When the Cold War was waged most intensely, in the two decades or so immediately following 1945, the arts—and especially popular culture—were phenomena that the American side valued and that its Soviet opponents could not ignore. The media messages emanating from the United States had no single return address. It was sometimes official; for instance, the Washington locale of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or the U.S. Information Agency. But the ideological sources could also be in Hollywood (movies), New York City (publishing, painting), Memphis (rock 'n' roll), or even in Nashville (country music). The decentralization of American culture—the very diffusion of these sites—can inhibit generalization. But it is fair to note how univocal was the message pitched to Communist nations, as well as to other foreigners: the United States was committed to invoking the ideals of personal liberty and...