UPDATE ON IRAQI DISINFORMATION
Filename:300143ja.91
CDSN = LGX658 MCN = 91030/02220 TOR = 910300145
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INFO RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI
BT
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 USIA 04270
USIA
STATE-PA, NEA/P, P/HELMAN, INR/AMR; DIA-OSC/6B, OSC/5C
USCINCCENT RIYADH-PAA/DALGLIESH: USCINCSOC-SOJ9/BLAIR
NSC-NDYKE; DOD-PA, OUSD/PPFS, DUSD/SP/PO; JCS-J33/SOD/PC
CENTCOM REAR-CCPA; TAIPEI FOR CIS; GENEVA-UNHRC
EO 12356 N/A
/*********** THIS IS A COMBINED MESSAGE ************/
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON IRAQI DISINFORMATION
REFERENCE: USIA 2882
1. SUMMARY. THIS CABLE, WHICH UPDATES AND REPLACES REFTEL,
SUMMARIZES THE MAIN IRAQI DISINFORMATION CHARGES SINCE
JANUARY 16, 1990 AND PROVIDES MATERIAL POSTS SHOULD USE, AS
APPROPRIATE, IN COUNTERING FALSE IRAQI STORIES. NEA AND
MUSLIM AREA POSTS UILL RECEIVE SUPPLEMENTARY CABLES
CONTAINING NEW MATERIAL USEFUL IN COUNTERING FALSE IRAQI
CLAIMS ON AN AD HOC BASIS. ALL POSTS WILL RECEIVE UPDATED
VERSIONS OF THIS SUMMARY CABLE ON A WEEKLY TO BIWEEKLY
BASIS. SUMMARY INFORMATION ON IRAQI DISINFORMATION FROM
AUGUST 1990 TO JANUARY 15, 1991 IS CONTAINED IN REFTEL. END
SUMMARY.
------------
2. OVERVIEW
------------
IRAQ IS VIGOROUSLY SPREADING DISINFORMATION ABOUT THE COMBAT
SITUATION IN THE GULF. THESE CHARGES USUALLY ORIGINATE IN
IRAQI MEDIA AND HAVE BEEN WIDELY AND OFTEN UNCRITICALLY
REPEATED BY SYMPATHETIC MEDIA IN YEMEN, ALGERIA, TUNISIA,
JORDAN, AND, TO A LESSER EXTENT, MEDIA IN PAKISTAN, MOROCCO,
MAURITANIA, BANGLADESH, AND OTHER COUNTRIES. IRAQI
AMBASSADORS AND EMBASSY SPOKESMEN HAVE ALSO MADE BLATANT
DISINFORMATION CLALMS IN MEDIA APPEARANCES WORLDWIDE.
SOME DISINFORMATION STORIES SURFACE AS COVERT MEDIA PLANTS,
SUCH AS A FALSE STORY IN THE PAKISTANI "MARKAZ" NEWSPAPER ON
JANUARY 16. IT FALSELY CLAIMED THAT PAKISTANI SOLDIERS IN
THE MULTINATIONAL FORCE HAD TURNED ON U.S. SOLDIERS, KILLING
72 OF THEM, WITH FIVE PAKISTANIS DYING IN THE EXCHANGE. ON
JANUARY 18, ISLAMABAD RADIO REPORTED THAT THE PAKISTANI
GOVERNMENT HAD DECIDED TO EXPEL THE IRAQI EMBASSY PRESS
COUNSELOR FOR "ACTIVITIES INCOMPATIBLE WITH HIS DIPLOMATIC
STATUS," INCLUDING INCITING PROTEST DEMONSTRATIONS, AND
"PROVIDING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR THE PUBLICATION OF
PROPAGANDA MATERIALS AGAINST THE STATE." RADIO MONTE CARLO
IN ARABIC HAS ALSO BROADCAST DISINFORMATION STORIES.
/****** BEGINNING OF SECTION 005 ******/
--------------------
4. BABY MILK CLAIMS
--------------------
THE CABLE NEWS NETWORK (CNN) WAS THE VICTIM OF AN IRAQI
DISINFORMATION STORY ON JANUARY 23. CNN'S REPORTER IN
BAGHDAD, WORKING UNDER IRAQI CENSORSHIP, BROADCAST A REPORT
THAT AN INFANT FORMULA FACTORY HAD BEEN BOMBED BY THE
MULTINATIONAL FORCE, A DISINFORMATION CLAIM THAT HAD FIRST
BEEN MADE BY THE IRAQI NEWS AGENCY ON JANUARY 21. IN FACT,
THE BUILDING CONTAINED A BIOLOGICAL WARFARE SITE. U.S.
CENTCOM SPOKESMAN COL. GALLAGHER STATED ON JANUARY 23, "THIS
FACILITY ... HAS MILITARY GUARDS AROUND IT, BARBED-WIRE
FENCE, IT HAS A MILITARY GARRISON OUTSIDE. NUMEROUS SOURCES
HAVE INDICATED THAT THE FACILITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH
BIOLOGICAL WARFARE PRODUCTION." GEN. COLIN POWELL SAID, "IT
IS NOT AN INFANT FORMULA PLANT. IT WAS A BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS
FACILITY -- OF THAT WE ARE SURE." WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN
MARLIN FITZWATER ADDED, "THE IRAQIS HAVE HIDDEN THIS FACILITY
BEHIND A FACADE OF BABY MILK PRODUCTION AS A FORM OF
DISINFORMATION." U.S. CENTCOM COMMANDER GEN. SCHWARZKOPF
NOTED ON JAN. 27, "WHEN WE WENT AFTER THAT FACILITY WE WENT
AFTER IT IN A PRECISION WAY, (AND) DAMAGED ONLY THAT PART OF
THAT FACILITY THAT ... WAS A RESEARCH FACILITY FOR BIOLOGICAL
WARFARE."
FALSE CLAIMS ABOUT THE "BABY MILK" THEME HAVE BEEN A STAPLE
OF IRAQI PROPAGANDA AND DISINFORMATION SINCE EARLY SEPTEMBER
1990. DURING DECEMBER 1990, THE IRAQI HEALTH MINISTER
FALSELY CLAIMED THAT U.N. SANCTIONS PREVENTED MILK AND
MEDICINE FROM BEING SHIPPED TO IRAQ, THEREBY CAUSING 1,416
DEATHS AMONG IRAQI CHILDREN LESS THAN FIVE YEARS OLD (HE SOON
RAISED THE NUMBER TO 2,042). IN FACT, THERE ARE NO
RESTRICTIONS ON SHIPPING MEDICINE TO IRAQ AND FOOD SHIPMENTS
/****** BEGINNING OF SECTION 006 ******/
FOR HUMANITARIAN PURPOSES ARE ALSO ALLOWED UNDER U.N.
PROCEDURES, WHICH IRAQ HAS REFUSED TO FOLLOW.
----------------------------------
5. ALLEGED "CLASHES" BETWEEN U.S.
AND MOSLEM COALITION FORCES
----------------------------------
THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL VERSIONS OF THIS STORY. AS MENTIONED
EARLIER, A VERSION THAT SURFACED ON JAN. 16 FALSELY ALLEGED
CLASHES BETWEEN U.S. AND PAKISTANI TROOPS. ON JAN. 22, THE
IRANIAN NEWS AGENCY FALSELY CLAIMED THAT 100 SOLDIERS WERE
KILLED IN A CLASH BETWEEN "AMERICAN TROOPS AND ARMIES OF
MOSLEM COUNTRIES" NEAR DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA. THIS STORY WAS
REPEATED THE SAME DAY BY THE CUBAN NEWS SERVICE PRENSA
LATINA, THEREBY CIRCULATING IT THROUGHOUT LATIN AMERICA. IT
WAS ALSO REPORTED IN TUNISIAN NEWSPAPERS ON JAN. 23. PHONY
CLAIMS OF CLASHES BETWEEN U.S. TROOPS AND THOSE FROM VARIOUS
MOSLEM COUNTRIES CAN BE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO SURFACE IN AN
IRAQI EFFORT TO ANGER POPULATIONS IN THESE COUNTRIES.
-------------------------------------------
6. OTHER FALSE IRAQI DISINFORMATION CLAIMS
-------------------------------------------
IRAQI SCUD MISSILES HAVE EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED "AMERICAN BASES"
IN RIYADH AND DHAHRAN (RADIO BAGHDAD, YEMEN TV, JAN. 21).
IRAQI MISSILES HAVE HIT THE ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTRY AND HAVE
TURNED TEL AVIV INTO A "GHOST TOWN," ALLEGEDLY ACCORDING TO A
"BRITISH CORRESPONDENT." (IRAQI NEWS AGENCY (INA), JAN.
20). MORE THAN 1000 ISRAELIS HAVE BEEN KILLED AND 2500
WOUNDED BY IRAQI SCUD MISSILE ATTACKS (IRAQI CHARGE
D'AFFAIRES CITED IN ARGENTINE NEWSPAPER "LA NACION," JAN. 20).
IRAQ HAS KILLED 6000 ALLIED TROOPS (IRAQI-FINANCED "INQILAB"
NEWSPAPER IN BANGLADESH, JAN. 20).
THE SAUDI ROYAL FAMILY HAS FLED TO MOROCCO ("AL-RA'YI"
NEWSPAPER IN JORDAN AND "ECH CHURUQ" NEWSPAPER IN TUNISIA,
JAN. 21.) THIS CLAIM WAS DERIDED AS "ABSOLUTELY UNTRUE" BY
AN OFFICIAL SAUDI SPOKESMAN IN A STATEMENT TO THE SAUDI PRESS
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