The most (subtly) terrifying book on US PSYOPS I have read is "Men Who Stare at Goats", by Jon Ronson. Read carefully, it demonstrates that the US has engaged in PSYOPS against American citizens for decades, that continues to this day.
If you thought the CIA tried to use ESP against the Soviets, or that the MK-ULTRA program was shut down after it was exposed, then congratulations! Your belief demonstrates the success of the program.
All we (think we) know about those activities is what they chose to publish. What we do know is that the people in charge of the programs got promotions on schedule and retired with full pensions.
What makes PSYOPS appreciably different from PR? If foreign governments are going to engage in PSYOPS campaigns against US citizens then it doesn't seem unwise to permit the US IC to do the same.
A recent practical example was the runup to the Iraq invasion that had the entire US punditsphere (with the rare honorable exception) convinced of a wholly fictitious need.
The result was $5T+ spent on invasion that could otherwise have been spent on, e.g., replacing the coal- and oil-fired power system with renewables, including energy storage systems, with plenty left over to provide college education and medical care for everyone.
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[ 3.0 ms ] story [ 18.4 ms ] threadIf you thought the CIA tried to use ESP against the Soviets, or that the MK-ULTRA program was shut down after it was exposed, then congratulations! Your belief demonstrates the success of the program.
All we (think we) know about those activities is what they chose to publish. What we do know is that the people in charge of the programs got promotions on schedule and retired with full pensions.
A recent practical example was the runup to the Iraq invasion that had the entire US punditsphere (with the rare honorable exception) convinced of a wholly fictitious need.
The result was $5T+ spent on invasion that could otherwise have been spent on, e.g., replacing the coal- and oil-fired power system with renewables, including energy storage systems, with plenty left over to provide college education and medical care for everyone.