-Caveat Lector-
Administration spin
to go global
By Ben Barber
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
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.
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Kaddish, Kaddish, Kaddish, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day.
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