This is a document circulated in 2003. It’s provenance is not known.
The 34-page booklet is called: “Apparatus of Lies: Saddam’s Disinformation and Propaganda 1990-2003”.
The Executive Summary in the booklet says: “In December 1998, when U.N weapons inspector Dr. Richard Spertzel became exasperated by Iraqi evasions and misrepresentations, he confronted Dr. Rihab Taha, the woman the Iraqis identified as the head of their biological weapons program and asked her directly, “You know that we know you are lying. So why do you do it?” She straightened herself up and replied, “Dr. Spertzel, it’s not a lie when you are ordered to lie.”
“Dr. Taha’s brief reply is one symbol of a highly developed, well disciplined, and expertly organized program designed to win support for the Iraqi regime through outright deceit. This elaborate program is one of the regime’s most potent weapons for advancing its political, military, and diplomatic objectives. In their disinformation and propaganda campaigns, the Iraqis use elaborate ruses and obvious falsehoods, covert actions and false on-the-record statements, and sophisticated preparation and spontaneous exploitation of opportunities. Many of the techniques are not new, but this regime exploits them more aggressively and effectively – and to more harmful effect – than any other regime in power today.
“In the weeks ahead, as the international community seeks to enforce UN Security Council resolutions and disarm the Iraqi regime, governments, the media, and the public are urged to consider the regime’s words, deeds, and images in light of this brutal record of deceit.”
The booklet says it discusses the lies that Iraq has used to promote its propaganda and disinformation in four broad categories: crafting tragedy, exploiting suffering, exploiting Islam, and corrupting the public record.
