Rep. says outrage over propaganda bill ‘dead wrong’

Outrage over a bill that would repeal Cold War-era
legislation banning dissemination of propaganda to
American audiences is “dead wrong,” according to U.S.
Representative Adam Smith.

Smith, D-Wash., and Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, are
behind HR 5736, also known as the Smith-Mundt
Modernization Act of 2012.

The bill would update the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948, which
was created to counter communism during the Cold War, but
banned the distribution of such government-backed
propaganda in the U.S.

“They didn’t want to disseminate the message that was
designed to go abroad at home,” said Raymond Tanter, CBS
News anti-terror expert. “That would allow the U.S.
government to control American thought.”

But Tantor agrees with Representatives Smith and
Thornberry that the act needs to be modernized to deal
with more modern enemies, such as al-Qaeda.

“There is a war for the hearts and minds of people who are
sitting on the fence; young kids in Pakistan who grow up
to become radicals and extremists,” Tanter said. “This
kind of outdated Cold War-era legislation is hampering the
United States’ information war.”

Smith said the act, in its current form, prevents the U.S.
government from combating anti-American propaganda posted
by extremist groups online because the U.S. response could
be viewed by audiences here.

“If you put something out on the Internet or social media,
even though it’s intended for a foreign audience, it may
well be viewed by a domestic audience because it’s the
Internet, it’s everywhere,” Smith said.

“This outdated law ties the hands of America’s diplomatic
officials, military, and others by inhibiting our ability
to effectively communicate in a credible and transparent
way,” Rep. Thornberry said. “Congress has a responsibility
to fix the situation.”

The 2012 act would “eliminate the existing ban on domestic
dissemination of public diplomacy material, which
prohibits such material from being viewed in the United
States.”

But the proposed bill has drawn sharp and increasing
criticism with concern that the U.S. government will use
it to sway public opinion on unpopular policies at home.

“That’s dead wrong,” Smith said. “I think some folks took
a quick look at this […] and ran with the story in what
was an incorrect direction.”

Smith said he wants to be clear that the bill leaves in
place the ban of government-funded or created propaganda
for use in the U.S.

“This bill restates, in several places, the clear
prohibition on distributing any propaganda intended for a
domestic U.S. audience, or to influence them,” Smith said.

The bill is included in the 2013 National Defense
Authorization Act, which passed the House of
Representatives on Friday.