J. P. Morgan like many of his progressive friends was a “Monopoly Capitalist” and held divided loyalties between fidelity to America and homage to the one-world government plans of the Rhodes Round Table groups. With the Wall Street complicity in having got Woodrow Wilson seated in the White House two years earlier, J. P. Morgan knew, as did others such as Carnegie, Rockefeller, and Ford, that America would be drawn (by design) into World War I.
To prepare the American public would be a huge undertaking, and Morgan figured on using the American press to spread a pro-war message, subtly disguised of course, as needed defense spending.
With a grateful salute to Mindfully, here is a passage from the 1917 Congressional Record detailing how Morgan took over the propaganda aspects of the American press.
“This policy also included the suppression of everything in opposition to the wishes of the interests served. The effectiveness of this scheme has been conclusively demonstrated by the character of the stuff carried in the daily press throughout the country since March, 1915. They have resorted to anything necessary to commercialize public sentiment and sandbag the National Congress into making extravagant and wasteful appropriations for the Army and Navy under false pretense that it was necessary. Their stock argument is that it is ‘patriotism.’ They are playing on every prejudice and passion of the American people.
Were William Randolph Hearst’s newspapers included in this purchase?
James, thank you for a good question. I cannot answer yes or no with certainty, but I can say that I would be surprised if Hearst or some of his papers were not a part of the Morgan thrust to “control generally the American press”.
Hearst went bankrupt during the depression. JD Rockefeller stepped in and bought controlling interest in all the Hearst publications while allowing Heasrt to maintain creative control of the day to day dealings. Few people knew except those on the inside.
Rockefeller had just bought 40% interest in the pharmaceutical division (Bayer) of German I.G. Farben and wanted media through which he could advertise his newly acquired interests in big pharma. He advertised his knew drugs through the paper by getting peer-reviewed lackies to sing the praises of his products. All the while Hearst appeared to be surviving the Depression.
Also, the business deal that Standard Oil entered into that would form in America what is/was known as The Drug Trust. If you read Morris Bealle’s Drug Story, he covers the transactions.
Standard Oil president Arthur Teagle traded technology with German I.G. Farben leading up to Pearl Harbour. In return for technology to produce 100% octane fuel for the German Luftwaffe, Standard Oil acquired a significant portion of the pharmaceutical industry.
Does anyone know which 25 newspapers had their editorial policies purchased by the Morgan interests in 1915?