White House Memo to News Editors (1962)

Commentary

This document, issued after the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, illustrates how the executive branch of the United States attempted to control information during the Cold War. During this period, the U.S. government underwent a fundamental shift in policy regarding the handling of information. This was prompted first by the desire to maintain the American monopoly on nuclear weapons, then to prevent the release of any information that might be helpful to the Soviet Union. However, these restrictions, in addition to dealing with legitimate security considerations, allowed officials to prevent the public from learning about politically inconvenient or embarrassing facts.

While dealing specifically with the emergency of the Cuban Missile Crisis, this October 24, 1962 memorandum typifies the kind of voluntary restrictions that previous and subsequent administrations tried to put in place. Though seemingly benign, such...