Images of the Us During the Cold War: Media Discourse in the Uk 1956-1986
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ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY IMAGES OF THE US DURING THE COLD WAR: MEDIA DISCOURSE IN THE UK 1956-1986 TUNDE FORMADI A thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Anglia Ruskin University for the degree of MPhil Submitted: December 2012 ii Acknowledgements This is to thank all those who provided support throughout, especially my supervisors Professor Guido Rings and Dr Jonathan Davis. ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY i ABSTRACT FACULTY OF ARTS, LAW AND SOCIAL SCIENCES MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY IMAGES OF THE US DURING THE COLD WAR: MEDIA DISCOURSE IN THE UK 1956-1986 TUNDE FORMADI December 2012 This thesis explores how the local media in East Anglia portrayed the US military presence during the Cold War at times of international crisis. It aims to assess this portrayal in comparison with national media images and critically interrogates the socio-political, economic and cultural reasons for it. This media related study contributes to Cold War historiography and the historiography of the USAF. Research was mainly archival, based on discourse analysis and comparative focusing on the official discourse of the Cold War and the news media. Central to the research were the written records of the British government and articles in appropriate newspapers issued near American airbases. The region of East Anglia was selected for its strategic location and large number of military bases, and data collection focused on selected periods of international crisis due to their impact on media coverage. The examination of newspaper articles identified a wide range of images with some recurring from time to time while others remain specific to certain periods. Findings suggest that local economic as well as political interests played a role in shaping the images of the US presence in the local media, and it could be argued that there is a correlation between the conservative landscape of the region and the newspaper articles’ overwhelming tolerance or at least acceptance of the US presence, which is in line with conservative governmental discourse in all periods of crisis explored. However, the articles – and in particular the readers’ letters to the editors – also highlight that there were strong debates between supporters and opponents of the American presence, and this debate blurs the boundaries of political parties, i.e. in certain periods there are also strong opponents in the conservative camp. ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements.................................................................................................................i Abstract..................................................................................................................................ii Table of Contents..................................................................................................................iii List of Appendices..................................................................................................................v Copyright...............................................................................................................................vi Introduction............................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1: The context of the research...................................................................................3 1.1. Preliminary remarks.....................................................................................................3 1.2. Anglo-American relations during the Cold War.........................................................3 1.3. The American airbases in Britain................................................................................7 1.4. US propaganda efforts in the United Kingdom.........................................................11 Chapter 2: Methodology.......................................................................................................13 2.1. Use of sources............................................................................................................13 2.2. Media discourse.........................................................................................................15 2.3. The regions to be studied...........................................................................................18 2.4. The periods to be studied...........................................................................................21 2.4.1. The Suez crisis 26 July – 15 November 1956.....................................................21 2.4.2. The Cuban missile crisis 22-29 October 1962....................................................23 2.4.3. The October war 6 – 26 October 1973................................................................24 2.4.4. The Afghanistan war December 1979 – August 1980........................................25 2.4.5. The American bombing of Libya 25 March – 5 April 1986...............................26 2.5. Conclusion.................................................................................................................26 Chapter 3: About the British media......................................................................................28 3.1. Introduction................................................................................................................28 3.2. British media and its characteristics..........................................................................28 3.2.1. Scale....................................................................................................................28 3.2.2. Ownership...........................................................................................................29 3.2.3. Media control......................................................................................................29 3.3. The political colours of local newspapers and parliamentary representation within East Anglia.................................................................................................................31 3.4. Conclusion.................................................................................................................35 Chapter 4: Depiction of the US in East Anglia 1956 – 1986 ............................................... 36 4.1. Introduction................................................................................................................36 iii 4.2. The US presence – between nuisance and threat.......................................................42 4.2.1. The national threat..............................................................................................42 4.2.2. The dangerous driver as local threat...................................................................64 4.2.3. The nuisance American.......................................................................................68 4.3. The American ‘friend’...............................................................................................73 4.3.1. Advantages of the American friend....................................................................74 4.3.2. The friendly American........................................................................................78 4.3.3. The successful socialiser.....................................................................................81 4.3.4. The charitable friend...........................................................................................83 4.4. Neither friend, nor enemy..........................................................................................86 4.4.1. The excluded Other.............................................................................................86 4.4.2. The superior American.......................................................................................88 4.4.3. The popular Other and the British establishment...............................................92 4.4.4. American buying power......................................................................................95 4.5. Conclusion.................................................................................................................99 Conclusion..........................................................................................................................105 Bibliography.......................................................................................................................108 Appendices.........................................................................................................................114 List of Appendices iv Appendix 1...........................................................................................................................57 Appendix 2...........................................................................................................................66 Appendix 3...........................................................................................................................66 Appendix 4...........................................................................................................................96 IMAGES OF THE US DURING THE COLD WAR: MEDIA DISCOURSE IN THE UK v 1956-1986 Tunde Formadi COPYRIGHT Attention is drawn to the fact that copyright of this thesis rests with (i) Anglia Ruskin University for one year and thereafter with (ii) Tunde Formadi This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is bound by copyright. 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