"Faced with suicide bombings, claims of Iraqi death squads, and kidnappings, the Pentagon has come up with an innovative solution to solving the problems in Iraq: buying good news. Using defence contractors or intermediaries posing as freelance reporters, the military has been paying Iraqi newspapers to publish stories written by a military propaganda unit lauding the US mission." (1)

Feeding disinformation to Journalist is something that the US and the British have mastered over years of colonial ventures into the Muslim lands

"In the Dec. 1 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, James Bamford, one of the nation’s leading intelligence correspondents, exposes how a Pentagon contractor called the Rendon Group funnelled alarming disinformation about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction into the news media, both here and abroad. The story begins with the C.I.A.-funded creation of the Iraqi National Congress by Rendon more than a decade ago, as a means to destabilize Saddam Hussein’s regime…...

That crass fabrication, as Mr. Bamford explains, was only the beginning of "a long line of hyped and fraudulent stories that would eventually propel the U.S. into a war with Iraq—the first war based almost entirely on a covert propaganda campaign targeting the media." American taxpayers paid more than $100 million in secret government contracts that resulted in lies being "blown back" into our news media." (2)

Scott Ritter also exposed how the secret service channel disinformation i.e. lies to the media to generate public opinion - Scott Ritter’s hearing at the commons:

"Scott Ritter told the British parliamentary enquiry into the death of Dr. David Kelly that he was recruited by MI6 in 1997 to take part in "Operation Mass Appeal," to contribute to stories about Iraq's alleged weapons programs that were being planted in newspapers in Poland, India and South Africa so that this "information" would filter back to media consumers in Europe and North America'. He also mentions - MI6's Mass Appeal campaign to "shake up public opinion" using "single source data of dubious quality, which lacked veracity."

"They took this information and peddled it off to the media, internationally and domestically, allowing inaccurate intelligence data, to appear on the front pages."

"The government, both here in the UK and the US, would feed off these media reports, continuing the perception that Iraq was a nation ruled by a leader with an addiction to WMDs."(3)

Why are people so shocked about the Propaganda material used by the US in Iraq. The declassified documents show that the US has been using propaganda material in the Middle East since the 1950s. In fact the last colonial masters of Iraq the British used the same tactics to generate favourable public opinion regarding the British Occupation of Iraq.

Iraq

"By the direct subsidization of two newspapers, through special programs on Radio Baghdad, and through partial subsidization of two anti-Communist editors, anti-Communist information is being placed in public channels." (4) (5)

It was revealed recently that the US government is using Muslim Scholars and religious leaders to spread it’s propaganda, this is nothing new they did this in the 1950s -

"certain prominent anti-Communist religious leaders" to distribute propaganda brochures. (6)

Iran

In Iran in the 1950’s the US in collaboration with the Iranian regime used propaganda material to generate public opinion regarding the US policies in the area.

"To "have the program appear to be an Iranian venture" meant that "the major portion of the program would have to be in the educational field, developing knowledge of better agricultural and public health methods. The Iranian Government would reap the public credit for our program while our benefit would be realized through helping to raise the standard of living and thereby a certain measure of political and economic stability would be the result. In addition, the successful penetration of the country on this level would ultimately provide a sound foundation for the dissemination of information about the USA and its policies." (7)

The U.S. used many different styles to spreads it’s propaganda – it used displays and poster and it targeted Schools, Shops and Public buildings. This was executed by the Iranian government -

"sponsored by the Iranian Government and . . . planned and executed by the Iranian Government in cooperation with the Embassy." (8)

"two young Iranian boys who are faced with the choice between communism . . . and patient study and industry . . . . The one who chooses communism suffers early and violent death in a street demonstration. The other boy leads a productive life beneficial to his country."

Manipulation of News and Media

The manipulation of the news to change the way the reality was perceived is nothing new. Quotes from the declassified document below exposes the manipulation of the news to change the way the reality was perceived, to be the policy of the US government since the 1950’s. This circular was written by Secretary of State Dean Acheson:

"Anti-Americanism is resurging in the Arab world. The bombing at our Legations in Beirut and Damascus; vitriolic public statements by Syria’a Dawalibi, Iraq’s Suwaidi and other high officials; diatribes and fantastic rumours in the vernacular press of Syria, Egypt and Iraq; all testify to the re-enkindling of Arab animosity against the United States. Whether prompted by Communists or Moslem extremists …. The current emotionalism bodes no good for the interests of the United States…

Our best efforts must be directed towards stemming this tide of anti-Americanism. In this campaign our public affairs media can help. It is suggested that our information output be concentrated along the following lines: a) Corrective version should be sent directly and immediately to the author of fantastic stories ….. b) Difficult as it may be, we must on every occasion reaffirm our current policy of impartiality in the Palestine dispute…. c) Difficult as ut may be, we must also seek to redirect the attention of Arab people to their own internal problems and encourage them to devote their energies to the tremendous social and economic improvements… d) Finally we must try to impress upon the Arab countries the fact that the dissipation of their energies in fanaticism against the United States or against Israel coupled to a lack of attention to their own pressing problems will lead to worse conditions….

The editor of a diatribe against the United States might, for example, be visited privately by one of our public affairs officers in the field to discuss the newspaper’s attitude and seek placement for a corrective article prepared carefully under the supervision of our chief of mission…" (9)

Also in another meeting, which was looking at ways to exert influence in the Arab world it was recommended -

"buy in the newspaper more and be in a position to control the headlines as well as some of the editorials"(10)

Other propaganda guidelines included - "stimulation of the local press" – which would report on U.S. economic aid, and the Western-supported collective security pacts were promoted, this was done -

"by stimulating the writing of indigenous articles on the subject and then cross-reporting them to other countries throughout the area." (11)

Other techniques were detailed in an article on US propaganda activities in the Middle East:

"Anti-Soviet articles were placed in an Iranian magazine [Doc. 96], and the American embassy reported plans for a nominally independent journalist to seek U.S. help for the publication of a "purely cultural" magazine. The United States Information and Educational Exchange Program (USIE) was to pay his salary and control editorial content, seeking first to "establish credence," and then to gradually "develop and use more direct hard-hitting anti-Soviet material." [Doc. 61] A U.S.-backed Iraqi magazine was planned as well, "To make Iraqis aware of the dangers of Soviet imperialism" and to induce them to ally militarily with the West. [Doc. 62] American publications also could be useful: an embassy public affairs officer touring ravaged areas of predominantly Kurdish northern Iraq in 1953 (oppositionist activities seeking Kurdish autonomy were periodically suppressed) observed that American magazines, requested by a local leader, "may be as good propaganda as any we put out . . . . Coloured advertisements provide topics for many a conversation." [Doc. 104]

(Iraqi government officials considered but opted against "reviving the magazine of the young nationalist group, the Ba'th Al-Arabi" because they decided it "had too heavy a Shia tinge." [Doc. 118] Iraqi government officials promoted nationalist ideology as an alternative to Communism, which appealed to activists seeking political and economic reform. It was presumably not expected that Ba'thist ideology would become a prominent factor in Iraq's evolving anti-royalist political climate.)

Plans were developed for an "intimate working relationship" between the Voice of American and Radio Tehran, and much of the material for "special programs on Radio Baghdad" was supplied by the USIS. [Doc. 7] [Doc. 118] In Iran, the U.S. provided anti-Soviet newsreels for screening at local movie theaters. [Doc. 4] " (12)

The fabrication and lies which the US and British government have been feeding its own people and the international media is not surprising. They want to report that the Iraqis were asking the US to come and liberated and now they have been liberated the want to report that they are grateful for the liberation. The reality is that the US and British had nothing to offer to the Iraqi people, the freedom and Democracy they profess has been exposed to be a lie. They have been feeding this lie for the last 50 years if not more. The true nature of the US and British foreign policy is that it is colonial in nature and this is what they try to disguise and cover in the clothes of freedom and democracy. The reality of Iraq speaks volumes, they invaded the Country and Occupied, then they systemically went about stripping it of its resources. Then they set the united Muslims of Iraq against one another by instigating a false Shia Sunni divide to divert them from the occupation. Facing domestic pressure at home they start their propaganda campaign to pretend Iraq is progressing.

(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1654661,00.html

(2) http://www.commondreams.org/views03/1201-13.htm

(3) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3227506.stm

(4) http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB78/propaganda%2011 8.pdf

(5) http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB78/propaganda%2011 9.pdf

(6) http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB78/propaganda%2007 6.pdf

(7) http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB78/propaganda%2001 6.pdf

(8) http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB78/propaganda%2001 6.pdf

(9) http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB78/propaganda%2000 3.pdf

(10) http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB78/propaganda%2005 8.pdf

(11) http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB78/propaganda%2013 0.pdf

(12) http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB78/essay.htm