The Voice of Business: Hill & Knowlton and Postwar Public RelationsIn 1933, John W. Hill opened the New York office of what would become the most important public relations agency in history: Hill & Knowlton, Inc. By 1959, the combined sales of its clients--which included Procter & Gamble, Texaco, Gillette, and Avco Manufacturing as well as the steel, tobacco, and aviation industries' trade associations--amounted to 10 percent of the gross national product. The Voice of Business chronicles Hill & Knowlton's influence on American public discourse in the years following World War II. Guided by its founder's conservative ideals, Hill & Knowlton developed a twofold mission: to influence public discussion about issues important to its clients and to educate Americans about big business. Karen Miller shows how the agency tried to manipulate public opinion, political debate, and news media content about such issues as postwar military aircraft procurement, the deregulation of margarine production, President Truman's seizure of steel mills in 1952, and the cigarette health scare of 1953-54. Though its campaigns did not change many opinions, she says, Hill & Knowlton affected the public indirectly by reinforcing the ideas of its clients and other conservatives. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
PART ONE POLICIES AND PRACTICES | 9 |
Selling Hill and Knowlton | 51 |
Copyright | |
6 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
The Voice of Business: Hill & Knowlton and Postwar Public Relations Karen S. Miller Limited preview - 2000 |
The Voice of Business: Hill & Knowlton and Postwar Public Relations Karen S. Miller Limited preview - 1999 |
Common terms and phrases
activities advertising agency's agents air power aircraft AISI American April Association Aviation Bert Goss Board Brown and Williamson butter Caltex campaign Cancer cigarettes clients Committee Congressional Corporate Public Relations dairy December Dilenschneider editors employees farmers favored firm Folder 11 Folder 9 frames Girdler groups H&K executives Hill & Knowlton Hill and Knowlton Hill's included industry's issue January John Hill Journal journalists July June Kuwait labor lic relations manufacturers Mapes March margarine military million Murray National oleo Oleomargarine organizations Papers percent Philip Murray political President problem public opinion public relations radio release repeal Report seizure Senate smoking speeches staff Statement steel companies steel industry steel strike steelworkers story survey tion TIRC tobacco industry Truman U.S. Congress U.S. Steel union USWA Velmans Wage Wisconsin WLRB workers World War II wrote York