The Information War

by Dr. Joseph Mercola, ©2023

(Sep. 28, 2023) —

Story at-a-glance

• In 1967, the CIA’s covert use of the National Student Association to spread countermessages to communism was revealed by a college dropout named Michael Wood. The revelation sent shockwaves through the U.S., and as journalists started to pull at the strings, the CIA’s covert propaganda operations unraveled
• Journalists discovered the CIA had set up nonprofit foundations to funnel taxpayer money into philanthropic foundations that then sent the CIA’s “donations” to organizations that had joined the CIA’s payroll to promote government-sponsored propaganda
• These included youth organizations and student groups, church groups, public radio and news organizations. Sen. Wayne Morse, D-Ore., slammed the CIA’s covert propaganda activities, arguing the agency had created a “credibility chasm” within public opinion — a gap that could not and would not be bridged unless the government made clear that it would “fill the chasm with the truth”
• The CIA was never reined in and is more involved in propaganda activities today than ever before
• While many still have not realized it, we are at war, and the aggressors are government intelligence and security agencies that have turned their weapon of choice — information — against their own citizens

The video above features a 1967 CBS special report titled “In the Pay of the CIA: An American Dilemma,”¹ hosted by Mike Wallace. It examines how the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was secretly paying students, labor organizations, broadcasting networks and other organizations to do their bidding.

CBS News correspondents interview several of the people who at the time had received secret CIA payments, and the implications these activities have for the American way of life.

Gloria Steinem, for example, who headed the Independent Research Service, was paid by the CIA to send American students to attend and represent American values at communist youth festivals overseas, as was Philip Sherburne, former president of the National Student Association.

In 1967, the CIA’s covert use of the National Student Association to spread countermessages to communism was revealed by a college dropout named Michael Wood.² The revelation sent shockwaves through the U.S., and as journalists started to pull at the strings, the extent of the CIA’s propaganda operations started to unravel.

A Condensed History

The National Security Act of 1947, signed by President Truman, created the CIA, the National Security Council, the Office of Secretary of Defense and the U.S. Air Force.³ As explained by the Office of the Historian,⁴ the Act “was a major reorganization of the foreign policy and military establishments of the U.S. government.”

The CIA was an outgrowth of the World War II era Office of Strategic Services and several small post-war intelligence organizations, and as noted by Wallace:

“Since the beginning, the CIA has suffered a personality split, because in addition to intelligence, the Security Act of 1947 orders the CIA to ‘perform other functions and duties as directed by the President and his National Security Council.’ That phrase has become a sort of blank check, authorizing CIA excursions into everything from simple propaganda to the overthrow of unfriendly governments.”

Wallace goes on to explain how the CIA ended up with fingers in so many pies. First, it set up several nondescript nonprofit foundations, the function of which were to funnel taxpayer money from the CIA to other, real foundations involved in real-world philanthropy.

However, in return for CIA funds, these foundations “agreed to become conduits for central intelligence,” and funneled the exact dollar amounts received on to other organizations that, in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, joined the CIA’s payroll to promote government-sponsored propaganda.

“The CIA has corrupted the stream of truth … It must be removed from all activities, except the very limited activity of what we know as intelligence activity, the field of spying and espionage. ~ Sen. Wayne Morse, 1967”

These included not only youth organizations and student groups, but also church groups, public radio and news organizations. Sen. Wayne Morse slammed the CIA’s covert propaganda activities, arguing the agency had created a “credibility chasm” within public opinion — a gap that could not and would not be bridged unless the government made clear that it would “fill the chasm with the truth.”

“The CIA has corrupted the stream of truth, objectivity and academic learning,” Morse told CBS News, “and it must be removed from all activities, except the very limited activity of what we know as intelligence activity, the field of spying and espionage.”

Another senator, Eugene McCarthy, was also critical of the CIA’s use of students and church groups to manipulate public opinion. He also said he felt there was “empire building” going on within the CIA — a statement that rings all the more true today.

Sen. John Stennis, member of the CIA Watchdog Subcommittee, defended the CIAs actions, reminding the CBS audience about the climate in which the agency was founded. In 1954, the U.S. Congress passed a bill outlawing communism, and the CIA was still basically protecting American liberty and democracy.

Former CIA director Allen Dulles also defended the agency’s behavior, citing the need to manage the threat of communism. The counterargument presented by critics was that by using covert propaganda techniques, the U.S. government was using the same strategies as the enemy, thereby undermining the idea of America being a country dedicated to free speech and the diversity of ideas.

At the end of the day, the overarching message of the CBS News report was that the CIA needed to change with changing times, clean up its act and get out of the covert propaganda business, as its interventions were harming the American image of being a free and open country.

Operation Mockingbird Is Alive and Well

Unfortunately, the CIA was never reined in, and its propaganda activities have only expanded and become more sophisticated over time. The 1976 Church Investigation exposed how the CIA had corrupted the media by paying journalists to promote the agency’s narratives.

The program, called Operation Mockingbird, was officially dismantled, but while the operational name may have been retired, there’s plenty of evidence to suggest the CIA never discontinued its media influence.⁵

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