Good Neighbor Cultural Diplomacy in World War II

The Denison Museum welcomes Professor Emerita at Indiana University-Bloomington Darlene J. Sadlier presenting a talk addressing the CIAA’s work in different areas, emphasizing its investment in art as a diplomatic force.

In August 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt named Nelson A. Rockefeller to head the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs (CIAA), a new federal agency whose main objective was to strengthen cultural and commercial relations between the U.S and Latin America. The aim was to route Axis influence there and secure hemispheric solidarity. This was the US government’s first major investment in culture as a means not only to make friends abroad but also influence the public at home.