EDWARD BERNAYS BIOGRAPHY

I'm only about 1/3rd of the way through The Father of Spin: Edward L. Bernays and the Birth of Public Relations but I've already concluded that Bernays was somehow aware that people can be sub-rationally influenced in much the same way that modern behavioral economics suggests.  I also noted that Bernays was the first to create special interest organizations whose name does not suggest who's paying for the propaganda, much like some modern American PACS.

PR Watch has a pretty good review of the book if you'd like to learn a little more.