Topic: Cultural Cold War

The CIA's involvement in Hollywood is detailed, including the covert funding of the 1954 animated film *Animal Farm* to remove socialist nuances from George Orwell's story. Figures like Howard Hughes, Cecil B. DeMille, and John Ford are identified as having cooperated with the agency to promote anti-communist themes. Jay Dyer explains that "cultural cold war" tactics were used to turn American entertainment into a soft-power weapon.

Scott Ritter uses the story of American pianist Van Cliburn, who won a prestigious competition in the Soviet Union in 1959, as a model for modern diplomacy. He argues that Americans must break through "walls of ignorance" to recognize the shared humanity of the Russian people. Ritter suggests that cultural and personal interactions are essential to de-escalating the current path toward global conflict.