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The CIA, initially created to combat communism, evolved under Allen Dulles into a group of assassins and a tool for American corporate power. They began using coups and disinformation campaigns within the US. The intelligence community has significant power to retaliate against those who challenge them, as Chuck Schumer warns. The media often unknowingly assists the CIA by publishing leaked information, a tactic employed since the 1970s. The CIA's major function is to disseminate propaganda and influence public opinion. They recruit journalists, including well-known figures, to control the stories that are introduced into the press.

I briefed the press as an analyst and interrogator for the CIA, circulating disinformation to influence public opinion. I targeted influential journalists like Robert Chaplin and Kais Beach, planting false information to support US interests in Vietnam. I would also mislead reporters by briefing diplomats to provide false confirmation. Despite my involvement, I now oppose these propaganda tactics, believing they serve no purpose for the CIA.

The CIA's main function is gathering intelligence, but it also engages in covert actions and propaganda. We disseminate propaganda to influence public opinion, sometimes working with journalists. This involves planting false stories, sometimes by using compromised journalists or even creating false narratives with fabricated evidence. This practice isn't limited to foreign countries; we've also planted false stories in the US press. For example, during the Angolan war, we used false stories about Cuban atrocities, including fake photos, which were then spread internationally. We've also sponsored the publication of numerous propaganda books in English, influencing public opinion about Vietnam. While the CIA admits to some propaganda efforts abroad, they deny similar activities within the United States. However, this is untrue, as we planted false stories in the Washington Post.

The CIA has various functions, including running secret wars and spreading propaganda to influence people's minds. They manipulate journalists by providing them with both true and false stories, exploiting their vulnerabilities to control their actions. The Church Committee in 1975 revealed that around 400 journalists, including prominent names, cooperated with the CIA to introduce stories into the press. In the Angola war, a third of the speaker's staff was dedicated to propaganda. They would write stories, publish them in the Zambia Times, and then send them to journalists on their payroll in Europe, who would pretend to have received them from their own sources. The goal was to create false narratives about Cuban atrocities to demonize communists.

There are functions of the CIA that include running secret wars and disseminating propaganda to influence people's minds, a major function that overlaps with information gathering. You have contact with a journalist; you will give him true stories and you’ll get information from him, and you will also give him false stories. You also work on human vulnerabilities to recruit journalists as agents to control what they do, so you don’t have to set them up by deception. You can tell them to plant stories on a schedule. Concrete evidence of using the press this way was highlighted by the church committee in 1975, and later by Woodward and Bernstein in Rolling Stone, noting that about 400 journalists cooperated with the CIA to consciously introduce stories in the press. A concrete example from Angola: one third of the staff was propaganda. There were propagandists around the world, principally in London, Kinshasa, and Zambia. They would take stories they wrote and put them in the Zambia Times, then pull them out and send them to a journalist on payroll in Europe. But the cover story was that the journalist had gotten them from his stringer in Lusaka who had gotten them from the Zambia Times, and after that point, the journalists, Reuters, and AFP, the management was not witting of it. The contact man in Europe was used to pump dozens of stories about Cuban atrocities, Cuban rapists, but there was not a single atrocity committed by the Cubans. It was pure, raw false propaganda to create an illusion of communists, you know, eating babies for breakfast.

I was concerned that planted stories meant for foreign audiences were being circulated and believed here at home. This would mean that the CIA could manipulate the news in the United States by channeling it through another country. We are looking into this very carefully. We do have people who submit pieces to American journals. I think that getting into the details of whether we have people paid by the CIA who are working for television networks should be handled in a closed session. By 1954, relationships with the CIA had been established at CBS. I was told about them and asked if I'd carry on with them. We will evaluate the information we have, and we will include any evidence of wrongdoing in our final report and make recommendations. Whether we name the news organizations in our final report remains to be decided.

Speaker 0 says he briefed the press to circulate disinformation. 'Disinformation is not necessarily not necessarily a lie, it may be a half truth.' He targeted correspondents and cultivated them at the Caravelle to gain their confidence, doling out valid information and then introducing data 'which might not be true.' An example involved a supposed 1973 North Vietnamese effort to develop border airfields, aimed at persuading Congress that Saigon should continue to receive aid and that 'the North Vietnamese were the chief violators of the ceasefire accord.' If he planted information, he would create an environment where it could not be checked, briefing the British ambassador so the reporter would get false confirmation, 'I've got proof that Frank Snapp told me the truth.' He concludes: 'I am an ex CI agent opposed to these disinformation activities and admit I was involved; it served no useful purpose. Propagandizing the American public or Congress is not the CIA's job.'

John Stockwell says he is among the highest case officers to go public about what the CIA has been doing, and claims that U.S. leaders lie to the public “systematically” and “with a purpose.” He argues people can be programmed and conditioned, comparing it to Marine Corps boot camp that teaches recruits to charge without asking why, and he urges viewers to read extensive documentation rather than treat his words as “the gospel.” Stockwell describes how CIA activities left “permanent” marks on U.S. society, focusing first on MKUltra. He says MKUltra is the part the CIA admits to, with “175 different projects” reported in one program and “about five” known. He claims these projects included experimentation with swine fever, “dinghy fever,” deadly diseases, and psychedelic drugs on American population groupings “without their permission.” He cites an October 1988 newspaper settlement between the CIA and victims at McGill University in Canada, describing work with “a mad psychiatrist” who allegedly administered hallucinogenic drugs to patients, for which damages were paid using “tax dollars.” He also asserts the program “is still going on today,” citing books and documentary sources such as The Agency and Clouds of Secrecy, along with CIA documents disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act. Stockwell says a CIA founder, Colonel White, wrote a letter from retirement that was later published and explains what Stockwell claims reveals the character of the people running such programs. Stockwell quotes White’s letter describing “toil” as “fun,” and mentions alleged permission to harm in the name of the “all-highest.” He adds other CIA and FBI programs including “MH Chaos” and COINTELPRO, describing them as manipulating student and labor organizations and civic groups to redirect them. He says the Church Committee found cooperation between the CIA and up to “about 200 journalists,” claiming journalists were used to insert CIA propaganda into U.S. media to influence public understanding of events in places like Southeast Asia, Korea, China, and Central America. He then describes what he presents as deeper mechanisms beyond narrative shaping: co-opting professors to work with the CIA, building files on students, and publishing “1,200 books” with payments to professors, scholars, and journalists in their names. He claims these books remain in libraries because the CIA did not reveal titles, so researchers must “guess” which works are CIA propaganda. Stockwell connects these practices to alleged FBI targeting. He cites FBI Director William Sessions disciplining officers for improperly targeting “CSPES and 160 other civic organizations,” and a congressional committee reporting “1,600 groups” targeted improperly by the FBI, while claiming the CIA did similar work in the same period without comparable disclosure. He argues that conditioning extends into education and entertainment, saying war is “began” in early childhood through repeated viewing of shows with “good guys” and “evil forces.” He says people spend more time watching violence on television than classroom time, and he lists military-themed movies from the 1980s (including Rambo, Top Gun, and Red Dawn). He claims the producer of Red Dawn publicly said the purpose was to draw people back to war and that it was shown in Marine boot camps and National Guard units preparing for potential invasion of Nicaragua. Stockwell also claims the film’s choice of enemy groups was because the U.S. was targeting Nicaragua, and argues the story is designed to reach young people who would later fight wars. He then describes recruiting advertising, including “Join the army” messaging, and a specific television ad in which a soldier returning home is forgiven by a father after joining. Stockwell frames this ad as encouraging defiance of fathers who oppose military service, contrasting it with reported experiences of Vietnam and Korean War cynicism. Stockwell shifts to drugs, claiming that every major CIA operational area left behind a “major functioning drug cartel.” He alleges links between OSS/CIA predecessors and Lucky Luciano, claims the Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia grew from covert policies and Air America flights carrying arms and returning with heroin, and says the Golden Crescent in Afghanistan became a major heroin source after time. He points viewers to various published works about heroin and CIA involvement. He summarizes the operational logic as routes for planes, weapons, and money that can be repurposed, arguing the networks remain in place after the original operation ends and emphasizing the importance of who ensures they do not “come out.” Stockwell describes an episode involving George Bush when Bush was CIA director in 1976, saying Stockwell’s group (Henry Kissinger and Bill Colby, with Stockwell in a staff role) had “broken the law” and “perjured” themselves to cover it up, and that Bush went to congressional committees and directed a young attorney to purge Stockwell’s files of documents that would prove what was alleged, leading to dismissal. He then connects alleged covert activity and war incentives to arms spending, citing claims about arms profits, a large arms buildup, and the “military-industrial complex.” Stockwell says social services were cut as military spending increased and claims social security funds were used to cover deficits related to arms expenditure. He asserts that to justify sacrifices, the world must be framed as hostile and dangerous. Concluding on action, Stockwell says people feel disempowered against power structures but offers examples of stopping wars through political effort. He highlights UC San Diego professor Jerry Bender calling Senator Tunney about Angola, asserting CIA deception and danger; Stockwell says the senator found the claims and that the “Tony Amendment” to the FY 76 Defense Appropriation Act stopped Stockwell’s Angola war. He also recounts advice from Admiral LaRock: write, organize, travel to see firsthand, and keep acting daily rather than waiting for future personal milestones.

The CIA has various functions, some more legitimate than others. One function is to run secret wars, while another is to disseminate propaganda to influence people's minds. They use journalists to spread both true and false stories, exploiting their vulnerabilities to control them. In the past, the CIA had around 400 journalists cooperating with them, including well-known names. An example of their manipulation is seen in the Angola war, where they planted false stories about Cuban atrocities to create an illusion of communist brutality. This shows how the CIA uses the press to further their agenda.

Operation Mockingbird was a CIA program that recruited American journalists to write fake stories promoting the views of intelligence agencies. Some journalists were aware of their involvement, while others were unknowingly used as assets. The program began in the 1950s and continues to this day. Former CIA agents have confirmed the dissemination of half-truths and disinformation to the press.

I spent years researching and watching lengthy videos to understand the influence of organizations like the Atlantic Council, which is heavily funded by U.S. government agencies, including the CIA and the Pentagon. This group trains journalists to identify and censor disinformation, particularly targeting populist narratives like those of Donald Trump and Brexit. They promote a framework called the "four D's" of disinformation: dismiss, distort, distract, and dismay. This framework allows them to label factually true information as disinformation if it undermines government narratives. The Atlantic Council's connections to high-ranking CIA officials and its role in shaping media narratives illustrate a troubling intersection of government and media, aiming to control public discourse and influence political outcomes.

Speaker 0: I began my journey into chronicling the censorship industrial complex. Speaker 1: Some of the most terrifying conversations I've had with some of my dear friends who work inside CIA, and their jobs is to go to other countries, get involved in elections, protests that will help overthrow a regime. It's no secret at this point. The CIA has been doing that for years, for decades. But the most terrifying conversations I've had are the ones where they would look to me and say, my god. Like, the twenty twenty election? We're doing to our people what we do to others. Speaker 2: CIA, the other intelligence agencies were exposed with projects like Operation Mockingbird. Speaker 0: The State Department, USAID, the Central Intelligence Agency went from free speech diplomacy to promoting censorship. Speaker 2: They created, purchased, controlled assets at the New York Times, the Washington Post, all of these top down media structures that used to control the information that Americans got. Speaker 3: I pulled into the driveway, opened up my garage door, these two gentlemen come out of a blue sedan with government license plates. And they came up to me and said, you're mister Solomon? And I said, yes. And they said, you're at the tip of a very large and dangerous iceberg. Speaker 4: Oh, yeah. The the FBI sent agents over to my home to serve a subpoena. They're questioning me about my tweets. How is that not chilling? Speaker 2: Our whole page on Facebook for the world Seventh day Adventist World Church was removed. Speaker 5: The level of censorship that we experienced from publishing this documentary was beyond anything I could have imagined, and we really didn't even understand why. Speaker 3: We are going to win back the White House. The Russian collusion started broken '16. That's where the big lie first erupted. Speaker 6: Russian operatives used social media to rile up the American electorate and boost the candidacy of Donald Trump. Speaker 0: That's why they went after Trump with the Russia gate and with the FBI probes and with the CIA impeachments and things like that. Speaker 3: My FBI sources told me there's nothing there. And I kept wondering to myself, how could it be that something that's not true be taken so seriously and be portrayed as true? Speaker 7: How do you expand sort of top down control in this society? How do we flip? How do we invert America? Speaker 6: The evidence that the Supreme Court recounts is bone chilling. The federal government would call a private media company and say, cancel this speaker or take down this post. Speaker 3: I mean, just think about this. A sitting president of The United States had his Twitter and Facebook accounts frozen. Our founding fathers could not possibly have imagined that. Is there a chance that this documentary will be censored? Speaker 1: I think there's a huge chance this documentary gets censored. Speaker 2: Yeah. So it's interesting when you look at so many of the big censorship cases in The United States involving COVID, Hunter Biden's laptop. They all go back to a common thread. What is that thread? National security. Speaker 0: Google Jigsaw produced world's first AI censorship product. Things the model were trained on, support for Donald Trump, Brexit referendum that the State Department tried very desperately to stop. These are all these sort Speaker 5: of component pieces of what you called the censorship industrial complex. Speaker 3: Censorship Industrial Complex. Censorship Speaker 2: Industrial Complex. Speaker 7: Censorship Industrial Complex. Censorship Industrial Complex. Speaker 1: I've long felt that it was a bubbling god complex.

The CIA has admitted to having operatives embedded in major media outlets to influence stories for their benefit. Reports indicate that they have relationships with reporters from various national news organizations, persuading them to alter or withhold stories that could threaten national security. Evidence from the Pike Committee revealed that 42 CIA employees were placed in key media centers, often as national security reporters. A Time Life board member remarked that journalists are merely taking dictation from powerful entities, indicating a loss of journalistic integrity. Some reporters have shared experiences of their stories being spiked by editors, and payments to these operatives were made discreetly, often without proper reporting to tax authorities.

The CIA has been known to plant inaccurate and fabricated news reports. In Angola, the CIA manipulated the media to push the narrative of Russian and Cuban aggression. They created stories and used propaganda to support their agenda. The CIA's efforts were successful, as newspapers around the world unknowingly published their fabricated stories. Similar tactics were used in Central America, particularly in the campaign against the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. The CIA spread disinformation about arms flow and Soviet bases in Nicaragua, despite evidence to the contrary. The media played a role in perpetuating these false narratives. It is important for readers to be critical of the news they consume and not believe everything they read.

Throughout history, leaders and generals have used distraction, deception, untruths, and a mix of truth in military campaigns. According to Speaker 1, the government is capable of disinformation campaigns, psychological operations, and information warfare. Speaker 1 claims to have participated in information warfare campaigns against Al Qaeda and ISIS, involving deception, lies, misinformation, and disinformation to sway the audience. Speaker 1 believes QAnon is a well-executed SIOP (Single Integrated Operational Plan) directed against the American people.

When I was a cadet at West Point, we had a motto: "You will not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do." However, as the former CIA director, I must admit that we did engage in lying, cheating, and stealing. It was a part of our training and it made me reflect on the essence of the American experiment.

I'm not with the CIA now, and I wasn't 25 years ago when I started out. I was with good people in the CIA when Donald Trump was elected, working to take the country back from globalist control. We're under the control of the communist Chinese, the EU, Hollywood, and the big banks, who are running and breaking this country. Forget the CIA, it's too big to understand. Think of it like the post office. The CIA gets its talking points from me and other patriots, not the other way around. I run the CIA.

Many people misunderstand the CIA's role, believing it primarily gathers intelligence. In reality, it functions as a covert action agency, focusing on overthrowing or supporting foreign governments and conducting disinformation campaigns, particularly targeting the American public. The CIA develops relationships with the press through various means, including direct contacts and planting propaganda. While some journalists may knowingly publish CIA-favored articles, others may do so unknowingly. In Vietnam, the CIA created the Diem regime and used the press to promote an illusion of its legitimacy. During that time, the press and government often cooperated closely, viewing the CIA as a trustworthy entity. The CIA also established a system, referred to as Wiesner's Wurlitzer, to influence media narratives globally, with current efforts focused on rebuilding its covert operations and penetrating various institutions.

Intel agencies have a significant influence on television broadcasts, Facebook, and Google. Many anchors, including a national security reporter, act as mouthpieces for the Pentagon and the CIA, knowingly spreading lies. This is a common practice, even at CNN. These reporters read government propaganda from intel agencies, and it's frustrating and offensive, regardless of whether one agrees with the lies or not. For instance, when the CIA and Pentagon claimed that Bashar al Assad used poison gas, there was no evidence to support it. Despite this, many people were killed in response.

I'm not with the CIA now, nor was I when I started out 25 years ago. When Donald Trump was elected, I aligned myself with the good elements of the CIA to reclaim the country from globalist control. Communist China, the EU, Hollywood, and big banks are running and ruining this country. Forget any preconceived notions about the CIA. The CIA gets its talking points from patriots like me, not the other way around. I run the CIA.

The CIA's disinformation efforts aim to create an international anti-communist ideology to justify actions like overthrowing governments, such as in Nicaragua. This narrative links local conflicts to larger threats, making intervention seem necessary. While high-level officials may be aware of these operations, many in the State Department are often unaware. Examples include the controversial white paper on El Salvador, based on dubious documents, and various propaganda techniques. Although the CIA's covert actions are reportedly being rebuilt, manipulating the press today is more challenging due to increased skepticism among the public. While it might be possible to sell another war like Vietnam, it would require a more extensive and sustained effort.

Clayton discusses with Kevin Ship, a former CIA officer and author of Twilight of the Shadow Government, how false flags allegedly unfold and why they persist in public discourse. Key points: - False flags are planned for months in advance. Kevin suggests that covert operations typically identify a single boogeyman to avoid implying a broader conspiracy, arguing that a lone perpetrator allows authorities to claim “we got him” and deny wider conspiracy. - The pattern cited includes one individual who previously showed no criminal tendencies, who then commits a violent act, followed by quick attribution to a designated boogeyman, with the implication that the operation is over and left without further inquiry. - Specific incidents discussed include the Bondi Beach attack in Australia, with references to Mossad’s involvement and claims that Iran is behind the attack to push for war with Iran. The exchange questions the Australian government’s role and the relevance of Mossad’s presence in investigating the incident. - The conversation links these operations to broader intelligence ecosystem dynamics, noting a close collaboration and “frenemies” relationship between the CIA and Mossad. They describe Mossad as having a pervasive role in Middle East intelligence and describe a history of interactions where Mossad and the CIA share high-level information and sometimes operate in tandem, though at times Mossad may target the CIA as well. - The discussion points to prior examples of disinformation, such as the 9/11 events, where perceptions of evidence (e.g., a passport found near the World Trade Center) are presented as straightforward proof, while being described as an example of ineffective or misused disinformation to shape public belief. - In addressing media influence, Kevin references the CIA’s media liaison office and programs designed to influence how news is presented in the United States. He contends that “Mockingbird”-like media consolidation and complicit outlets help propagate these narratives, especially to audiences that rely primarily on television news. - The conversation notes a perceived pattern of actors or individuals appearing at multiple, unrelated events (e.g., a person claiming responsibility or being present at various incidents) as part of the alleged orchestration of false flag narratives. - They discuss the effectiveness of false flags: despite growing scrutiny and critical reporting, they argue that false flags continue to influence public perception, aided by psychological studies within intelligence communities and the reliance of many viewers on mainstream media for information. - Kevin reiterates his belief that the shadow government—particularly the CIA’s control of elected government and media propaganda programs—remains powerful, with ongoing operations designed to manipulate thinking and push narratives that serve certain geopolitical aims. He emphasizes that false flags are a recurring tactic and predict more of them in the future. - The conversation closes with Kevin urging readers to consider his book Twilight of the Shadow Government and to engage with his perspective on the CIA’s influence over media, politics, and public belief.

The CIA is not just an intelligence agency, but also a covert action agency involved in overthrowing or supporting foreign governments and spreading disinformation, primarily targeting the American people. This disinformation is disseminated through the press to create an international anti-communist ideology. The goal is to justify actions like overthrowing the government of Nicaragua by linking it to a larger threat in order to gain public support.

Operation Mockingbird was a CIA program that recruited American journalists to write fake stories promoting the views of intelligence agencies. Some journalists were aware of their involvement, while others were unknowingly used as assets. The program began in the 1950s and continues to this day. The CIA paid these journalists, meaning taxpayers funded the operation. Former CIA agents have confirmed the dissemination of half-truths and disinformation to the press.

In Saigon, I operated under various covers, but those I interacted with knew I was with the CIA. I was there from 1969 to 1975, involved in analysis and press briefings, sometimes disseminating disinformation. Our success rate in planting information was about 70-80%. I targeted respected journalists to gain their trust and share data, which often included half-truths. While independent reporting was strong, many journalists were wary of CIA contacts. The CIA's primary objective is intelligence gathering, but disinformation can be counterproductive. After publishing my book, "Decent Interval," I faced a lawsuit for not submitting it for government censorship, leading to a Supreme Court ruling that imposed restrictions on government employees regarding their writings. The court's decision expanded the conditions for prior restraint, impacting First Amendment rights.