In March 1961, America's most prominent journalist, Edward R. Murrow, ended a 25-year career with CBS to join the Kennedy administration as director of the United States Information Agency (USIA). Using both overt and covert propaganda programs, Murrow defended JFK's policies in an unsettled era that included the rise of the Berlin Wall and the Cuban Missile Crisis. As Gregory Tomlin reveals, Murrow also hired African Americans for top spots in the agency, using his own clout to make a social statement and project a different view of America.