in an early campaign to influence nuclear policy, offering new insights into Cold War-era information control strategies.

Atkinson, N. S. (2011). Newsreels as Domestic Propaganda: Visual Rhetoric at the Dawn of the Cold War. Rhetoric & Public Affairs, 14(1), 69–100. https://doi.org/10.1353/rap.2011.0003