rationing were obvious needs , as was raising money through war bond drives . Total war involved total populations , and communicating war aims to everyone was high on the government ’ s agenda . The core message of mobilizing all sectors of society and all individuals appeared in nearly every wartime film , whether made for documentary or entertainment purposes . Mobilizing emotions is what films did with special power . There were motivational films for college students , doctors , Negro colleges , nurses , and many more categories of American citizens .
There are other messages in these films , however . Sometimes the contradictory themes are less obtrusive , but present nonetheless . In some films , cooperation , or at least the absence of active opposition , was defined as sufficient support for the war , even if done inadvertently or in the normal course of everyday life . The line between communicating the necessity of all-out commitment and effort and the simultaneous assurance of continuity could be a tricky one to trace . Government officials , and thus wartime filmmakers , emphasized reassurances that the fundamental institutions of American society would remain intact despite the presumably temporary dislocations of war . Clayton Koppes and Gregory Black observed in their book , Hollywood Goes to War , “ Propaganda is a bit like pornography — hard to define , but most people think they will know it when they see it .” 2 Propaganda need not convey a consistent and unwavering meaning in order to be considered propaganda . 2
Gregory D . Black and Clayton R . Koppes , Hollywood Goes to War : How Politics , Profits , and Propaganda Shaped World War II Movies ( New York : Free Press , 1987 ), p . 49 .
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