The Pentagon is planning a PR campaign to get the world behind the next stage of its "war on terror", which could include the release of false news stories, according to reports in the US.
The newly created office of strategic influence is planning to extend the US's tradition of information warfare by involving news organisations not just in the Middle East and Asia but also in western Europe, says the New York Times.
“The small but well-financed Pentagon office, which was established shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks, was a response to concerns in the administration that the United States was losing public support overseas for its war on terrorism, particularly in Islamic countries,” the paper reports.
"As part of the effort to counter the pronouncements of the Taliban, Osama bin Laden and their supporters, the state department has already hired a former advertising executive to run its public diplomacy office and the White House has created a public information 'war room' to co-ordinate the administration's daily message domestically and abroad," the New York Times reveals.
According to the paper, the office of strategic influence is being kept strictly under wraps by the Pentagon.
However, it has begun circulating proposals for "aggressive campaigns that use not only the foreign media and the internet but also covert operations".
Brigadier General Simon P. Worden, the head of the new office and a former air force chief, is reported to have said the department should consider running so-called "black" information campaigns that use misinformation and covert activities.
A senior Pentagon official is quoted as saying: "It goes from the blackest of black programmes to the whitest of the white" - an allusion to the possibility of mixing black propaganda with truthful press releases.
The office of strategic influence has hired a firm of consultants run by John W. Rendon Jr., a former campaign aide to President Jimmy Carter.
The New York Times claims the consultancy has been involved in covert propaganda campaigns in Arab countries. The US government's and military's heavy-handed use of propaganda came under fire during the recent Afghanistan campaign.
President George W. Bush's administration tried to discourage news organisations, such as CNN, from running material provided by Arab stations, including al-Jazeera, claiming they could carry coded messages from al-Qaida and Bin Laden.
media.guardian.co.uk/marketingandpr/stor...
Pentagon Steps Up Propaganda Efforts
Jessica Hodgson
Tuesday February 19, 2002
Guardian (UK)
Mind If I Manipulate You A Little?
Posted on the Independent Newswire on 19 February 2002
Ref: www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=137401
Add Your Own Comments
Mind If I Speak My Mind?
by Isidorus Rex 10:14am Tue Feb 19 '02
address: Plutorus phone: 1-999-WAKEUP! isidor@plutorus.com
The Pentagoons don't need a new office for bullshit propagation!
They are ALREADY the GREATEST bunch of fucking LIARS one could gather together under the same roof...competing with the US government and those hyper hypocritical republic-rats...And their minions in the meanstream trash media...And their "intelligence" agencies...And...
These freaks are panicking and are desperate because people are finding out the truth and the TRUTH is something these psychos can't handle.
The pentagon is CLEARLY a major accomplice in the September 11 attack! The order to intercept the hijacked planes was stood down by the pentagon. They rolled out the red carpet for the "terrorists", while in Washington, they popped open the champagne to celebrate the arrival of their "terrorist messiah"... [Usama bin Laden]
-"The goal of this is to permit the U.S. to win the propaganda war by employing tools that they have heretofore publicly avoided, lies. "
- HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA !!!!!!!!
-"Tools that they have heretofore publicly avoided"...!!!?????
-Even their fucking announcement is full of lies. These pompous murderers are dumbfounded by the truth, just like the masses of asses that constitute the bulk of the North American populace. Speaking the truth to these sociopaths is a bit like holding up a cross to a vampire - because that's what these terrorists are: vampires of the collective soul. They ARE the REAL TERRORISTS!
Look at what they did to Afghanistan; look at what they're threatening to do to Iraq. Look at what they've done to the True Spirit of America!
They are beyond despicable...way beyond mere contempt. They are the scum of the Earth yet this greedy fucking piece of shit of a "government" is handing them trillions of dollars...money stolen from the people so they can continue their carnage and plunder of the world which they see as their stockyard!
Look at Enruin and the whole fascist corporate circus: stealing from the workers to give to the already filthy rich! And getting away with it!!!
The pentagon is the MOST COLOSSAL TERRORIST NEST IN THE WORLD.
These goons are hopelessly desperate because they're getting their stinking arses kicked all over the global village. What a bunch of god damn shit heads!!!
Where is the drive to get rid of THIS abominable stain on the face of Mankind?
This world is extremely sick. And if you continue to pay homage to the champions of lies, deception, manipulation, hypocrisy and TERRORISM... you will reap the whirlwind of your own karma! Terror returns to where it came from.
Isidor
P.S.: Here's a bit of truth for you pentagoonian naziSSiSSie psychotic bomb freaks:
Bumsfelt: Prepare for Attacks (by Bumsfelt)
Domestic Enemy at the highest level of govt.
http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=127523&group=webcast
IS THE USA A ROGUE STATE? (You bet)
http://www.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=128288&group=webcast
The UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT is the World's Greatest TERRORIST ORGANIZATION
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cea-usa/message/1354
Dear Kermit
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cea-usa/message/1388
www.plutorus.com/tornadocarnival.html
Uhm, This Is New?
by Diotima 10:19am Tue Feb 19 '02
An actual office, created for the purpose of disinformation, or coordinating the proverbial "independent" news station to the Govts agenda.
Difference?
Arrogance? Incompetence? Both?
by Mephistopholes 11:12am Tue Feb 19 '02
These idiots announce to the world that they will be generating lies to serve the public interest. They're not very competant criminals, are they? I mean, if you're going to lie, why would you announce that this is what you'll be doing?
"Has the whole world gone fucking crazy? Am I the only one who gives a shit about the fucking rules?" -- Walter Sobceck, Big Lebowski
Fortunately We Won't Have To Change the Three
by sjb 11:32am Tue Feb 19 '02
Fortunately we won't have to go through the expense of changing all of the letter head for the D.O.D.
Since they have thought ahead by conviently changing the "Department of Defense" to the "Department of Deceit" Seig heil.
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