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Hm, you say that, but Goebbels didn't have any tricks of his own - he learned from the masters - two Americans, Bernays and von Wiegand, who sharpened their skills in the 20's working for the Hearst press and convincing America to smoke.

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This. Thank you. More people should know of these giants and that propaganda's origins (in theorycraft and implementation) are much closer to home than many Anglos realize.

Edward Bernays - his Wikipedia article is enlightening in and of itself. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays

Don't forget Ivy Lee. While we are at it, it is worth mentioning that the law against domestic use of propaganda in the US was quietly repealed a few years ago. Operation Mockingbird is also worth a look for those curious about the cozy relationship between the CIA et al and the media.

"propaganda's origins (in theorycraft and implementation) are much closer to home than many Anglos realize"

Propaganda is old as the humanity itself (when was performed mainly through priests), and in Edward Bernays' time it only got formalized.

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