Myth as Propaganda in World War I: American Volunteers, Victor Chapman, and French Journalism

This historical research builds on the literature of myth, war, and international journalism. It considers the power of myth as propaganda, and how this narrative was constructed using a specific segment of Americans, those who volunteered in France during World War I. Despite American neutrality, young men from mostly elite families volunteered to fight for the Allies. This research considers these men as the press portrayed them in the country they adopted as volunteers, France. Historians have studied these volunteers in fair detail. But no research has considered the presence and propaganda role of these volunteers in the international press.