GOEBBELS' PRINCIPLES OF
PROPAGANDA
posted by PG - 08-25-07
Based upon Goebbels' Principles of Propaganda by Leonard W. Doob,
published in Public Opinion and Propaganda; A Book of Readings edited
for The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.
1. Propagandist must have access to intelligence
concerning events and public opinion.
2. Propaganda must be planned and executed by only
one authority.
a. It must issue all the
propaganda directives.
b. It must explain
propaganda directives to important officials and maintain their morale.
c. It must oversee other
agencies' activities which have propaganda consequences
3. The propaganda consequences of an action must be
considered in planning that action.
4. Propaganda must affect the enemy's policy and
action.
a. By suppressing
propagandistically desirable material which can provide the enemy with
useful intelligence
b. By openly disseminating
propaganda whose content or tone causes the enemy to draw the desired
conclusions
c. By goading the enemy into
revealing vital information about himself
d. By making no reference to
a desired enemy activity when any reference would discredit that
activity
5. Declassified, operational information must be
available to implement a propaganda campaign
6. To be perceived, propaganda must evoke the
interest of an audience and must be transmitted through
an attention-getting
communications medium.
7. Credibility alone must determine whether
propaganda output should be true or false.
8. The purpose, content and effectiveness of enemy
propaganda; the strength and effects of an expose; and the nature of
current propaganda campaigns determine whether enemy propaganda should
be ignored or refuted.
9. Credibility, intelligence, and the possible
effects of communicating determine whether propaganda materials should
be censored.
10. Material from enemy propaganda may be utilized
in operations when it helps diminish that enemy's prestige or lends
support to the propagandist's own objective.
11. Black rather than white propaganda may be
employed when the latter is less credible or produces undesirable
effects.
12. Propaganda may be facilitated by leaders with
prestige.
13. Propaganda must be carefully timed.
a. The communication must
reach the audience ahead of competing propaganda.
b. A propaganda campaign
must begin at the optimum moment
c. A propaganda theme must
be repeated, but not beyond some point of diminishing effectiveness
14. Propaganda must label events and people with
distinctive phrases or slogans.
a. They must evoke desired
responses which the audience previously possesses
b. They must be capable of
being easily learned
c. They must be utilized
again and again, but only in appropriate situations
d. They must be
boomerang-proof
15. Propaganda to the home front must prevent the
raising of false hopes which can be blasted by future events.
16. Propaganda to the home front must create an
optimum anxiety level.
a. Propaganda must reinforce
anxiety concerning the consequences of defeat
b. Propaganda must diminish
anxiety (other than concerning the consequences of defeat) which is too
high and which cannot be reduced by people themselves
17. Propaganda to the home front must diminish the
impact of frustration.
a. Inevitable frustrations
must be anticipated
b. Inevitable frustrations
must be placed in perspective
18. Propaganda must facilitate the displacement of
aggression by specifying the targets for hatred.
19. Propaganda cannot immediately affect strong
counter-tendencies; instead it must offer some form of action or
diversion, or both.
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