<

Pentagon Doesn't Plan to 'Disinform' Public
Wednesday, February 20, 2002
By SFC Kathleen T. Rhem
USA
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON -- AFIS
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said today that Pentagon officials have no intention to provide "disinformation" to foreign media.

Rumsfeld spoke to the press today while in Salt Lake City to visit military Olympic athletes and service members providing security and other support to the 2002 Winter Games there.

"The United States of America has long had policies with respect to public information, and we have policies where certainly we make a practice of assuring that what we tell the public is accurate and correct," Rumsfeld said. "And if in any event somebody happens to be misinformed and say something that's not correct, they correct that at the earliest opportunity."

The secretary was responding to reporters' questions regarding a Feb. 19 article in The New York Times that outlined an alleged plan by the Pentagon's Office of Strategic Influence. The plan purportedly called for Pentagon officials to leak stories -- not necessarily true stories -- to foreign media to sway public opinion in America's favor.
(More: DoD News Source)
2002 © The United States Department of Defense.

Dan