Hearts and Minds: The Unconventional Cold War

Throughout the Cold War the task of winning "hearts and minds" around the world was of great importance to Soviet and American leaders. Both sides fought a cultural Cold War via radio waves, television transmissions, propaganda, and other forms of psychological pressure. A number of recent books that draw on declassified U.S. government records have provided valuable insights into the American side of the cultural Cold War. The U.S. government employed military, political, diplomatic, and cultural means to influence foreign and domestic opinion. The study of this phenomenon requires interdisciplinary methodological approaches. Diplomatic historians need to integrate the cultural and propaganda issues into their narratives, and cultural historians need to pay greater heed to the themes raised in diplomatic historical accounts.