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:The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. ... We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society. ... In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons ... who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.
Bernays' celebration of [[propaganda]] helped define [[public relations]], but it did not win the industry many friends. In a letter to [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|President Franklin D. Roosevelt]], [[Supreme Court|Supreme Court Justice]] [[Felix Frankfurter]] described Bernays and [[Ivy Lee]] as "professional poisoners of the public mind, exploiters of foolishness, fanaticism and self-interest." And history showed the flaw in Bernays' identification of the "manipulation of the masses" as a natural and necessary feature of a [[democracy|democratic]] society. The [[fascism|fascist]] rise to power in [[Germany]] demonstrated that propaganda could be used to subvert democracy as easily as it could be used to "resolve conflict."
In his autobiography, titled ''Biography of an Idea'', Bernays recalls a dinner at his home in 1933 where
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