Office of Strategic Influence

The Office of Strategic Influence ( Office of strategic influence; OSI) was an American military facility, whose job it was to influence public opinion abroad towards the United States and its foreign policy through propaganda measures. The range of possible measures included not only ordinary public relations campaigns also extremely controversial measures through the use of " black propaganda ", ie the targeted dissemination of false information abroad.

After massive public protests, the facility was closed after the name in February 2002 that the establishment of tasks assigned, however, continue to be met mainly by the later founded the Office of Global Communications.

History

The OSI was founded in October 2001 on the initiative of Donald Rumsfeld having regard to the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 in the United States Department of Defense of the United States. With the launch of the articles purchased, the U.S. government wanted to strengthen its influence on the media. Only after massive public protests, the project was discontinued. Already in the first Gulf War, the Pentagon, a New York public relations firm ( Hill & Knowlton ) had instructed that spread among other things, (of Nijirah al -Sabah fictional ) story of Iraqi soldiers killing Kuwaiti incubator babies.

Following the failure of government authorities, the progressive rock band OSI has named.