Memos Prove Rumsfeld Directed Psychological Terror Campaign

Hyping climate of fear, threat of violence to achieve political objectives is the very definition of terrorism

by Paul Joseph Watson, Prison Planet - November 2, 2007

New Pentagon memos released by the Washington Post prove that ex-U.S. defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld directed a psychological campaign of terror in order to achieve political objectives, making Rumsfeld himself a terrorist according to the very definition of the term.

"Donald Rumsfeld, the former United States defence secretary, tried to maintain an atmosphere of fear in America as part of the Iraq war propaganda campaign, a series of leaked memos has shown," reports the London Telegraph.

In an April 2006 memo, Rumsfeld encouraged Pentagon officials to "Keep elevating the threat" and "Talk about Somalia, the Philippines etc. Make the American people realise they are surrounded in the world by violent extremists".

Rumsfeld also urged his staff to concoct "bumper sticker statements" (mindless clichés) in an attempt to garner continued support for the occupation of Iraq.

In the most telling e mail, the former defense secretary ordered the Pentagon to "link Iraq to Iran," heralding the birth of the now saturated propaganda talking point that Iran is fueling the violence in Iraq and helping to kill U.S. troops, despite the fact that British officials patrolling the Iran-Iraq border admit that there is "No concrete proof that Iran is supplying Iraq."

Rumsfeld's obsession with micro-managing every aspect of the propaganda offensive upon the American people led to him disseminating anything up to 60 "snowflakes" or memos every single day, much to the chagrin of Pentagon employees.

His insistence that an artificial climate of fear be maintained in America about the threat of new terror attacks in order to sell the unpopular war in Iraq are the smoking gun for criminal charges to be initiated.

By several of the very definitions of terrorism, Rumsfeld has provably engaged in terrorism, by hyping the threat of terror to achieve a political objective.

Definitions of terrorism

• A psychological strategy of war for gaining political ends by deliberately creating a well-founded climate of fear among the civilian population.


• The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence against people or property to coerce or intimidate governments or societies.


• The systematic use of terror, the deliberate creation and exploitation of fear for bringing about political change.


• The use of - or threatened use of - criminal violence against civilians or civilian infrastructure to achieve political ends through fear and intimidation, rather than direct confrontation.


• The calculated use of violence (or threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear.

Under any of the definitions of terrorism listed above, Rumsfeld has demonstrably engaged in terror by artificially hyping the fear of new attacks as part of a strategy to achieve a political objective.