RELATED STORY:
Bush administration struggles to build U.S. brand abroad


INTERACTIVE MAP:
U.S. relations with the world

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PART 3


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Gannett News Service

Here is an overview of the United States' use of public diplomacy, the effort to reach the general public in foreign countries:

World War I
In April 1917, President Woodrow Wilson created the Committee on Public Information, which was designed to convince the citizenry in foreign countries of the nobility of America's foreign policy goals. The committee established bureaus abroad and distributed pamphlets and movies. It folded after the war ended.

World War II
Just before Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt established the Foreign Information Service. One unit began broadcasting news into Europe and Asia, countering German and Japanese propaganda. It became known as the Voice of America and still operates today.

Cold War
In 1953, President Eisenhower created the U.S. Information Agency, whose mission was to understand and influence international public opinion. The USIA operated exchange programs and the Voice of America. It also created American libraries around the world and published the Washington File, which provided daily updates about Washington's policies and pronouncements.

After Cold War
USIA, with more than 4,000 employees, was merged into the State Department in 1999 under the new Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. That job is held by Charlotte Beers, a former advertising executive.