The Selling of the Pentagon

The Selling of the Pentagon is another historic documentary by CBS-TV. This program, eleven months in preparation by a skilled and experienced team, was a close and detailed examination of the Pentagon public relations operations. It resulted in widespread acclaim and stirred great controversy. It will doubtless produce a reexamination by the Department of Defense and by the Congress of the Pentagon’s present public relations policies and procedures. This great documentary was produced and written by Peter Davis. CBS correspondent, Roger Mudd, was the narrator and Perry Wolf the executive producer. A special salute to Richard S. Salant, president of CBS News, for his indispensable support of the project. After the program was severely criticized by dedicated Pentagon supporters, Mr. Salant’s response was to rebroadcast it and let the listener decide. The text of the script has been included in the Congressional Record, together with reviews by critics and comments by others both praising and denouncing its content. This program is indeed electronic journalism at its best. It has produced a great and needed debate.