In May 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a fireside chat in response to Hitler’s invasion of Denmark, Norway, the Low Countries, and France. The speech was designed to garner support for Great Britain, but the President also sought to reassure the American public. Roosevelt spoke of military preparedness, reciting countless statistics that demonstrated the nation’s increased military production. He also warned of division, an “undiluted poison” that threatened to undermine “the unity of the state.” Thus, it was imperative “that each and every one of us, men and women, feel that have some contribution to make toward the security of our (country) nation” (May 26, 1940 Fireside Chat #15). This panel explores the rise of the American national security state from World War II through the early Cold War. As the United States shed the cloak of isolationism, new security concerns not only shaped political and policymaking dialogues, but public discourse. This panel examines the birth and development of the American national security state, exploring how the U.S. government exercised its power to not only achieve foreign policy objectives, but improve the lives of ordinary Americans.

At its core, national security is the defense of a state’s people, institutions, and economy. It involves diplomacy and military preparedness, alongside intelligence, technology, and innovation. The result is an impressive labyrinth of government agencies, budgets, and bureaucracy. It comes as no surprise then that literature on security studies is vast. This panel moves beyond traditional historical narratives to interrogate how average Americans encountered and understood national security in their daily lives. Rather than explore the response to foreign threats, these papers reflect on the varied ways in which military preparedness seeped into American society and culture. Americans needed to embrace a more active role in global affairs, but as Roosevelt articulated, it was equally important that citizens recognize their contributions toward collective security.

These essays provide case studies that explore three diverse attempts by the U.S. government to mobilize Americans for an active role in a more militarized state. A close examination of the government’s interventions in advertising, agricultural production, and physical fitness, yields important insights on the depth and breadth of national insecurities from the 1940s through 50s. In Alex Marino’s paper, the national security apparatus funded the postwar boom of the media industry, creating jobs and crafting Cold War narratives. Kaete O’Connell’s exploration of the USDA reveals how the government attempted to turn a domestic problem (agriculture surplus) into a foreign policy solution (food aid). And in Amanda Regan’s paper, we see how the U.S. government sought to regulate female bodies under the guise of civil defense. These government interventions generated practical public relations campaigns with a symbolic resonance that often outlived the programs themselves.