The CIA for Kids?
The Central Intelligence Agency now has a web site for children. And
I'm not kidding. http://www.cia.gov/cia/ciakids/index.html
At their site you can "Fly High On Intelligence, NOT Drugs". Kids
get to learn why the CIA is involved in thwarting nacrotraffic and
finding money launders while playing such games as "Break the Code"
or the "Geography Trivia Quiz". Or budding junior spies can bone up
with the "Intelligence Book List" or take a virtual tour of the CIA.
Most of the alphabet soup agencies have rushed head long into
providing content for children both overtly as evidenced by sites
such as the CIA's and much more ominously, covertly.
You may have heard that the White House's Office of National Drug
Control Policy (ONDCP) http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/ pays
popular Hollywood TV programs to insert anti-drug messages into the
story lines of the shows. After some protests among civil
libertarians, the ONDCP in conjunction with the TV producers agreed
to mention in the credits that the program was supported by ONDCP.
This is the same agency that was forced last June to stop tracking
computer users who viewed their anti drug advertisements on the
Internet. Their use violated federal privacy guidelines. See:
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/06/biztech/articles/22net.html
What is less widely known and is not in my opinion publicized due to
political reasons, is the US Justice Department's practice of
inserting anti-gun propaganda in various TV programming. Much of the
anti-gun messages are cloaked in anti-violence material. In 1999
MTV, the popular music television station owned by Viacom
International, released a CD Rom titled "Fight For Your Rights: take
a stand against violence". The CD included works by Lauryn Hill, The
Dave Matthews Band, Everclear, The Backstreet Boys, Alanis
Morrissette, Tori Amos and included sound bites from other popular
artists. Adam Yauch of the Bestie Boys on track 13, the last track
of the CD, mentioned that the only way to stop violence was to ban
guns.
I received my free copy of the CD-Rom directly from the US Justice
Department's Office of Juvenile Justice.
And nary a ripple surfaced last year by the mainstream media when it
was revealed that the US Army's Psychological Operations Units do
Internships at CNN and other news outlets.
In March of 2000 I posted some information to my worldwide mailing
list, Freematt's Alerts, on the subject of Psychological Operations
On The Internet. I had posted some information on UKUSA's Echelon,
the global spy network.
I posted some info from John Young's excellent
site: http://cryptome.org/
In particular I posted this quote from http://cryptome.org/madsen hmhd.htm
"They constantly broadcast disinformation to television and radio
audiences in Haiti, Serbia, Colombia, Mexico and elsewhere."
Lo and behold, I got contacted by a member of the US Army Reserve's
246th Psychological Operations Company from Columbus, Ohio who took
exception with that comment. His title is All-Source Intelligence
Analyst and Psychological Operations Specialist.
He claims to have contacted me as a private citizen and he mentioned
that he didn't tell me anything that wasn't open information. I
engaged with him over several emails then I switched into an IRC
channel for a couple of hours and I quizzed him on several issues
that some of you may find noteworthy. I'll refer to him as Agent X
out respect for his privacy.
Agent X wrote:
I find it interesting how people with very little information about
what information the U.S. Actually does put out are so quick to
judge. The USIA/USIS and Army Psyop do try to earn people's support
for U.S. policy. This "disinformation" that is put out is Mine
awareness so that children don't end up dead or maimed, they try to
get civilians to clear military convoy routes so that relief aid can
be transported to the needy, like the orphanage in Haiti that had
run out of food because a tropical storm had knocked out the bridge
on the only road to them. The U.S. did not engage in the use of the
Internet as an information tool in Bosnia as the legality of the
issue was still under debate. Under U.S. law and Army Policy no
Psyop may be conducted on U.S. citizens. The internet being an open
medium would have allowed U.S. citizens to be subjected to the
information. As such the internet was not used.
An article written about my Psychological Operations Unit in Haiti:
http://www.dtic.mil/soldiers/may95/p40.html
Matthew Gaylor's response: I opinioned that sending troops down to
Haiti to perform community service seems like a total waste of money
as the service could have been done by a well equipped Boy Scout
troop.
Agent X continued:
The goal of psyop is to win the hearts and minds...the nuns were
greatful...do you think they supported our mission there after that?
My units mission is tactical meaning we coordinate radio broadcasts,
distribute fliers and do loudspeaker broadcasts. I know the
internet was not used for psyop in bosnia for a fact. The army was
still developing its policy on that medium. There is a terrific
after action report online that discusses the failure of the US to
seize this medium.
http://www.dodccrp.org/bosend.htm
This is the end notes that discusses the internet failure. I warn
you its quite dry and the psyop bit is towards the end. At the base
of the page is URLs to the rest of the site for the full article.
Matthew Gaylor responded:
I can fully believe that the Internet wasn't used in Haiti, after all
it isn't used in Cuba either, because hardly anybody has a decent
supply of toilet paper let alone Internet access.
Agent X responds:
As to the internet and haiti... the comment had to do more with our
supposed "disinformation" then on the use of the internet but you're
right in Haiti that would be a poor medium.
The US is just now bringing its Psyop units up for capability to use
the internet. All information distributed must be approved by the
National Command during peace time. SO everything we get is drawn
up by others. That way the entire campaign is coordinated
effectively and no messages that would offend are put out.
What I'm saying is that up to 1997 the US had not been involved in
psyacts on the internet. That was Bosnia...now as to Kosovo in 1999
the situation
hasn't changed much...but we will use any means to cripple an enemies
communication systems...such as denial of service and such in serbia.
###
The following interchanges occurred between myself (Wagthedogy) and
Agent X using an instant message service. Some of the comments
started out specific to Ohio, but then branched out.
Wagthedogy: What does Sen. Mike Dewine (R) Ohio have?
Agent X: Influence in Washington
Wagthedogy I mean, what issues?
Agent X He's pretty standard party line republican
Wagthedogy: You mean gun control, larger government etc.?
Agent X: well theoretically...republicans want smaller government
Wagthedogy: Don't listen to what they say watch what they do. In
psyopps you should know that.
Agent X: yes but I'm not a total libertarian either
Agent X: is why I pick and choose
Wagthedogy: It doesn't matter how libertarian you are. What
matters is if you believe in freedom and the constitution.
Agent X: I believe in strong national defense
Wagthedogy: Me too
Wagthedogy: But we have troops in Columbia fighting the drug war
as an example.
Agent X: we provide MI support
Agent X: and occasionally we send units to train with the columbians
Wagthedogy: Delta is on the ground in Columbia running missions
Agent X: Yes and usarso has done it too and one of my good
friends was there.
Wagthedogy: What major issue to you differ with the Libertarians?
Agent X: yes but I don't think we should have no government either
Wagthedogy: Me either
Agent X: I believe in some foreign aid and intervention
Wagthedogy: How much and to who?
Agent X: To any ally strategically of interest to us. Georgia
is a huge one at the moment. It is important we keep russia from
redominating half the world
Wagthedogy: Like Chile? Kissinger once remarked it was a giant
dagger pointed towards antarctica <grin>
Wagthedogy: 3 billion to Israel?
Agent X: Georgia is at the center of a sphere of influence
that surrounds the majority of the worlds oil.
Wagthedogy: Here's a question for you. What is your world view?
What do you believe?
Agent X: world view? meaning?
Wagthedogy: Ideology, culture, religion, you're relationship to
others, etc.
Agent X: As an american I was brought up in one of the most
ethnocentric cultures in the world as to religion I'm atheist as to a
christian god...agnostic as to a God. I was raised lower income
protestant Am now middle income. Is that what you wanted to know or?
Wagthedogy: What about your political ideology. What
thinkers/writers have influenced you?
Agent X: well not really political but I like Nietzsche...as
to politics I haven't read much I've read Machevellis "The Prince",
Thomas More's "Utopia", I've read Brave New World, 1984, Fahrenheit
451, Animal Farm...all those sorts of things.
Wagthedogy: That's a good start.
Wagthedogy: Do you plan to enter the Army full time?
Agent X: no...having dual job specialties in the army...with
psyop and mi always short handed I can be on active duty as much as I
want
Agent X: SWIC is the Special Warfare Instruction Center...well
the John Fitzgerald Kenenedy SWIC...its at Ft. Bragg anyway their
website will probably tell you more
Wagthedogy: What schools in the Army have you been to?
Agent X: basic training ft leonard wood, ait ft huachuca - all
source intel analyst course,basic airborne ft benning,jrtc ft polk,
ft knox psychological operations specialist.
Wagthedogy: I sure hope you didn't help set up the loudspeakers at WACO
Agent X: No
Wagthedogy: That's an example of psyopps.
Agent X: if any psyop was there at all it was the 321s or 5th
I forget out of dallas. But I'm pretty sure that was FBI stuff not
Army. National guard was there but they have no psyop assets. For
psyop to have been there they would have had to be called up by
presidential order.
Wagthedogy: FBI with Delta advisors.
[End note from Matthew Gaylor: I edited the above text for clarity
and I sniped some irrelevant commentary.]
Regards, Matt-
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