A Study On The Implementation And Influence Of The United States' Overseas Book Programs In Indonesia(1953-1961)

In the 1950s,with the significant change of Cold War situation,the object,pattern and aim of the foreign propaganda strategy of the United States changed greatly.Once being silent,the Overseas Book Programs also differed from the traditional way and became a part of Cold War cultural propaganda.Meanwhile,it began to launch massive propaganda activities of books around the world.During the Eisenhower Administration,for the sake of defending the threat of Communism and safeguarding the spiritual and cultural safety in Southeast Asia,the United States exported a large amount of books to this region.In Indonesia,the U.S.government took advantage of its Official Institutions,Foreign Aid Agencies and NGOs to export plenty of American books such as American Literature and technical books and to build Overseas Libraries for the purposes of helping spread American values,making American foreign policy more understandable and building a good American image abroad.In such way,the United States may also contain the impact of "Red Books" and draw the Indonesia with "neutralism" to its side.Therefore,Overseas Book Programs in Indonesia are actually the important methods of "Cultural Containment" by American government and ways to achieve the overseas benefits and interests of American NGOs.It will help us greatly in understanding the role of American books in the United States' foreign policies and the consistency between Overseas Book Programs and American strategy of Cultural Cold War if we research on the implementation and influence of the United States' Overseas Book Programs in Indonesia during the period.