ABSTRACT
Cultural policy emerged in the United States (US) in the 1950s and coalesced in the early 1960s. During this period, a nascent set of policy principles guided the key government actions that intervened in culture, but those actions were not formed in reference to a coherent or well-plotted cultural policy in any substantive way. American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) emerged from the takeover with two program areas intact: a small national service office and a burgeoning array of international programs. In 1950, the State Department contracted with ANTA to manage US participation in the Berlin Cultural Festival. A portion of the Emergency Fund went to the State Department for cultural exchange programs, and another portion went to a new propaganda agency, the US Information Agency, to develop cultural programming such as the Voice of America. In Ford programs, "seeking financial stability for cultural organizations—expanding the resources within the cultural economy and broadening the base of support—was the unifying thread".
