The Apollo space program in U.S. public diplomacy for the Soviet Union (1961-1972)

The article analyzes the approaches of the US Information Agency (USIA) to public coverage of the Apollo space program in the Soviet Union. The US government made a strong focus on space theme in its public diplomacy efforts, especially on the Apollo 11 Moon mission, thus seeking to neutralize the negative effect of the Soviet primacy in launching Sputnik and the first manned flight into space. At the same time, the space theme served as a cover for the USIA to broadcast to the Soviet audience theses about the superiority of the American economic and social model.

public diplomacy, propaganda, USIA, cold War, space, Apollo program