To the Point

Disinformation and Global Diplomacy

Even as the White House is gearing up a campaign to project a more positive image and counteract anti-Americanism around the world, Europeans have expressed outrage and President Bush alarm at a Pentagon plan for "information warfare." Today, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld closed the Office of Strategic Influence, defending its credibility and attacking reports that it intended to spread false stories. Can the US pose as a model of freedom while spreading half-truths, or is the use of disinformation business as usual? We look at the Bush Administration's efforts to control America's image around the world, with European journalists and officials from the Reagan and Clinton White House. Newsmaker: Saudi Middle East Peace Plan Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah is getting serious attention as a possible Middle East peacemaker. President Bush has telephoned his support, and the European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, is flying to Saudi Arabia for discussions. The New York Times' Serge Schmemann says that what began as a public relations plan has shows promise for ending 17 months of unrelenting violence. Reporter's Notebook: US Health Officials Clear Up Mammogram Confusion Last week, the government's top health officials recommended that women over 40 should get mammograms every year or two to screen for breast cancer. But that statement, designed to clear up recent confusion, may not have done the job. Judy Peres, who covers cancer issues for The Chicago Tribune, attempts to clarify the confusion.