Abstract
This thesis will demonstrate how the growth of radio technology allowed politicians such as Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover to use radio for political purposes. By examining a number of primary sources including presidential papers and U.S. government documents this study will shed a light on how the culture of the United States fostered radio growth. The study will be anchored in the personal papers of Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover and the papers of the presidential advisors and staff. Ultimately, this thesis will examine the political uses of radio broadcasting prior to the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. It will show that Roosevelt's use of radio, while widespread, was not without precedent. The presidents in office between the world wars viewed radio as an important means of changing the political landscape. The use of broadcasting to develop a connection between the Executive branch and the voting public made radio an indispensible element of American politics. This study does not seek to challenge Roosevelt's extensive use of radio. Rather it demonstrates that using radio broadcasting as a political instrument was not unprecedented before the Roosevelt years. Without the foundation established by Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt would have lacked the essential elements that allowed him to expand radio broadcasting during his tenure in office.