Untold Stories of WWII: Waldo Drake, Nimitz's Newsman | Webinar

During this 40 minute webinar, registrants will hear from Dr. Hamilton Bean about his research on Lt. Cdr. Waldo Drake and his role as the Pacific Fleet's first Public Relations Officer (PRO), under the command of Admiral Chester Nimitz. Drake became responsible for informing America’s press about the Pacific Fleet’s wartime role and thus gained an outsized ability to influence American public opinion. Bean analyzes the dynamics of Drake and Nimitz’s relationship, and highlights Drake’s interactions with correspondents and Navy officials. Nimitz’s Newsman reveals the inside story of the Navy’s censored war in the Pacific during World War II. Dr. Bean is a Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Colorado Denver. He also serves as Director of the University of Colorado Denver’s International Studies Program. He specializes in the study of communication and security. He has applied communication theory to the study of extremism, counterterrorism, disinformation, intelligence, public diplomacy, and resilience. He has earned multiple awards for scholarship from the National Communication Association.