78-15-A3
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Intelligence and the Media[edit]
Transcript[edit]Last spring the House Select Committee on Intelligence was investigating alleged CIA manipulation of the news media. It was all part of the hysteria over the possibility that intelligence gathering agencies and even law enforcement units were threatening the privacy of citizens and the freedom of the press. As a member of President Ford's commission to investigate the CIA I know that the CIA sought information from American newsmen and women stationed around the world but this was hardly cloak and dagger stuff. Much intelligence-gathering work is devoted to evaluations of public opinion, economic conditions and characteristics of public officials in various countries. Journalists covering those countries are well informed and able to provide this kind of information--indeed it is the very kind of thing they write for their papers and news services. One member of the House Select Committee with the common sense for which he is known--Congressman John Ashbrook of Ohio--asked Admiral Turner, director of the CIA, to report on the Soviet Union's manipulation of the media. The Admiral was delighted to respond. Just recently the committee received that report. Somehow it hasn't made the headlines. According to the report, the primary target for Soviet propaganda worldwide is the United States. To carry out that mission the Soviets have created the largest propaganda network in the world. While they deplore Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, our broadcast efforts aimed at penetrating the Iron Curtain, the Soviets maintain a radio broadcasting schedule in 84 languages, 2,000 hours a week. They also have 13 International Communist fronts, one of the most effective being the world Peace Council. The Soviets do have a gift for coining nice sounding titles for their burrowing units. That World Peace Council has held a couple of meetings in our country this year. If you were a listener to any of those broadcasts in any one of the 84 languages you heard that our CIA was behind the Aldo Moro kidnap-murder. It wasn't that communist gang at all--they'd never do a thing like that. The President of Zaire--Mobutu-is engaged in a conspiracy with the United States, France and West Germany to produce nuclear cruise missiles in his country. And of course they are still carrying on about the inhumanity of the neutron weapon, the production of which President Carter has stalled. Actually its inhumanity consists of being potentially most effective defense against the 40,000 Soviet tanks lined up on the NATO line. The only thing lacking in the CIA report that Congressman Ashbrook requested is information about Soviet propaganda in the United States-- The CIA is no longer allowed to look into such things and I don't know of any other agency in our government with an assignment to do so. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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