By ELIAS GROLL

07/27/2011 06:23 PM EDT

Lt. Gen. William Caldwell has been cleared of using psychological warfare techniques to influence U.S. lawmakers during fact-finding trips to Afghanistan, a charge first made in a February piece published by Rolling Stone magazine.

An internal investigation by the Army concluded that Caldwell had not acted inappropriately, and a July 22 memo from the Defense Department inspector general that was obtained by the Associated Press said the IG agrees with the findings of that investigation.

Reporter Michael Hastings, who also authored the profile of Gen. Stanley McChrystal that ultimately led to him being fired by President Obama as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, wrote that Caldwell had been behind an effort to use so-called “psy-ops” tactics on visiting elected officials in order to make them view the war effort more favorably.

According to the article, Hastings asked his officers in charge of propaganda efforts to compile research on visiting senators so that he could plant “ideas inside their heads” during presentations and convince them of the need for more personnel.

Among those targeted by the alleged effort were Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Al Franken (D-Minn.), in addition to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen and think tank analysts.

According to statements made by Defense officials earlier this year, Lt. Col. Michael Holmes, the officer who told Hastings that he was ordered by Caldwell to prepare the psy-ops information, was not trained in the use of military propaganda and was part of a strategic communications team that had been tasked only with preparing military commanders for briefings with American officials.

Holmes, however, alleged that using an officer who was familiar with psy-ops was not only inappropriate but potentially illegal, arguing that his role could be compared to the White House asking the CIA to prepare briefings on hostile members of Congress.

Meanwhile, Hastings this week lost a reported six-figure deal with Little, Brown to write a book based on his reporting in Afghanistan. The book is said to be based on his 2010 article — “ The Runaway General” — that precipitated McChrystal’s firing.

>>21204406

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Military May Be Engaged in Illegal Psychological Operations and Propaganda Against U.S. Citizens

Robyn Greene, ACLU Washington Legislative Office

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March 2, 2011

On February 23, Rolling Stone reported that Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, a three-star general in charge of training Afghan troops, commanded his Information Operations (IO) cell to target congressional delegations visiting his base as part of a campaign to manipulate the perceptions and opinions of U.S. senators and representatives through psychological operations (PSYOP).

If true, this activity was conducted in direct violation of U.S. law and Department of Defense (DOD) policy, and represents an affront to core democratic principles of civilian control over the military. Americans depend on Congress receiving unbiased, honest and forthcoming information so that it can effectively make life-or-death decisions when it comes to escalating or drawing down military engagements and protecting our national security.

We are urging Congress to investigate these activities to determine: 1) whether military intelligence resources or personnel were used to improperly collect information on members of Congress in violation of prohibitions against targeting U.S. persons; and 2) whether military information operations were directed at members of Congress in order to improperly influence legislation or manipulate domestic public opinion regarding the war effort, in violation of federal law and DOD policy.

In response to the Rolling Stone report, Gen. David Petraeus announced that he was launching an investigation into the potential illegal use of PSYOP and propaganda to manipulate U.S. citizens. Reps. James McGovern (D-Mass.) and Walter Jones (R-N.C.) have also joined in a letter to the president asking for an investigation by the Department of Justice as to the scope and legality of the PSYOP program, whether it remains ongoing, and who is or was involved in authorizing it. They also are requesting that the investigation address whether Lt. Col. Michael Holmes was subjected to a retaliatory investigation and reprimand for acting as a whistleblower in uncovering this program.

While these are important first steps, they are not enough. Congress must reassert its independence and reassure the American public that civilian-elected officials retain control over all military and intelligence activities. It is critical that Congress fulfill its oversight duties and conduct an independent public investigation concerning any potentially illegal activities that Lt. Gen. Caldwell’s IO cell may have engaged in.

This is not the first account of possibly improper use of intelligence operations against U.S. citizens. One day before Rolling Stone reported that Lt. Gen. Caldwell commanded the execution of an illegal PSYOP campaign against U.S. senators, Information Week published an article revealing that the Air Force sought a contractor to deploy false identities on social media sites like Facebook to disseminate DOD propaganda to civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is problematic because there is nothing to protect Americans from this type of propaganda when they use social media sites that are targeted by the Air Force. Congress should review all U.S. intelligence operations that might target or impact Americans.

hi :)

goodbye.

>>21204464

jesus loves everyone tho..

>>21204631

bad acting … so bad.

cringe

what if core doesn't know what it means to move on?

so who in the bible cited a insurrection again? i forgot.

>>21204742

lol

>>21205023

"if you see something say something" is the most stupid thing to start.

it's something cops say and fbi say.

it's stupid that a random man can come and call the cops because he can't stop snooping in your business and hope to get you in trouble one way or another. He thinks if he does it so many times he'll finally catch you doing something.

This thinking is partly of how they tighten the rope on every cilivian.

If it's not your business then leave it the frell alone.

Only when you need to say something is when you know for a fact a person IS being attacked or up to being attacked.

A nosey man needs to keep his mouth shut and stay outta business instead of trying to get likes for being a "hero" at the end of the day.