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United States Department of State Soviet Influence Activities: A Report on Active Measures and Propaganda, 1986 - 87 August 1987 On the cover (from Pravda daily paper of the CPSU Central Committee, October 31, 1986): Caption above cartoon states: The AIDS virus, a terrible disease for which up to now no known cure has been found, was, in the opinion of some Western researchers, created in the laboratories of the Pentagon. The words on the flag emanating from the beaker state: Virus AIDS. Caption below the cartoon reads: Pentagon (AIDS) specialists. Department of State Publication 9627 Released October 1987 United States Department of State Soviet Influence Activities: A Report on Active Measures and Propaganda, 1986 - 87 August 1987 Preface In response to legislation passed in 1985, the Department Propaganda is distinct from active measures, yet the two of State on July 30,1986, submitted to Congress a document are closely integrated in fulfillment of Soviet foreign policy titled Active Measures: A Report on the Substance and objectives. The definition of propaganda used in this report Process of Anti-U.S. Disinformation and Propaganda is: information that reflects the perceptions or perspectives of Campaigns. This report updates that document, focusing on a government-in this case, the Soviet Union. Active events and changes which occurred between June 1986 and measures-such as the use of front groups or the spread of June 1987. Both reports were prepared by the Active Mea- disinformation (lies)--are deceptive operations that attempt to sures Working Group. manipulate the opinions and/or actions of individuals, The Active Measures Working Group is an interagency publics, or governments. They often are covert. committee chaired by the Department of State. In addition to Active measures, the focus of this report, cannot be State, membership includes representatives from the Central discussed without also addressing propaganda. The themes Intelligence Agency, the U.S. Information Agency, the Arms of propaganda are often reinforced by and are the raison Control and Disarmament Agency, the Defense Intelligence detre of active measures. Thus, while the main purpose of Agency, and the Departments of Defense and Justice. The this report is to reveal and describe Soviet influence activities Working Group is devoted to analyses of and responses to that are deceptive and illegitimate, they will be discussed in worldwide active measures against the United States. the overall context of Soviet propaganda. iii Table of Contents Page Preface .................................................................................................................................. iii Definition ............................................................................................................................. viii Executive Summary ................................................................................................................ix Chapter I. Changes in the Soviet Active Measures Apparatus During 1986........................................................................... 1 Reorganization of the World Peace Council .............................................. 1 Changes in the International Department .................................................. 3 The Nonaligned Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs .......................................................................................... 4 Footnotes .................................................................................................. 5 Appendix ................................................................................................... 6 Chapter II. Soviet Religious Organizations as a Tool of Influence .................................................................................................. 7 The Soviet Religious Propaganda Apparatus ........................................... 7 The Soviet Church as Foreign Policy Representative ............................... 7 The Millennium of Christianity in Russia (988-1988) ................................. 9 All-Union Council of Evangelical Christians-Baptists .............................. 9 Catholics in the Soviet Union .................................................................... 9 The Anti-Zionist Committee ..................................................................... 10 Central Asian Muslims ............................................................................. 10 The Christian Peace Conference .............................................................. 11 The World Council of Churches ............................................................... 12 The Asian Buddhist Council for Peace ..................................................... 12 Chapter III. The Soviet Peace Committee .................................................................. 15 The Organization and Its Function ........................................................... 15 The Soviet Peace Fund ............................................................................. 17 Other Peace Committee Ties to the WPC ................................................. 17 Recent Trends in the Soviet Peace Movement ..................................... 18 Conclusion ............................................................................................... 21 Footnotes ................................................................................................. 21 Appendices: Appendix A....................................... ...................................................... 23 Appendix B........................................ ..................................................... 23 Appendix C........................................ ..................................................... 23 Appendix D........................................ ..................................................... 24 Appendix E........................................ ..................................................... 25 Appendix F........................................ ...................................................... 26 Appendix G........................................ ...................................................... 26 Appendix H........................................ ..................................................... 27 Chapter IV. Recent Anti-American Forgeries ........................................................... 29 Background ............................................................................................. 29 The NSC Policy Paper .......................................................................... 30 The Weinberger Report............................. .............................................. 30 USIA Letter to Senator Durenberger ......................................................30 Intelligence Service Memorandum ..........................................................31 State Department Cable ............ ................. ................................................31 Memorandum From President Reagan .....................................................32 Footnotes............................ ...................................... .... .. ............ ................32 v ................................................................................................................... Page Chapter V. The U.S.S.R.s AIDS Disinformation Campaign ....................................... 33 Overview ...................................................................................................33 The Origin of the AIDS Disinformation Campaign ....................................34 Soviet Media Pick Up the Campaign .........................................................34 Similarities to Earlier Soviet Charges .........................................................34 Purveyor of the Disinformation: Professor Jacob Segal ............................35 Why the Disinformation Is Untrue ............................................................35 What the Experts Say ................................................................................36 What Has Dr. Viktor Zhdanov Said? ..........................................................37 Replay of Segals Claims ............................................................................37 Tracing the Storys Dissemination.............................................................38 How a Story Is Spread ...............................................................................38 Appearances in 1987..................................................................................38 U.S. Military Bases Alleged To Be a Source of AIDS .............................................................. .................. ......................39 New Twists on the Original AIDS Canard .................................................40 Soviet Domestic Concern About AIDS .....................................................40 U.S. Actions To Counter the Disinformation .............................................41 Footnotes ..................................................................................................42 Appendices: Appendix A......................................... .............................44 Appendix B......................................... .............................44 Appendix C......................................... .............................45 Appendix D......................................... .............................45 Appendix E........................................
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