America on display: United States commercial and cultural exhibitions in the Soviet bloc countries, 1961--1968.

摘要

This dissertation is a historical study of the commercial and cultural exhibitions that the U.S. government sponsored in the Soviet bloc countries during the 1960s. Specifically, it examines the exhibitions' preparation, contents, and reception in the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. The American officials who were responsible for organizing the exhibitions believed that they could contribute to modifying the behavior of the communist regimes and to creating a cooperative atmosphere across the Atlantic in order to solve major international military, political, and economic problems. Hence, although the exhibitions and the cultivation of other East-West cultural contacts were not closely supervised by top policymakers, they were important parts of John Kennedy's "peaceful engagement" and Lyndon Johnson's "bridge-building" policies toward the communist countries.; Because of congressional restrictions on East-West trade and contrary to the expectations of many Communist officials, American pavilions at the international trade fairs in Eastern Europe did not generate many immediate commercial transactions. Nor did they contribute substantially to the international transfer of technology. International conflicts in the Southeast Asia and in the Middle East hindered the development of mutual understanding, good will, and cooperation that the exhibitions sought to promote. American displays often encountered suspicion and opposition from the regimes that hosted them.; Nevertheless, both kinds of displays served as influential means of mass communication. Washington successfully used these displays not only to inform the Soviet and East European populations about the American way of life and about American achievements but also to collect unofficially popular opinions about local and international matters. They generated enormous popular interest and stimulated consumerist desires among millions of visitors. The contents and operation of the American exhibitions in the Soviet bloc reflected important changes in Washington's approach toward the Soviet bloc countries from aggressive psychological warfare in the 1950s to the more peaceful, subtle, and effective public diplomacy during the next decade. The examination of the displays enhances historical understanding of the long-range American cultural diplomacy during the Cold War and contributes to a more balanced scholarly evaluation of Washington's policies toward individual countries of the Soviet bloc.