Agents of influence and psychological warfare
Part 1: Agents of influence are among the most successful means of disseminating propaganda and disinformation to both decision-making elites and to the mass public and are utilized by many governments and non-state actors.
Many nations and non-state actors use them, but the Soviets employed them to a highly sophisticated and successful degree against the West during the Cold War. This class will focus on such agents of influence as Wilfred Burchett and Armand Hammer. (Can you guess who is in this family picture?)
Part 2: The second part of the class will be devoted to the topic of psychological warfare, or warfare waged to achieve psychological effect to influence perceptions and behavior. Be prepared to discuss the Linebarger text during this class.
Required Readings
- Ladislav Bittman, The KGB and Soviet Disinformation (Pergamon Brassey's, 1985), Chapter 4, "The Messenger," pp. 70-90. Check back for Bittman
- Harvey Klehr, John Earl Haynes and Fridrikh Igorevich Firsov, The Secret World of American Communism (Yale University Press, 1995), "Julius and Armand Hammer," pp. 26-31: Download Klehr et al, Secret World of American Communism
- Herbert Romerstein, Soviet Agents of Influence (Center for Intelligence Studies, 1993), pp. 1-46. Download Romerstein, Soviet Agents of Influence
- Allen W. Dulles, "The Communist Attack Upon Parliamentary Government," essay in Soviet Total War (Committee Document, House Committee on Un-American Activities, September 30, 1956), Vol. II, pp. 423-430. Download Allen Dulles, Communist Attack Upon Parliamentary Government
- Louis Budenz, The Techniques of Communism (Regnery, 1954), Chapter 7, "The Role of the Communist Press," pp. 125-149; Chapter 8, "Affecting Public Opinion," pp. 153-180; and Chapter 11, "Use and Abuse of Minority Groups," pp. 250-277. [Budenz was assigned for September 20, but now you're ahead of the game. If you need to download the chapters, click here to the September 20 class page and scroll down.]
- Paul M. A. Linebarger, Psychological Warfare (Coachwhip reprint, 2010). Read entire book; it's last on this list because of the organization of the course, but you need to read it and know it thoroughly nevertheless.
Handout (in class)
- Political Intelligence from the Territory of the USSR – Training Text. (Moscow: Red Banner Yu. V. Andropov Institute of the KGB, 1989). Translated selections from a KGB training manual, Politicheskaya razvedka s territorii CCCP – Uchevnoye nosovie (Moskva, Krasnoznamennii Institut KGB SSSR imeni Yu. B. Andropova, 1989).This is a real exclusive for this course - the only known copy of the classified KGB training text on recruitment of foreign agents of influence.
Recommended Readings
- Robert Louis Benson and Michael Warner, eds., Venona: Soviet Espionage and the American Response 1939-1957
(Washington: National Security Agency and Central Intelligence Agency, 1996).
- Edward Jay Epstein, Dossier - the Secret History of Armand Hammer
(New York: Random House, 1996).
- Stephen Koch, Double Lives: Spies and Writers in the Secret Soviet War of Ideas Against the West
(New York: Free Press, 1994), entire book.
- Robert Manne, Agent of influence: The life and times of Wilfred Burchett (Mackenzie paper)
(Toronto: Mackenzie Institute, 1989).
- Herbert Romerstein and Eric Breindel, The Venona Secrets, Exposing Soviet Espionage and America's Traitors
(Regnery, 2000).
- Steve Weinberg, Armand Hammer: The Untold Story
(Boston: Little, Brown, 1989).
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