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Operation Mockingbird: A Psychological Analysis

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At the time of the Cold War, tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were high, as both countries were constantly locked in a bloodless war of intimidation. At that time, the US was engaged in a war based on intelligence and psychological manipulation that lasted from 1947 to 1991. Anti-Soviet Union and communist propaganda in the United States started increasing at a rapid pace to convince the general public of maintaining American ideologies. The Central Intelligence Agency of the US, or the CIA, participated in this spreading of propaganda with its covert Operation MOCKINGBIRD, a CIA project officially conducted during the Spring of 1963 but secretly continued throughout the entire Cold War. (Beeton 2013). The goal of this …show more content…

According to a document regarding covert operations that were deemed illegal released by the CIA known as Family Jewels (2007), the CIA put wiretaps on two journalists in the name of “national security”. This was because the CIA did not want the two newsmen to reveal the illegal operations they were conducting (Theoharis 60), including but not limited to the manipulation of large media outlets and newspapers such as the New York Times newspaper and Time magazine (Beeton …show more content…

By refusing to release important information regarding events such as the Vietnam War, the CIA prevented citizens from forming their own opinions. While accusing other countries like Russia for censorship and brainwashing, the CIA turned around and performed the same actions on their own people. The CIA overstepped their jurisdiction and tried to extend their power and was able to completely control the media. Such behavior violates the Constitution, but the rest of the government ignored this fact, believing the CIA claims that their actions will “unify” the country during that rough time. The CIA is given powers that allow them to conduct operations that may not be legal and this is a case in which they abused that power. They did not utilize this operation to aid the American people, but instead to manipulate

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