WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Declassified files from a Senate investigation into Israeli-funded covert public relations and lobbying activity in the United States were released by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) on July 23rd, 2010. The subpoenaed documents reveal Israel‘s clandestine programs for “cultivation of editors,” the “stimulation and placement of suitable articles in the major consumer magazines” as well as U.S. reporting about sensitive subjects such as the Dimona nuclear weapons facility.
Documents are now available for download from http://IRmep.org/ila/azc include:
Dimona (excerpt): “The nuclear reactor story inspired comment from many sources; editorial writers, columnists, science writers and cartoonists. Most of the press seemed finally to accept the thesis that the reactor was being built for peaceful purposes and not for bombs.” http://www.irmep.org/11-121960AZC.pdf
Content placement and promotion (excerpt): “The Atlantic Monthly in its October issue carried the outstanding Martha Gellhorn piece on the Arab refugees, which made quite an impact around the country. We arranged for the distribution of 10,000 reprints to public opinion molders in all categories… Interested friends are making arrangements with the Atlantic for another reprint of the Gellhorn article to be sent to all 53,000 persons whose names appear in Who’s Who in America…Our Committee is now planning articles for the women’s magazines for the trade and business publications.” http://www.irmep.org/09101961AZC.pdf
Pressure campaigns (excerpt): “It can be said that the press of the nation…has by and large shown sympathy and understanding of Israel‘s position. There are, of course, exceptions, notably the Scripps-Howard chain where we still need to achieve a ‘break-through,’ the Pulliam chain (where some progress has been made) and some locally-owned papers.” http://www.irmep.org/11-121960AZC.pdf
Magazine Committee achievements (excerpt): “We cannot pinpoint all that has already been accomplished by this Committee except to say that it has been responsible for the writing and placement of articles on Israel in some of America’s leading magazines….” http://www.IRmep.org/10301962_AZC.pdf
According to Grant F. Smith, director of IRmep, “It is frightening how easily some in the American news media surrendered to a foreign public relations campaign that spent the 2010 equivalent of $36 million over two years. Time has proven most of the planted content to be misleading, if not dangerous. These historical documents hold many important lessons for Americans who have long needed—but rarely received—straight reporting on key Middle East issues.”
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation’s record keeper. It retains 1%-3% of the most important documents of business conducted by the United States Federal government. The Israel Lobby Archive, http://IRmep.org/ila is a unit of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy in Washington.
SOURCE Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy
RT video on the topic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kureFeGmoDI
It appears to me that these kinds of leaks are indicative of a strategy to keep Israel in check, in a very slight way. It’s indicative of a small but significant split within Zionist ranks over bombing Iran and even over Israel’s future, as I’ve argued before…
In other news, the US government is said to be working to “convince” Israel that any potential nuclear-breakout capacity on Iran’s part will take at least a year, enough time to respond so so no need to go off bombing half-cocked. Seems silly when you really look at it — Israel of course knows this already and it exposes the absurdity of the sanctions for what they are — but the point is to subtly warn Israel about starting a war on its own, at least not to do it within the current timeframe projected by the neo-cons.
The mainstream media backlash against the latest Goldberg article — small as it may seem but mostly written by other zionists — also points in this direction.
So any impending insanity is more in Israel’s hands than anyone else. The US zionists mostly want to wait, perhaps long-term (cold war style). The danger is thus real, but less than 40% at the moment, I think, and decreasing steadily. If Israel decides to force the US’s hand, it will be the riskiest and stupidest move they’ve ever made.
The neocons have buggered themselves with their support for the Iraq war. Everyone can remember the previous propaganda about Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction and are less likely to listen to the cabal crying wolf yet again. Plus the Iraq and Afghan wars have massively strengthened Iran’s postion in the regional, eliminating two enemies of Iran, the secular Baathist tyranny and the Deobandi Taliban and enabling Iran to spread its influence in southern Iraq and western Afghanistan. Isnt’ life full of wonderful ironies?
The Pentagon will have wargamed an attack on Iran and concluded that it would be a mistake. Israel has annoyed a lot of people in the military and intelligence establishment, particularly the old Anglo guard, and although the politicians are a bunch of Zionist puppets I reckon they will be restrained.
I would be amazed if there was a US war with Iran in the near future. Still I have been wrong before. It’s not impossible that Tel Aviv will go ahead without the green light from Washington. These nutcases are capable of anything.
robert