A discussion of the infusion of American culture with religion-based anti-Communist messages continued on a recent edition of the “MTSU On the Record” radio program. 

The final part of host Gina Logue’s two-part interview with Dr. Andrew Polk, an associate professor of history at MTSU, first aired Feb. 22 on WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5 and www.wmot.org. 

You can listen to their conversation via the SoundCloud link above.

Dr. Andrew Polk

Gina K. Logue

Polk is the author of “Faith in Freedom: Propaganda, Presidential Politics, and the Making of an American Religion.” The book presents evidence of a concerted effort by the federal government, through the administrations of three presidents, to promote a national unity under God with a heavily Christian influence.

In the second part of the interview, Polk explains how the Advertising Council, a group of advertising executives who crafted campaigns promoting faith at the behest of the federal government, created the public service announcements during the Cold War that depicted the United States as a nation of religious values.

Polk points out that the campaigns had nothing to do with theology and everything to do with promoting specific anti-Communist policies. The image-makers ran into a problem when attempting to address racial issues, however, so they decided to treat race as an issue raised only by traitors.

“To talk about race, to bring up … racial injustices, the hypocrisy of this rhetoric compared to the lived reality of Black and brown Americans, is to be unpatriotic — to, in essence, be heretical and to help support the Communists, America’s enemies,” Polk said.

“To bring up, to even talk about this stuff, is to be an enemy of America.”

You can learn more about, and listen to, Part I of Polk’s interview here.

To hear previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, visit the searchable “Audio Clips” archives at www.mtsunews.com.

For more information about the radio program, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

Dr. Andrew Polk, above left, an associate professor of history at MTSU, is the guest on “MTSU On the Record,” with host Gina Logue, for the second part of his two-part interview, which aired Feb. 22 and Feb. 27, on WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5 and www.wmot.org. Polk is the author of “Faith in Freedom: Propaganda, Presidential Politics and the Making of an American Religion.” The book presents evidence of a concerted effort by the federal government, through the administrations of three presidents, to promote a national unity under God with a heavily Christian influence. (MTSU photo of Polk; book cover submitted)