Hearts and minds will follow

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On 10/6/06, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> I haven't discovered any ancient collocations of "hearts and minds" with "win/ ning."
>
> However, to "win hearts and minds" had entered the political vocabulary by the
> mid-'50s. In a lecture at Dartmouth on Mar. 12, 1953, Spruille Braden observed
> truly that "Broadcasting badly played rhumbas and tangoes over the Voice of the
> America is not the way to 'win the hearts and minds' of Latin America."  ( "The
> Communist Threat in the Americas," in _Vital Speeches of the Day_ XIX [May 1,
> 1953] p. 436)

Not quite the same as the later Cold War usage, but...

-----
New York Times, June 12, 1919, p. 14 [HNP Doc ID 97096896]
Mr. Panaretoff, Bulgarian Minister, in his communication dated June 5,
I presume is trying to win the hearts and minds of the American
people.
-----

There are also many Cold War cites for the "struggle" or "battle" for
hearts and minds. In these two 1948 cites from Time, hearts and minds
are linked to stomachs:

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http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,853233,00.html
Time, Mar. 8, 1948
Washington had shown little sense of urgency, even less appreciation
of the fact that the struggle in the world is for men's hearts and
minds. The Marshall Plan had originally aimed to capture their hearts
through their stomachs.
-----
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,804721,00.html
Time, July 12, 1948
The crucial battle for Berlin was being fought in the hearts and minds
of Berliners--but first & foremost in their bellies.
-----

--Ben Zimmer

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