Otto Reich's Legacy of White Propaganda
In the 1980s, the State Department's Office of Public Diplomacy planted editorials in major newspapers, intimidated reporters and even employed psychological warfare experts from the Pentagon in order to garner public support for its controversial, costly and violent Contra War in Central America. Behind this effort was Otto Reich, a Cuban-American diplomat and anti-communist crusader. Although the Office of Public Diplomacy became the sacrificial lamb of the Iran Contra Scandal following a congressional investigation, Reich moved on unscathed to become US ambassador to Venezuela and Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. The legacy of white propaganda in the 1980s paved the way for similar manipulation of the media in the run-up to the Iraq War
In the 1980s, the State Department's Office of Public Diplomacy planted editorials in major newspapers, intimidated reporters and even employed psychological warfare experts from the Pentagon in order to garner public support for its controversial, costly and violent Contra War in Central America. Behind this effort was Otto Reich, a Cuban-American diplomat and anti-communist crusader. Although the Office of Public Diplomacy became the sacrificial lamb of the Iran Contra Scandal following a congressional investigation, Reich moved on unscathed to become US ambassador to Venezuela and Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. The legacy of white propaganda in the 1980s paved the way for similar manipulation of the media in the run-up to the Iraq War
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment