On the Media
Wars Are Won By Stories
Jan 22, 2025
Elyse Graham, historian and professor at Stony Brook University, discusses her book 'Book and Dagger', revealing the surprising role of scholars and librarians as spies during World War II. She highlights their integral contributions to wartime narratives, likening information battles to physical fights. The conversation dives into the OSS's unconventional recruitment, the essential role of cartographers, and how ‘whispering’ propaganda shaped perceptions. Graham underscores storytelling's power in both history and politics, making for a captivating exploration of espionage.
27:07
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Quick takeaways
- The crucial role of librarians and scholars in WWII intelligence operations illustrates how knowledge and resources from libraries influenced military strategies.
- The use of narrative and misinformation as a tactical approach in wartime propaganda underscores the necessity for modern media literacy and vigilance against deceptive information.
Deep dives
The Role of Libraries in WWII
The intelligence efforts during World War II significantly involved librarians and scholars, highlighting the instrumental role libraries played in shaping wartime strategies. While many view the conflict as a physicists' triumph due to the atomic bomb, the war was equally won with knowledge and resources found in libraries. Historians, artists, and professors contributed to intelligence operations by gathering and analyzing information that informed military actions, relying on a wealth of written materials. This underscores how the war was fought not only on battlefields but also in the realm of literature and ideas.
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