This is quite an extraordinary piece by @guardian, revealing the massive and worldwide propaganda campaign run by the UK during the Cold War.
Some incredible and deeply disturbing revelations in there.
A small 🧵
theguardian.com
Some incredible and deeply disturbing revelations in there.
A small 🧵
theguardian.com
They describe the so-called "black propaganda" as much more important in scale "than historians assume" with "efforts [that were] systemic, ambitious and offensive" and "went far beyond merely exposing Soviet disinformation".
It was run by the Information Research Department (IRD) within the Foreign Office.
As described in the article the unit's activities "mirrored the CIA’s cold war propaganda operations".
As described in the article the unit's activities "mirrored the CIA’s cold war propaganda operations".
The IRD "employed 360 people at its height in the mid-60s" but they're described as "only one actor among many, and a fairly minor actor too, compared with the quantity of material being produced and disseminated by the bigger players" (which I assume to be the CIA)
Among their more disgusting activities was a major campaign in Indonesia in 1965 "that helped encourage anti-communist massacres which left hundreds of thousands dead".
This was already revealed in a previous article last year 🔽
theguardian.com
This was already revealed in a previous article last year 🔽
theguardian.com
What the British notably did in Indonesia was to prepare pamphlets purporting to be written by Indonesian patriots, but "in fact were created by British propagandists, calling on Indonesians to eliminate the PKI, then the biggest communist party in the non-communist world".
Another common tactic, still obviously widely used in anti-China propaganda today, was to produce official-looking “reports” sent to warn other governments, selected journalists and thinktanks about “Soviet subversion” or similar threats.
The reports "appeared to come from ostensibly independent analysts and institutions that were in reality set up and run by the IRD".
One of the first of these, set up in 1964, was the International Committee for the Investigation of Communist Front Organisations.
One of the first of these, set up in 1964, was the International Committee for the Investigation of Communist Front Organisations.
How can one not make the parallel with organizations that exist today like the American "Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation", for which the infamous Adrian Zenz works, the guy who is still THE major source for the "Uyghur genocide" claims with reports like this 🔽
Another recent example is a French army institute "report" on "Chinese malign influence" 🔽 with totally wild and ridiculous claims like the assertion that China has 20 million trolls on Western social media on its payroll 🤦
Tellingly, it amply quotes the famous Adrian Zenz...
Tellingly, it amply quotes the famous Adrian Zenz...
Anyway, back to the article, they also reveal that the IRD created an entirely fictive radical Islamist organisation called "the League of Believers" which aimed to create divide between Muslim countries and the Russians by attacking the latter as non-believers.
Creating divide and cultural/racial tensions was apparently a common theme in the IRD efforts.
For instance in 1963, they forged a statement from a Soviet organisation denouncing Africans as uncivilized, “primitive” and morally weak in order to make the latter hate the Russians.
For instance in 1963, they forged a statement from a Soviet organisation denouncing Africans as uncivilized, “primitive” and morally weak in order to make the latter hate the Russians.
Anyhow, these revelations are little surprise to anyone who follows Western disinformation tactics.
It obviously continues today as I described earlier. The article says as much by revealing that Liz Truss has a "government information cell" to fight "the information war".
It obviously continues today as I described earlier. The article says as much by revealing that Liz Truss has a "government information cell" to fight "the information war".
This is a very dangerous game to play and explains in large parts why there is so little trust in Western media today.
Thomas Jefferson wrote that a well-informed electorate is a prerequisite to democracy. What does this imply when the electorate is demonstrably disinformed?
Thomas Jefferson wrote that a well-informed electorate is a prerequisite to democracy. What does this imply when the electorate is demonstrably disinformed?
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