How can a "thinking individual" read such an article and not be outraged? This, from our "Y2K Ready" government...
R.
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Administration spin
to go global
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By Ben Barber
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THE WASHINGTON TIMES
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former senior Clinton administration official charged on July 28 that a new multiagency plan to closely control the dissemination of public information abroad is really aimed at "spinning the American public."
The plan, disclosed on July 28 by The Washington Times, emerged out of concern that the U.S. public has refused to back President Clinton's foreign policy, said the former official, who spoke on the condition he not be identified.
Administration officials "say news coverage is distorted at home and they need to fight it at all costs by using resources that are aimed at spinning the news," said the former official, who had close knowledge of the plan's development.
Mr. Clinton in April issued Presidential Decision Directive 68, ordering the creation of the International Public Information (IPI) system, designed to make sure that all government agencies disseminating information abroad share a single message.
A draft charter obtained by The Washington Times says the purpose of IPI is "to prevent and mitigate crises and to influence foreign audiences in ways favorable to the achievement of U.S. foreign policy objectives."
Officials of U.S. defense, intelligence, diplomatic and other agencies met for the first time on July 28 at the State Department to go over the draft charter, said a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Only "minor changes" were made to the charter at that meeting, the source said, but it was possible that "major" changes would be made in the near future.
Future meetings of an IPI "core group" developing the new information system are to be chaired by Morton Halperin, head of policy planning at the State Department.
The draft charter says information aimed at U.S. audiences should "be coordinated, integrated, deconflicted and synchronized with the [IPI] to achieve a synergistic effect."
The former senior official complained that the charter "did not distinguish what would be done overseas and what would be done at home. . . . It talks about a news war."
In a telephone interview after the meeting, an administration official rejected accusations that IPI could be used in a partisan manner or be used to influence American public opinion.
"This is absolutely not the case," said the official, who also declined to be identified. "We are very cognizant of the history of the '80s. There are congressional controls now."
The official was referring to the 1980s Iran-Contra affair, in which some Reagan administration officials covertly sold arms to Iran to raise money to fund the Contra war in Nicaragua.
After October, IPI will be run by the newly created undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, who will take over most of the duties of the U.S. Information Agency (USIA), which is being disbanded. Former White House aide Evelyn Lieberman has been nominated for that post.
However, the IPI system was said to be the brainchild of White House intelligence chief Dick Clarke. His aide, former White House fellow Jamie Metzl, largely wrote the plan and is now serving as IPI senior coordinator, according to the former senior administration official.
Media and political analysts expressed concern about the plan.
"This . . . indicates a measure of desperation in President Clinton's foreign policy," said Seth Ackerman of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, a liberal media-watch-
dog group. "When it is not received well abroad, he resorts to propaganda."
On the other end of the political spectrum, Ariel Cohen of the conservative Heritage Foundation said he worried that the IPI system could be used by the party in power to push its own agenda, rather than the national interest.
"It would be a mistake to turn the U.S. public information system into a tool of a partisan agenda," said Mr. Cohen.
"It cannot be driven by any political-correctness agenda that will not be representative of what the American people think or that will reflect only a social-change agenda of extremist activist groups," he said.
The IPI plan calls for establishing a system of control over all government information going abroad, with a stated goal of countering anti-American propaganda and aiding U.S. overseas military missions.
It also offers to help the United Nations use the system during its peacekeeping and humanitarian operations.
-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), August 06, 1999
Quick response...
Presidential Decision Directive 68, ordering the creation of the
International Public Information (IPI) system, designed to make sure
that all government agencies disseminating information abroad share a
single message.
PDD/NSC 68 US International Information Policy (IPI) 30 Apr 99 (At
FAS Federation Of American Scientists site)
http://fas.org/
irp/offdocs/pdd/pdd-68.htm
After October, IPI will be run by the newly created undersecretary of
state for public diplomacy, who will take over most of the duties
of the U.S. Information Agency (USIA), which is being disbanded.
[Sad. They are one of the best sources of Government & related
information available.]
USIA/USIS Washington Files
http://
www.usia.gov/products/washfile.htm
The IPI plan calls for establishing a system of control over all
government information going abroad, with a stated goal of countering
anti-American propaganda and aiding U.S. overseas military missions.
It also offers to help the United Nations use the system during its
peacekeeping and humanitarian operations.
Just... worth restating.
Also search... info.gov for International Public Information
http://www.info.gov/
cgi-bin/web_search
12/30/98: Reorganization Plan and Report (IPI)
http://www.state.gov/www/global/
general_foreign_policy/rpt_981230_reorg6.html
III. The Public Diplomacy
and Public Affairs Missions
We place very high priority on public diplomacy with foreign
audiences, and are firmly committed to integrating public diplomacy
more fully into foreign policy. ...
Includes... What Will Happen to the U.S. Information Agency (USIA)
Diane
-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), August 06, 1999.
"The draft charter says information aimed at U.S. audiences should
"be coordinated, integrated, deconflicted and synchronized with
the [IPI] to achieve a synergistic effect.""
Deconflicted?
The fruit of the public school system is a populace that empowers
a federal government with license to say and do as it pleases.
It appears fedgov has ambition without limit and that the republic
has indeed been divided and conquered.
All I can do is stand aside and watch with amazement as each new day
reveals another absurdity and another pervision of truth.
Long ago a friend told me: "It's their world, I'm just living in it".
-- Tom Beckner (xouttbeckner@erol.com), August 06, 1999.