Edward Bernays

The Century of the Self posted 03/21/2006, 9:29 PM (InformationLiberation)
The Untold History Of Controlling The Masses Through The Manipulation Of Unconscious Desires

[1928  pdf] PROPAGANDA By EDWARD L. BERNAYS

The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations by John Coleman

Quotes by Bernays:
"The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.

We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized." - Edward Bernays

Quotes about Bernays:
Believing that democracy needed wise and hidden manipulators, Bernays was proud to be a propagandist and wrote in his book Propaganda: "If we understand the mechanisms and motives of the group mind, it is now possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without them knowing it." He called this the "engineering of consent" and proposed that "those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. . . . In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons . . . who pull the wires which control the public mind." It appears not to have dawned on Bernays until the 1930s that his science of propaganda could also be used to subvert democracy and promote fascism. That was when journalist Karl von Weigand told Bernays that Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels had read all of his books, and possessed an even better library on propaganda than Bernays did. WAR ON TRUTH The Secret Battle for the American Mind An Interview with John Stauber

It's even better if you can put your message in the mouth of someone the public trusts. This is called the "third-party technique" and was also pioneered by Bernays. Surveys show that scientists are widely trusted, so the public-relations industry hires "scientific experts" to say things beneficial to the industry's clients. PR firms also deliver messages through journalists, doctors, and others who appear to be independent, trustworthy sources of information. For example, the public is naturally suspicious when pesticide companies claim their poisonous products are safe. But if former surgeon general C. Everett Koop, one of the nation's most trusted public figures, says pesticides are safe, we're more likely to believe the message. After all, Koop warned us about AIDS and tobacco, so wouldn't he be up- front about pesticides, too? Sadly, no. PR strategists scored a major victory in 1990 when Koop spoke out against Big Green, a referendum that would have regulated or banned many pesticides. His opposition was considered an important factor in the referendum's defeat. WAR ON TRUTH The Secret Battle for the American Mind An Interview with John Stauber

Two Americans, Walter Lippmann and Edward Bernays were appointed to handle the manipulation of American public opinion in preparation for the entry of the United States into WWI, and to brief and direct President Woodrow Wilson.
    From a somewhat crude beginning at Wellington House, grew an organization that was to shape the destiny of Germany, Britain and more especially the United States in manner that became a highly sophisticated organization to manipulate and create public opinion, what is commonly termed, “mass brainwashing.”
    During the course of its evolvement, Tavistock expanded in size and ambition, when in 1937, a decision was made to use the German author Oswald Spengler's monumental work, Untergange des Abenlandes (The Decline of Western Civilization ) as a model.
    Previously, Wellington House  board members  Rothmere, Northcliffe, Lippmann, and Bernays  had read and proposed as a guide the writings of Correa Moylan Walsh, in particular, the book The Climax of Civilization  (1917) as corresponding closely to conditions that had to be created before a New World Order in a One World Government could be ushered in.
    With the Tavistock plan modified to suit American conditions, Bernays and Lippmann led President Woodrow Wilson  to set up the very first Tavistock methodology techniques for polling (manufacturing) so-called public opinion created by Tavistock propaganda. They also taught Wilson to set up a secret body of “managers” to run the war effort and a body of “advisors” to assist the President in his decision-making. The Creel Commission was the first such body of opinion-makers set up in the United States. The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations by John Coleman