Reply #27: The Office of Strategic Influence...strikes again............ [View All]

[Hubert Flottz]

The Office of Strategic Influence, or OSI, was a department set up in the United States Department of Defense in late 2001 or early 2002, to support the War on Terrorism through psychological operations in targeted countries. The closure of the office was announced by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld soon after its existence became publicly known.

The OSI would have been a center for the creation of propaganda materials, for the stated purpose of misleading enemy forces or their civilian populations. After information on the office spread through US and foreign media in mid February 2002, intense discussions on purpose and scope of the office were reported. The discussions culminated in a public statement by Rumsfeld in late February that the office has been closed down.

Some argue that due to its nature and stated purpose, the (non-)existence of such an agency would be hard to determine. In fact, in November 2002, Rumsfeld stated in an interview that only the name of the office was abolished, that it further exists and that it fulfills its original purpose. MORE...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Strategic_Influence

Edit: to add link below.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5224341