-Caveat Lector-
Neoconservatism: a CIA Front
by Gregory Pavlik
Not long after the Central Intelligence Agency was founded in 1947, the
American public and the world were subjected to an unprecedented level of
propaganda in the service of U.S. foreign policy objectives in the Cold War.
The propaganda offensive of the government centered around its obsession
with securing the emerging U.S.-dominated world order in the wake of the
Second World War. It was a time when Europe lay in ruins and when
subservience to U.S. planners, in government and business, was the order of
the day.
Although it is now widely conceded that there was never any serious threat
of a Soviet invasion of Western Europe, let alone of the United States, the
menace of the Soviet Union was the pretext underlying discussion of foreign
policy. To pay for the Cold War, Harry Truman set out, as Arthur Vandenberg
advised, to "Scare the Hell out of the American people." A daunting task,
considering the years of pro-Soviet accolades that had previously flowing
from the executive branch.
Nonetheless, the Soviet threat served as a useful chimera to keep the masses
in line. What were the targets singled out for demonization in the Cold War
propaganda campaign? One of the chief aims of the government was to
discredit dangerously parochial attitudes about the desirability of peace.
It was also thought necessary to inoculate the public, particularly in
Europe, against the virus of "neutralism."
Further, since the American government had successfully entrenched the
military industrial complex as a permanent feature of American life, U.S.
planners were eager to discredit the idea of "disarmament," which meant not
only a rejection of the techniques of mass murder developed and perfected by
the Allied powers in the Second World War, but also a return to the pre-war
days when the union of government and business was more tenuous,
government-connected profits were fleeting, and market discipline provided a
check on consolidation.
The degree to which the press participated as a partner in the rhetoric of
the Cold War was no accident. Media penetration was a major facet of CIA
activities in both the foreign and domestic context. At its peak, the CIA
allocated 29 percent of its budget to "media and propaganda." The extent of
its efforts are difficult to measure, but some information has slipped
through the shroud of secrecy.
One report notes that the media organizations funded by the CIA in Europe
included: the West German News agency DENA (later the DPA), the writers
association PEN in Paris, a number of French newspapers, the International
Forum of Journalists, and Forum World Features. The London-based Forum World
Features provided stories to "140 newspapers around the world, including
about 30 in the United States, amongst which were the Washington Post and
four other major dailies."
The U.S. Senates Church committee reported that the Post was aware that the
service was "CIA-controlled." German media tycoon Axel Springer had received
the then-substantial sum of more than $7 million from the Agency to build
his press empire. His relationship with the CIA was reported to have
extended through the 1970s. The New York Times reported that the CIA owned
or subsidized more than 50 newspapers, news services, radio stations, and
periodicals. The paper reported that at least another dozen were infiltrated
by the CIA; more than 1,000 books either written directly or subsidized by
the Agency were published during this period.
The penetration of CIA propaganda into the American press was far more
extensive than an occasional distorted report from Europe. By the early 70s,
it had been revealed that the head of the Hearst bureau in London was a CIA
agent. Some suspicion was aroused among those editors not on the Company
payroll, and inquiring minds among them wanted to know if CIA men were
currently in their employ. Soon thereafter the Washington Star-News
published a report claiming that some three dozen journalists were on the
payroll of the Agency. One agent was identified in the story as a member of
the Star-News own staff. When the paper went belly up in 1981, the
"journalist" in question went directly to work for the Reagan
administration. Later, Jeremiah OLeary joined the staff of the Washington
Times.
Though pressured, the CIA refused for some time to release information on
its tentacles in the "free press." Theres little wonder why. When George
Bush assumed the role of CIA director, he agreed to a single paragraph
summary of each of its journalists for the Church committee. When it
submitted the last of its data, the CIA had provided information on more
than 400 journalists. The final Church report was a disappointment having
been audited by the CIA. A subsequent House investigation was suppressed,
though a leak it was published in the Village Voice. The House report
indicated that Reuters news service was frequently used for CIA
disinformation, and
