[NUJ Bristol] Pentagon to target allies with covert propaganda

Any taciturn Americans snooping around the newsroom?? let the union
know ;-)


http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=362280

Pentagon to target allies with covert propaganda

By Andrew Buncombe in Washington
17 December 2002

Pentagon to target allies with covert propaganda 

The Pentagon is considering a plan to establish covert propaganda
operations in countries it considers its allies in order to improve
America's image and discredit hostile factions.

The plan, revealed yesterday by The New York Times, involves efforts
to undermine the influence of mosques and religious schools, perhaps
by establishing moderate Islamic schools with US funding. Other
suggestions being considered include paying journalists to write
stories favourable to the United States and hiring contractors
without obvious ties to the Pentagon to organise rallies and
demonstrations in support of US policies.

The proposal has triggered sharp debate across the Bush
administration because of its plan to run such operations in
countries considered not only neutral but friendly to the US. Germany
– where many of the 11 September hijackers lived – was one of the
countries mentioned. It was unclear whether there were proposals to
establish such operations in Britain. A spokesman for the British
Embassy in Washington declined to comment on "speculative stories".

Admiral Dennis Blair, a retired commander of US forces in the
Pacific, said: "Running ops against your allies doesn't work very
well. I've seen it tried a few times and it generally is not very
effective."

Official sources in Washington said the plans – contained within a
classified policy document entitled 3600.1: Information Operations –
were being pushed by the more hawkish elements of the Pentagon and
did not have the support of the Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld.

Last February Mr Rumsfeld was forced to dismantle the Pentagon's
Office of Strategic Influence (OSI) after it was revealed that there
were plans to provide false stories and "black propaganda" to foreign
journalists.

But Mr Rumsfeld suggested last month that while the OSI had been
dismantled, its work was continuing. At a press briefing he said:
"I'll give you the [OSI's] corpse. There's the name. You can have the
name, but I'm gonna keep doing every single thing that needs to be
done."