Information to Users
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard marginc and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for aity photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Informaiion Company 300North Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor.Ml 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Order Number 9505307 Ambassadors of the arts: An analysis of the Eisenhower administration’s incorporation of “Porgy and Bess” into its Cold War foreign policy Taylor, John Harper, Ph.D. The Ohio State University, 1994 Copyright ©1994 by Taylor, John Harper. All rights reserved. UMI 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor. MI 48106 AMBASSADORS OF THE ARTS; AN ANALYSIS OF THE EISENHOWER ADMINISTRATION'S INCORPORATION OF PORGY AND BESS INTO ITS COLD WAR FOREIGN POLICY DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By John Harper Taylor, B.A., M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 1994 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Alan Woods Firman Brown Adviser Esther Beth Sullivan Department of Theatre Copyright by John Harper Taylor 1994 To Kristine 11 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I express sincere appreciation to Dr. Alan Woods for his guidance and insight throughout my research. Thanks go to the other members of my advisory committee, Drs. Esther Beth Sullivan and Firman Brown for their comments and suggestions. I also thank Nena Couch and the staff of the Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute for their assistance. To my wife, Kristine, your constant patience and faith in me have made my work possible. To my parents, I thank you for always being there to support me in my endeavors and encouraging me to achieve my dreams. Ill VITA January 16, 1965 .............. Born - Wichita, Kansas 1988 ............................. B.A., The Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas 1988-1990 ..................... Graduate Teaching Assistant The Ohio State University 1990 .............................M.A. , The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1990-1993 ..................... Graduate Research Assistant The Jerome Lawrence and Robert E . Lee Theatre Research Institute, The Ohio State University 1993- ..................... Staff, Theatre Research Institute, The Ohio State University FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field ................... Theatre Studies in; Theatre History: Dr. Alan Woods Contemporary Criticism: Dr. E. Beth Sullivan Literature: Dr. Katherine Burkman Directing: Dr. Rex McGraw Public Policy and the Arts: Dr. Wayne Lawson IV TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION................................................ Ü ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................... iii VITA ..................................................... iv CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION Introduction.................................... 1 A Brief History of Cultural Diplomacy in the United States...................... 4 Eisenhower's "New Look" Cultural Diplomacy Policy.......................... 16 The Emergency Fund for International A f f a i r s .................................... 21 A Brief History of Porgy and Bess as Cultural Ambassador ................. 24 Statement of Purpose ........................ 32 II. THE EISENHOWER ADMINISTRATION'S "NEW LOOK" AT DIPLOMACY, PROPAGANDA, AND THE ARTS. 37 Introduction.................................... 37 The Nature of the Conflict: The Cold War Between the United States and the Soviet Union.......................... 39 The Report of the President's Committee on International Information Activities................................. 41 The President's Emergency Fund for Participation in International A f f a i r s .................................... 50 The Bureaucratic Structure of the Emergency F u n d .......................... 53 The Nature of the President's Emergency Fund......................................... 63 Appraisals of the President's Emergency Fund......................................... 66 Conclusion...................................... 72 III. SOLDIERS ON THE FRONT-LINE OF THE COLD WAR: ROBERT BREEN'S PRODUCTION OF PORGY AND B E S S ................ 74 Introduction.................................... 74 A Brief History of the International Tours of Porgy and Bess: 1952-1956. 82 An Analysis of the Reactions to Porgy and Bess' Role as Ambassador of the A rts.................................... 91 An Analysis of the Impact of Government Subsidy on Porgy and B es s ............ 100 Publicity and Promotion: Robert Breen's Efforts to Sell Porgy and Bess.......... 107 Conclusion...................................... 112 IV. NEGOTIATIONS AND TRIBULATIONS: AN EXAMINATION OF ROBERT BREEN'S EFFORTS TO TOUR PORGY AND BESS IN THE SOVIET UNION AND C H I N A ...................................... 115 Introduction.................................... 115 The Geneva Summit : Setting the Stage for East-West Exchanges................. 118 An Examination of Robert Breen's Effort to Negotiate a Tour of Porgy and Bess in the Soviet Union . 122 An Examination of Robert Breen's Negotiations for an Exchange Agreement with China ................... 137 Conclusion...................................... 143 V. CONCLUSION....................................... 145 Introduction.................................... 145 The Legacy of the President's Emergency Fund for Participation In InternationalAffairs ................ 146 Conclusion: The Legacy of the Eisenhower Administration's Sponsorship of Porgy and Bess and Its Ramifications for Government Patronage of the Arts................... 151 APPENDICES................................................ 157 A. A Chronological List of Projects Funded by the President's Emergency Fund for International Affairs... ...................... 157 VI B. Tour Schedule of Robert Breen's Porgy and Bess, 1952-1956 163 C. Brief Summary of Losses Incurred During Porgy and Bess' Middle East Tour (12/6/54- 2 / 1 9 / 5 5 ) ....................................... 166 D. Breakdown of Expenses of One Week (6 performances) of Porgy and Bess in Cairo, Egypt (1/7-1/12/55) ................... 167 BIBLIOGRAPHY.............................................. 169 yii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Introduction Congress shall have power . To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution of the United States stipulates that the government may exercise the above actions with regards to the arts. Although it neither obligates nor forbids a formal relationship between government and the arts, presidents and legislators have long spoken about the role of the arts in public policy and the value of the arts to society. However, their speeches usually produced more rhetoric than any actual policies. Still, as such diverse examples as Franklin Roosevelt's Federal Theatre Project of the 1930s and the current National Endowment for the Arts (NBA) illustrate, the government of the United States has been inclined, if somewhat reluctantly, to subsidize the arts. Much of the early efforts of government patronage centered on planning building designs and decoration for the federal buildings of Washington, B.C. Additionally, the 2 federal government has occasionally commissioned artists as when John Trumball was paid $32,000 in 1817 to paint scenes from the Revolutionary War. While other examples can be cited, the early record of arts patronage in the United States is relatively sparse. In fact, it was not until President Roosevelt introduced the Federal One arts projects of the Works Progress Administration in 19 35 that the United States government had a significant, albeit short-term, policy on the arts. Another twenty-five years passed before legislation establishing the NBA was drafted and signed into law. While the reasons for the various arts initiatives vary from project to project, the official attitude towards the arts has remained constant. First, government patronage has never emanated from a sense of obligation or altruism towards the arts. In the United States, government support of the arts has been predicated on a quid pro quo relationship. Example after example illustrates that the arts have been supported only to the degree that they are viewed as useful in achieving other objectives. For instance, Roosevelt's Federal Theatre Project was