Winston Churchill (1948) describes, in The
Gathering Storm, the actions of Adolph Hitler in the commencement of World War II:
“Simultaneously, in order to baffle British and American public opinion, Hitler declared that the
occupation was purely symbolic….This provided comfort for everyone on both sides of the
Atlantic who wished to be humbugged.” Churchill goes on to describe Hitler’s interest in
maintaining prestige and providing a cover for Germany’s aggression. Murrow’s boys may have
swayed the American public towards the allied just cause in World War II, but the manipulation
of the media by Hitler poses a serious criticism of public diplomacy ideals.