A chance for a propaganda coup? The Reagan administration and The Day After (1983)

Abstract

This article analyzes the U.S. executive branch’s response to the controversial 1983 film The Day After, a television movie that depicted the aftermath of a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Reagan administration saw the film as an opportunity to promote its own nuclear policies but made an unprecedented effort not to publicly attack it or its producers. Instead, the administration coordinated with conservative private organizations to exploit the film for initiatives it supported, including a strong nuclear deterrence to prevent war and arms control negotiations. Ultimately, these efforts proved successful. The administration’s public affairs campaign succeeded in framing a debate focused on how to prevent nuclear war rather than the horrors of it, which played to the strengths of conservative arguments in favor of a strong military defense. – AI-generated abstract.