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http://www.thepeopleshistory.net/2014/07/operationmockingbirdciaandpropaganda.html

OperationMockingbird:TheCIAandPropaganda

"AboutathirdofthewholeCIAbudgetwenttomediapropagandaoperations...We'retalking
abouthundredsofmillionsofdollarsayearjustforthat.....closetoabilliondollarsarebeing
spenteveryyearbytheUnitedStatesonsecretpropaganda."TestimonyofWilliamSchapp
toCongress1

In1948,theUnitedStatesbegantheMarshallPlan,aninitiativetohelpthedevastatedEuroperecoverfrom
theWar.TheCIAdecidedtosiphonfundstocreatetheOfficeofPolicyCoordination,whichwouldbecome
thecovertactionbranchoftheAgency.2ItwasunderthisprogramthatOperationMockingbird,adomestic
propagandacampaignaimedatpromotingtheviewsoftheCIAwithinthemedia,began.Fromtheonset,
OperationMockingbirdwasoneofthemostsensitiveoftheCIA'soperations,withrecruitmentofjournalists
andtrainingofintelligenceofficersforpropagandapurposesusuallyundertakenbyDirectorAllenDulles
himselforhisdirectpeers.3

ItisafalsebeliefthattheCIA'infiltrated'unwittingmediainstitutions.Therecruitmentofjournalistswas
frequentlydonewithcomplicityfromtopmanagementandownership.FormerCIADirectorWilliamColby
claimedduringtheChurchCommitteeinvestigativehearings,"Letsgotothemanagements.Theywere
witting."AmongtheorganizationsthatwouldlendtheirhelptothepropagandaeffortswastheNewYork
Times,Newsweek,AssociatedPress,andtheMiamiHerald.ProvidingcovertoCIAagentswasapartofthe
NewYorkTimespolicy,setbytheirlatepublisher,ArthurHaysSalzberger.4
TheinvestigativecommitteeofFrankChurch,officiallytitledSelectCommitteetoStudyGovernmental
OperationswithRespecttoIntelligenceActivities,uncoveredalotofevidenceconcerningOperation
Mockingbirdandcametotheconclusionthat:

"TheCIAcurrentlymaintainsanetworkofseveralhundredforeignindividualsaroundthe
worldwhoprovideintelligencefortheCIAandattimesattempttoinfluenceopinionthrough
theuseofcovertpropaganda.TheseindividualsprovidetheCIAwithdirectaccesstoalarge
numberofnewspapersandperiodicals,scoresofpressservicesandnewsagencies,radio
andtelevisionstations,commercialbookpublishers,andotherforeignmediaoutlets."5

CarlBernstein,thereporterfamousforhisexcellentinvestigationintotheWatergatescandal,wrotethat:

(Joseph)Alsopisoneofmorethan400Americanjournalistswhointhepasttwentyfive
yearshavesecretlycarriedoutassignmentsfortheCentralIntelligenceAgency,accordingto
documentsonfileatCIAheadquarters.Someofthesejournalistsrelationshipswiththe
Agencyweretacitsomewereexplicit.Therewascooperation,accommodationandoverlap.
Journalistsprovidedafullrangeofclandestineservicesfromsimpleintelligencegathering

toservingasgobetweenswithspiesinCommunistcountries.Reporterssharedtheir
notebookswiththeCIA.Editorssharedtheirstaffs.SomeofthejournalistswerePulitzer
Prizewinners,distinguishedreporterswhoconsideredthemselvesambassadorswithout
portfoliofortheircountry.Mostwerelessexalted:foreigncorrespondentswhofoundthattheir
associationwiththeAgencyhelpedtheirworkstringersandfreelancerswhowereas
interestedinthederringdoofthespybusinessasinfilingarticlesand,thesmallestcategory,
fulltimeCIAemployeesmasqueradingasjournalistsabroad.Inmanyinstances,CIA
documentsshow,journalistswereengagedtoperformtasksfortheCIAwiththeconsentof
themanagementsofAmericasleadingnewsorganizations.6

WhileamajorityofMockingbirdoperationswereoverseas,thegoalwastohaveimportant,hardhitting
storiestobecirculatedintheAmericanpress.RelationshipswithmajorUnitedStatesmediainstitutions
certainlyhelpedwiththisgoal.BernsteinlistsTheNewYorkTimes,CBSandTimeinc.asthemost
productiverelationshipstheagencycultivated.Theyalsocreatedfrontorganizationsoverseaswhopublicly
maintainedanappearanceoffreepressbutprivatelywereoperatedbytheagency.Anexampleofthisisthe
RomeDailyAmerican,whichwas40%ownedbytheCIAforthreedecades.7
Anotherstrategywasdevelopingrelationshipswithmajormediaownerswhowereknowntoharborright
wingviews,suchasWilliamPaleyofCBS,andthenpassingoninformationofjournalists,actorsand
screenwriterswhoharboredleftwingviews.Informationwasalsopassedontofriendlycongressmensuch
asJosephMcCarthy.Thesemenandwomenwouldthenbeblacklistedfromtheindustry.LeeJ.Cobbwas
onesuchactorwhowasblacklisted,andrecalledhisexperience:

WhenthefacilitiesofthegovernmentoftheUnitedStatesaredrawnonanindividualitcan
beterrifying.Theblacklistisjusttheopeninggambitbeingdeprivedofwork.Yourpassport
isconfiscated.That'sminor.Butnotbeingabletomovewithoutbeingtailedissomething
else.Afteracertainpointitgrowstoimpliedaswellasarticulatedthreats,andpeople
succumb.Mywifedid,andshewasinstitutionalized.In1953theHCUA(HouseUnAmerican
ActivitiesCommittee)didadealwithme.Iwasprettymuchworndown.Ihadnomoney.I
couldn'tborrow.Ihadtheexpensesoftakingcareofthechildren.WhyamIsubjectingmy
lovedonestothis?Ifit'sworthdyingfor,andIamjustasidealisticasthenextfellow.ButI
decideditwasn'tworthdyingfor,andifthisgesturewasthewayofgettingoutofthe
penitentiaryI'ddoit.Ihadtobeemployableagain.8

TheCIAwentasfarastowritescriptsforHollywood.Oneinterestingexampleisthefundingofthemovie
versionofAnimalFarmin1954,abookwrittenjustlessthanadecadeearlierbyGeorgeOrwellwhich
enjoyedlargecommercialsuccess.TheproblemfortheCIAwasthatOrwellwasasocialist,andhisbook
attackedbothcapitalismandcommunism.Toavoidthisconflict,theCIAchangedtheendingofthe
Hollywoodversiontoportraycapitalisminamorepositivelight.9

Domesticsurveillancewasalsousedonjournalistswhohadpublishedclassifiedmaterial.Inoneexample,a
physicalsurveillancepostwassetupataHiltonHotelinviewoftheofficeofWashingtonPostwriterMichael
Getler.10TheoperationdefiedtheCIA'scharter,whichspecificallyprohibitsdomesticspying.Theoperation
wasdirectedtowardsnumerousmembersoftheWashingtonpresscorp,andwassignedoffbyJohnF.
Kennedyhimself,incoordinationwithCIAdirectorJohnMcCone.11

OneCIAdocumentstates:GetbookspublishedordistributedabroadwithoutrevealinganyU.S.Influence,
bycovertlysubsidizingforeignpublicansorbooksellers...Getbookspublishedforoperationalreasons,
regardlessofcommercialviability.TheChurchCommitteeconcludedthatover1000bookswerepublished
underthisdirective.12
SomeinvestigativejournalistshaveclaimedthatOperationMockingbirddidnotendin1976astheCIA
claims.Forexample,in1998,researcherSteveKangasclaimedthatconservativebillionaireRichardMellon
Scaife,whoran'ForumWorldFeatures',aforeignnewsorganization,wasaCIAassetandusedthe
organizationtodisseminatepropagandaforcirculationintheUnitedStates.13Kangasendedupdeadwitha
bulletholeinhishead,intheofficeofRichardScaife.Itwasruledasuicide,althoughtherewere
discrepanciesinthepolicereportandtheautopsy.14
TheChurchCommittee'sconclusionaccuratelyreflectstheproblemsassociatedwithOperation
Mockingbird:

InexaminingtheCIAspastandpresentuseoftheU.S.media,theCommitteefindstwo
reasonsforconcern.Thefirstisthepotential,inherentincovertmediaoperations,for
manipulatingorincidentallymisleadingtheAmericanpublic.Thesecondisthedamagetothe
credibilityandindependenceofafreepresswhichmaybecausedbycovertrelationships
withtheU.S.journalistsandmediaorganizations.15

Whileitisdeplorableforcitizensofcountriestobesubjectedtoastateownedmedia,atleasttheycanbe
awareofthebiasesandfilterinformationaccordingly.WehavebeentaughttheliefrombirththattheU.S.
pressisfreefromgovernmentmeddling.Inasituationwherethemanipulationiscompletelycovert,the
Americanpublichasbeenleftunawareofthepropagandatheyhavebeeningestingfordecades.

FoodforThought:

1.

Whyweretheownersandmanagementoflargemediainstitutionssowillingto
participateinaprogramthatviolatedtheirjournalisticintegrity?

2.

Hastheincreasinglyconsolidatedmediaindustrymadeiteasierfornewstobe
manipulatedtofit'theagenda'discussedintheOnePartyState?

3.

HaveMKULTRAentrapmentormindcontroltechniqueseverbeenusedtotargetthe
press?

1Testimonyavailablehere.
2SalliePasaniTheCIAandtheMarshallPlan,excerptavailablehere.
3RollingStoneMagazine,TheCIAandtheMedia,October20,1977
4Ibid.
5FinalReportoftheSelectCommitteetoStudyGovernmentOperationsWithRespecttoIntelligence
Activities.April1976.

6RollingStoneMagazine,TheCIAandtheMedia,October20,1977
7WikipediaarticleontheRomeDailyAmerican
8WikipediaarticleonLeeJ.Cobb
9JohnSimkin,OperationMockingbird.
10NewYorkTimes,ProjectMockingbird:SpyingonReporters,June26,2007
11Ibid.
12FinalReportoftheSelectCommitteetoStudyGovernmentOperationsWithRespecttoIntelligence
Activities.April1976.
13SteveKangas,ATimelineofCIAAtrocities.
14JohnSimkin,SteveKangas.
15FinalReportoftheSelectCommitteetoStudyGovernmentOperationsWithRespecttoIntelligence
Activities.April1976.