The War of Words: How America’s GI Journalists Battled Censorship and Propaganda to Help Win World War II

by Molly Guptill Manning

From New York Times bestselling author Molly Guptill Manning comes The War of Words , the captivating story of how American troops in World War II wielded pens to tell their own stories as they made history. At a time when civilian periodicals faced strict censorship, US Army Chief of Staff George Marshall won the support of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to create an expansive troop-newspaper program. Both Marshall and FDR recognized that there was a second struggle taking place outside the battlefields of World War II—the war of words. While Hitler inundated the globe with propaganda, morale across the US Army dwindled. As the Axis blurred the lines between truth and fiction, the best defense was for American troops to bring the truth into focus by writing it down and disseminating it themselves. By war’s end, over 4,600 unique GI publications had been printed around the world. In newsprint, troops made sense of their hardships, losses, and reasons for fighting. These newspapers—by and for the troops—became the heart and soul of a unit. From Normandy to the shores of Japan, American soldiers exercised a level of free speech the military had never known nor would again. It was an extraordinary chapter in American democracy and military history. In the war for “four freedoms,” it was remarkably fitting that troops fought not only with guns but with their pens. This stunning volume includes fourteen pages of photographs and illustrations.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, World War II, Journalism, American History, Politics

323 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 26, 2023

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this history of troop newsletters during WWII. The author points out the strategy of Nazis to use propaganda (fake news) to get the German people to support them and to bring down the morale and confidence of their enemies. The US troops began to increasingly request more news from home to combat the fake news and their isolation. The result was troop newsletters. Their impact on our fighting men was astounding. Great book, especially given today's culture of polarized "news" organizations, easily spread conspiracy theories, and division.

[Nursebookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

TITLE: THE HOUSE ON SUN STREET
AUTHOR: Mojgan Ghazirad
PUB DATE: 10.17.2023 Now Available
SYNOPSIS: Swipe above

As a young girl, all Moji wanted to do was sit protected by her grandfather in their beautiful garden, underneath the grapevines listening to him tell stories of One Thousand and One Nights. But outside, the Islamic Revolution in Iran is in full force as she comes to terms with what happens next and the hardships her family will be going through in a critical time in the history of Iran. As I read this story, I can only fathom the freedoms I took for granted, and how different it was for the young girls in radicalized Islamic Iran.

I enjoyed this book a lot and I often found myself stopping and internalizing Moji’s perspective - I felt I was in the rooftops of Tehran, I followed Moji as she explored, touched, and felt her life change. The writing was vivid and rich in detail - the historical perspective was well researched and I found myself deeply engaged with the story and the characters. In this timely tale, I feel that reading these books helped me to understand better the world we live in.

[Jan Plain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful on audio. Lots to learn in this book about journalists during WW II.

[Danny Berman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shout out to this book’s literary agent-my uncle EJ McCarthy!

[Rachael Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this! Unique read on the history and importance of periodicals during WW2. Timely reminder of how media shapes culture and how important truth and information are.

[Gary Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book showing the importance on news to all branches of the US Military fighting during WWII. The impact on morale bit good and bad when news was, or was not, available. Also the importance of trying to report the truth while not endangering units engaged in combat. Only criticism I would have is the authors mid-representation of the acronym FUBAR and SNAFU where the F word for each is shown as Fouled instead of what it’s true spelling is….

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read extensively about WWII and have to commend Ms. Manning for consistently finding aspects of the war that are not commonly discussed. I loved her book: When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II. I was born in 1948 so my father and most of my uncles fought in the war. Airplane mechanic, ship cook, medic, Seabee, tank driver for Patton, and tail gunner on a B-17 ( he perished over Germany). The first paperback books I read were called "Pocket" books. After reading Manning's earlier book I knew for the first time the derivation of the word. Millions of books were published for the troops and made in a size that would, yes you guessed it, fit in a uniform pocket. As a person who read over 600 books last year, I could not imagine the isolation and trauma of war without a book to set one's mind free...... The War of Words provides the history of the newspapers / magazines published by and for servicemen. I am sitting her holding the September 10, 1943 edition of the CASTUS published at the Kingman ( Arizona ) Army Air Field - one of the places my father was stationed. The headlines: KAAF Aids bond Drivee. 328th HQ and HQ Double Talk. A pin-up photo of Leonora Amar " an 18-year-old NBC singer from Brazil..... We've never heard her sing, but what difference does that make?" G I Joe cartoon by Sgt Philip Joy. Grease Spot - Consolidated Mess Squadron. Cartoon The Wolf by Sansone. Bill Daley fullback star for the University of Michigan. Cartoon Male Call by Milton Caniff. Base Theatre Films: Wintertime with Sonja Henie, The Fallen Sparrow with Maureen O'Hara, Holy Matrimony with Gracie Fields. Sharpshooters - record of best performances in ground to ground shooting. First WAC assigned to Special Services............... Perhaps not surprisingly military publications were less racist than they were misogynistic. The troops wanted their women to be in the home or working in a defense plant - not in the theaters of operation. Hooray for General George Marshall, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, who was almost single-handedly responsible for creating the troop publication system and advocated allowing soldiers to print complaints and the truth about the war. Boo to MacArthur who would not allow any gripes or real news in the Pacific publications ( if he knew about it ). Double boo's for Frederick Osborn. He was was commissioned as Brigadier General and appointed Chief of the Morale Branch of the War Department (later called the Information and Education Division of Special Services). This man was a eugenicist who praised Hitler's actions to purify the Aryan race. He was a friend of Secretary of War Henry Stimson, but was certainly no friend of the American troops. ( My only reason for liking Stimson at all is the fact that he removed Kyoto from the top of the list for the atomic bomb. He had visited and fell in love with the city, as did I!!! ). Amazingly printing presses and other publication materials were provided to troops in the field - sometimes an impossible goal. The effect upon morale of the humor and gripes - the ability to speak one's mind in publication did wonders for morale. Ms. Manning is delicate with the translation of the "F" in common military parlance - FUBAR and SNAFU... This is a great book about an aspect of military life that I had only vague knowledge about. I knew of the Stars and Stripes and Yank magazines, but was unaware of the efforts made for units of soldiers in battlefields to be able to publish what was meaninful to them.. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!! Kristi & Abby Tabby

[Cathy Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hitler's Germany was #1 in the number of newspapers published and sold. His propaganda budget was $134 million per year. When the United States entered World War II, US Army Chief of Staff George Marshall and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt knew that something had to be done to combat the Nazis' campaign of misinformation. The best defense was to lessen censorship and to let American troops bring the truth into focus by writing and disseminating it themselves.

By war's end, over 4,600 unique GI publications had been printed around the world. In newsprint, troops made sense of their hardships, losses, and reasons for fighting, and these newspapers became the heart and soul of their units. They were kept by the soldiers and mailed back home to their loved ones, with strict instructions to save them all.

From Normandy to the shores of Japan, American soldiers exercised a level of free speech the military had never known before... or since. As in her When Books Went to War (one of the best non-fiction books I've ever read), Molly Guptill Manning does a masterful job of showing what went into the creation of these GI newspapers. How typewriters, paper, mimeograph machines and stencils-- everything that the soldiers would need to create their newspapers-- were gathered and shipped. She shows the opposition George Marshall faced in putting this program together as well as how stateside newspapers enthusiastically joined forces with him. There were some mighty tender egos to be reckoned with, and I enjoyed how soldiers found ways to circumvent them to say what they wanted to say.

Probably the most important lesson learned by the War Department at this time was the fact that keeping soldiers and civilians in the dark actually lowered morale. At the beginning of America's entry into World War II, morale was very low. Soldiers couldn't understand why they were being sent to Europe when it was the Japanese who'd attacked Pearl Harbor. Why weren't they being sent to the Pacific? When the War Department eased up on censorship and began to let people know what was going on, morale skyrocketed. Soldiers knew what they were fighting for, and civilians were now eager to do their part in the war effort.

There are so many powerful personalities to learn about in The War of Words. So many amazing stories of what had to be done to keep getting those newspapers into the hands of the troops. So many lessons those in power had to learn. (For instance, the need to provide news aimed at troops who were Black, Japanese-American, Native American, and women.)

On a personal note, as I read The War of Words, I was constantly reminded of my mother and a good friend who put their heads together to create a hometown newspaper for my cousin who was serving in Vietnam. Filled column by column with juicy gossip from my little farm town, it kept my cousin informed of what was going on at home-- and it became so popular that it was put on the bulletin board for everyone else to enjoy-- and they did even though they didn't know the people being gossiped about.

Never underestimate the power of words.

(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)

[Claire Q · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and timely read. Those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it.

"But if there is a lesson to be learned from World War II, it is that democracy's best defense is an informed citizenry. It is up to all Americans to seek facts, understand and listen to different points of view, and engage in dialogue with one another...While the Axis bred intolerance, quashed dissent, and relied on communal ignorance to hide abuses and inconvenient truths, the Allies defended themselves by doing the opposite...Today, technology has fueled the spread of ideas and information, with some sources presenting noxious falsehoods under the cover of "news" and others attempting to provide the objective truth. At times, it can be difficult to delineate facts from viewpoint-driven fictions. Further complicating matters is the cacophony crested by the plethora of media platforms and the range of voices screaming to be heard. This does not listen or excuse the duty to perform the work required to maintain a democracy. It is up to the public to inform themselves by turning to a variety of sources and reaching outside of their ideological comfort zone. Democracy challenges its participants to grapple with competing ideas, engage in respectful dialogue, listen to the perspectives of others, and amend personal viewpoints as new information and ideas are learned...World War II shows us that information and truth mattered. They still do. And they are worth whatever effort is necessary to seek them because they are the ingredients for democracy and peace."

[Scott Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Audiobook) A fairly concise work that looks at how the US military, especially the rank and file, managed to overcome military censorship to find expression and release during the worst of war. From Stars and Stripes to other soldier-driven media creations, these expressions allowed soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen to learn about the war and how to get out the “real” story of life in the war (frontlines and rear-echelon). In some cases, the practice of troop-led media creations was heartily accepted (Marshall and Eisenhower were big fans). In others, it was not (MacArthur and Patton were no fans, especially if the work would look badly upon them).

An interesting take on World War II, and one that doesn’t always get the attention you would expect. For many vets, those publications sparked some of their greatest memories. It is well that a work out there captures how those came into being, and how they impacted the troops, for better or worse (in this work, it was for the better). Worth the read regardless of format.

[Leigh Gaston · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author does a fabulous job shining a light on the importance of allowing the U.S. WW2 troops to have a voice in telling what was happening on numerous war fronts. This short book is packed with interesting info.

There was a huge amount of misinformation going around from Hitler in particular as well as other Axis powers. Eisenhower and Marshall tried a new approach which allowed the American servicemen to produce their own newsletters of what was happening on the various war fronts. Having this outlet really boosted the spirit of the soldiers. They wanted the truth… not a sugar-coated version.

Really enjoyed listening to the audiobook.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molly Guptill Manning writes books about how words have power. She does this by writing about little known parts of WWII history, with this book and her previous work, When Books Went to War. Both are fascinating looks at a slice of history and very thoroughly researched. It is a lot of information to take in, and is occasionally a bit dry, but truly worth picking up for anyone interested in history, particularly US Military History.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Pub Date: September 26, 2023

[Nicole Overmoyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you pay attention to history, and you really should, you'll have heard a lot about the role of propaganda and media in World War II. Perhaps you'll have heard so much that you think you've heard it all.

But you probably haven't, both generally speaking and in terms of the very specific thing Molly Guptill Manning sets out to explain in The War of Words.

I've read a lot of World War II history, but I never realized just quite how the United States set out to counter the propaganda machine of Nazi Germany and build troop morale at the same time through the creation and use of newspapers, in various forms, written entirely by the enlisted men in the U.S. military. Stars & Stripes is, of course, the most well-known because it has been around the longest but during World War II individual battalions, divisions, regiments, etc. often had their own news publications.

And the value of having that was high, as The War of Words lays out. Troops were able to speak to each other, speak about themselves, and speak to the highest ranking officers (and FDR got copies of many of the publications). Where Nazi, and general Axis, propaganda focused on telling their troops what to think, the U.S. military under the guidance of Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall focused on letting their troops speak to find their purpose and motivation for fighting hard until the war was won.

Molly Guptill Manning has written a compulsively readable history of one subtopic of World War II. The War of Words isn't bogged down in details and footnotes and data. Because it is a story about how a story was told, it becomes both a nonfiction history and a story in itself.

If you want to learn something new about World War II or about journalism or about how what we write, and what we are allowed to write and to read, affects us, I could not possibly recommend this book more.

Disclaimer: Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the chance to read an early copy of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own and no

[Patrick Macke · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read on an important topic ... The book is a timeless reminder that the only way to defeat ignorance and propaganda and falsehoods and evil concepts is the unwavering challenge of the written word - the written truth ... That American clung to this truth and invented a way to "spread the word" about democracy and freedom at a moment when we were at our lowest provides a proud, invaluable reflection on our people and what we believe in

[Katie Barron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful. And if I’m being honest, it’s not long enough. There’s just so much that can be said about the role media played in WWII that isn’t covered by textbooks and flies right under our noses 80-ish years later when there’s no one around to say differently. So much of the reason we romanticize WWII comes from these efforts, so it’s great to read something that lays it all out for us. A fast, essential read to be sure.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot of information I didn’t know about censorship and propaganda during WWII on the US side but for me the stand outs were the soldier poems included in this book. I found them so moving that I also checked out the book (I listened to the audiobook initially) so I could copy down the poems and find the references for where the author located them.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really interesting review of the history of reporting to and by the troops during WWIi. What little news they received from home was highly censored, and even the news about the war effort around them was severely lacking. Through a concerted effort, newsletters, magazines and digests were created by and for service members and really helped to bolster morale.

[Jamie Mallon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a 10 page magazine article that was expanded to 184 pages, with an 90 pages of references and attributions. I enjoyed it the writing style, but found the topic to be thin. One positive benefit is to think about our current political divide and how each political party uses the media to push their narrative.

[Elaine Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is particularly important for us now, when there is so much un-fact-checked inaccuracy on the media.
I was also impressed with General Marshall's understanding of the importance of non-military activities for the general morale of the troops.

[Christine D · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the topic of this book but the writing was clunky.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A loan from my FIL (A ww2 buff). A quick read about the enormous lengths troops went to in order to keep themselves informed and entertained during the war.

[Erica Saggau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone needs to read this book and her other one “when books went to war”. SO GOOD and so relevant to life now in ways you don’t even realize until you read it.

[Louiza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book!

[Christine Kuffel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant.

[Linda Crookham-Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you don’t have time for the whole book, read the last chapter. However, I enjoyed the whole book. It was a great follow up after reading On Tyranny.

[TheAccidental Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

My bookclub loved this book! Even the member who used to teach WWII learned a lot.

[Kayla Leader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very very interesting and well researched.

[Ashley Szura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting piece of history of how words affected all parts of the war!

[Roberta Westwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be super interesting! I enjoyed it as much as When Word Went To War… of course by the same author, Learning how newspapers and magazines were credited in mini versions that could fit in a soldier’s pocket was interesting, but the fact that typewriters, printing presses, inks and paper were distributed to the front lines, so troops could create their own papers was a real eye opener. I very much appreciate Manning’s efforts to research and bring these stories to life. Highly recommended.