The kgb and soviet disinformation

That source, a kgb official who worked in the soviet delegation office at the united nations, contacted the cia on jan. It was written by former intelligence officer specializing in disinformation for the czech intelligence service and retired professor of disinformation at boston university, ladislav bittman later known as lawrence martin. I have been invited to speak on the impact of soviet disinformation aimed at discrediting christianity and religion in general. Out of these principles of leninism the contemporary soviet concept of dezinformatsiya, or disinformation, has evolved.

The kgb was the primary organization for intelligence and counterintelligence matters during the later soviet period. The practice of intelligence differed considerably between east and west during the cold war. The fake news and disinformation tactics russia perfected before social. Oleg kalugin described active measures as the heart and soul of soviet intelligence. Even after the collapse of communism and the russian intelligence services revelation of the kgb s role in the disinformation campaign in 1992, the kgb s false theses regarding aids have continued to spread, especially on the internet.

The ghost of soviet kgb disinformation within american. During the campaign, the kgb, assisted by the ussrs novosti press agency and the allied intelligence services of the soviet bloc, sought to. On the other hand, during the cold war, the soviet kgb regularly used such publications to spread disinformation. Edward griffins shocking video interview, soviet subversion of the freeworld press 1984, where he interviews exkgb officer and soviet. A recent new york times video series explores the long history of russian disinformation and its origins in what the soviets dubbed active measures. The kgb and soviet disinformation military wiki fandom. In the second half of the 1980s, the kgb conducted an international disinformation campaign accusing the u. However, these are mostly anecdotes that aptly demonstrate the authors. Historian thomas boghardt popularized the codename infektion based on the claims of former east german ministry of state security officer gunther.

Pavlov notes that disinformation is a normal tool for ensuring the secrecy of ongoing intelligence operations by any espionage service, and that. The environment, small newspapers, and disinformation. A kgb case officer was a combination of a priest, a therapist, a best friend and also a mortal enemy. It was written by former intelligence officer specializing in disinformation for the czech intelligence service and retired professor of disinformation at boston university, ladislav bittman now known as lawrence martinbittman. Disinformation fast became an integral part of soviet intelligence, and by the birth of the kgb in the 1950s, it had become an essential component in the doctrine of active measures, the art. On the basis of his research with scholar christopher nehring in the archives of the former communist secret police in bulgaria, germany, and. The long history of russian disinformation targeting the u. The letter, planted in the newspaper by the komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti kgb, was the beginning of a large soviet disinformation campaign claiming the us military created the aids virus and released it as a weapon.

The close connection between soviet diplomacy and soviet disinformation is made very clear in such cases as egypt and later the iran hostage crisis. The disinformation campaign reached a zenith in 1991 with the production of oliver stones movie, jfk the most successful kgb dezinformatsiya in soviet history. Full text of the kgb and soviet disinformation ladislav bittman see other formats. The primary origin of disinformation about the united states abroad is the soviet union. Department of the communist party of the soviet union cpsu central com. An insiders view is a nonfiction book about the kgb s use of disinformation and information warfare during the soviet union period. Disinformationdisinformaziahad long been a staple of soviet intelligence, but the kgb had begun throwing more resources into their efforts.

The ghost of soviet kgb disinformation in america the old soviet kgb campaign is alive and revived in the current us congress, its influence is felt on campus and its main focus is getting. After the collapse of the soviet union in 1991, leonid shabarshin, who formerly headed the first chief directorate foreign intelligence of the kgb, explained to the moscow newspaper trud that one of the jobs of the kgb was disinformation for compromising antisoviets. Disinformation definition is false information deliberately and often covertly spread as by the planting of rumors in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth. Operation infektion was the popular name given to a disinformation campaign run by the kgb in the 1980s to plant the idea that the united states had invented hivaids as part of a biological weapons research project at fort detrick, maryland. Soviet kgb unit charged with implementing these activities. In his numerous articles and books he denounced the socalled disinformation dezinformatsiya, an expression created by the russians at the time of stalin to designate the communist method of disseminating lies in the west through intellectual nongovernmental. In 1960, the kgb embarked on a series of racebaiting disinformation operations that included mailing ku klux klan. How the kgb uses disinformation worldwide even against mild treats like nato. An insiders view by ladislav bittman and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. In january 1959, aleksandr shelepin, who had recently taken over as head of the kgb, established a new organization, department d, to create and coordinate disinformation programs. Kgb komitet gosudarstvennoi bezopasnosti, ussr committee. It operated legal and illegal espionage residencies in target countries where a legal resident gathered intelligence while based at the soviet embassy or consulate, and, if caught, was protected from prosecution by diplomatic immunity. It was written by former intelligence officer specializing in disinformation for the czech intelligence service and retired professor of disinformation at boston university, ladislav bittman.

Full text of the kgb and soviet disinformation ladislav. Disinformation definition of disinformation by merriam. Sometimes they used openly communist, prosoviet publications, but great effort was made to influence more mainstream media too. The kgb conducts hundreds of these categories every year even though their impact is rather limited. In soviet intelligence doctrin, the concept of active measures covers a wide span of practices including disinformation operations, political influence efforts, and the activities of soviet front groups and foreign communist parties. Even after the collapse of communism and the russian intelligence services revelation of the kgbs role in the disinformation campaign in 1992, the kgbs false theses regarding aids have continued to spread, especially on the internet. An insiders view is a nonfiction book about the kgbs use of disinformation and information warfare during the soviet. Opinion the seven commandments of fake news the new. When you look at the way the kremlin operated during the soviet union, they had up to 15,000 agents who did disinformation campaigns. The kgb and soviet disinformation is also organized better than the deception game, and includes topics especially in the later chapters not broached by the earlier book.

Disinformation as practiced by the soviet and now russian security services works best when the lie it peddles contains an element of verisimilitude or the germ of verifiable fact, however. Inside neptun, a daring cold war disinformation operation. Active measure being the term that the soviets used to describe their own campaign. An insiders view is a nonfiction book about the kgbs use of disinformation and information warfare during the soviet union period. Before fake news, there was soviet disinformation a photograph of soviet dictator joseph stalin lies on a floor outside a courtroom in moscow, on oct.

Just over three years ago, on a bitingly cold spring day, i drove out to rockport, massachusetts, a small town on the tip of cape ann, to meet with a defector from the old soviet bloc. Many people think disinformation is a literal translation of the russian dezinformatsiya. An expose by a former czechoslovak intelligence officer of soviet and east european covert operations against the west. An integral part of the soviet disinformation campaign in support of the palestinian cause. An insiders view is a nonfiction book about disinformation and information warfare used by the kgb during the soviet union period. The deputy a play defaming pope pius xii and oswald. The kgb and soviet disinformation ladislav bittman. How the seven rules of soviet disinformation are being used to create todays fake news. The fault lines were plainly visible and the soviet union pounced. The russians define disinformation as the dissemination of false and provocative information. The kgb and soviet disinformation, and johns hopkins university. Soviet bloc intelligence and its aids disinformation campaign, thomas boghardt. The kgb and soviet disinformation wikimili, the best.

These were outlets in which agents could cultivate influence by providing content. Kathleen and todd were both part of something called the active measures working group. Both are excellent, but this one is certainly more comprehensive. Kgb ranks and usually employs such traditional disinformation techniques as forgeries or agents of influence. General vitaly gregorievich pavlov 19142005, a senior officer of the first chief directorate foreign intelligence, responds to charges made by soviet defectors to the west regarding disinformation campaigns in the cold war. Operation infektion soviet bloc intelligence and its aids. A time magazine article in 1983 reported that the kgb was the worlds most effective informationgathering organization. The seven commandments of fake news the pizzagate playbook. Long before facebook, the kgb spread fake news about aids in the 1980s, the soviet union and allies participated in a widespread disinformation campaign. Going well beyond the authors personal experiencehe left czechoslovakia in 1968the book ranges over the entire field forgeries, black propaganda, front organizations, recruitment of agents, penetration of western institutions, terrorism, assassinations, aid to. During the cold war, the soviet union engaged in massive strategic deception against the united states the main enemy glavny protivnik. They were once promulgated by russian or soviet agents.

The church, the holocaust, and soviet disinformation. The conduct of operations against emigres and by providing fake dissidents is a small but relevant concern when considering the study of the region during the communist years. The kgb always preferred to place disinformation in nonsoviet media. The kgb komitet gosudarstvennoi bezopasnosti or committee of state security was the preeminent soviet intelligence agency and soviet equivalent of the american cia. Ion mihai pacepa deserted from the romanian intelligence service and sought asylum in the united states. Western intelligence services were most commonly tasked with gathering information, but their soviet bloc counterparts placed much greater emphasis on deception operations to influence opinions or actions. The ghost of soviet kgb disinformation in america israel. Jfk files show that soviet informant said kgb had ties to.