The Propaganda War

According to U.S. officials, the letter that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent to President Bush was eighteen pages long, after being translated into English.

The Islamic Republic News Agency has a transcript of the entire letter.

Apparently, the Iranian president must be very proud of it.

FULL Text -- Part 1

FULL Text -- Part 2

FULL Text -- Part 3

FULL Text -- Part 4

FULL Text -- Part 5

FULL Text -- Part 6

FULL Text -- Part 7

This is kind of an interesting statement from the managing director of Iran's propaganda machine.

Managing Director of Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) Ahmad Khademolmelleh said on Tuesday that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's letter to US President George W Bush was a courageous move.

In a meeting with Swiss Ambassador to Tehran Philippe Welti, Khademolmelleh said that Iranian president took the bold step through reliance on his popular mandate.

"If Americans had enough courage to make logical decision on the letter, they would use the opportunity to resolve the problem," he said.

In reference to Iranian nuclear program, Khademolmelleh said that national resolve advocates the use of nuclear energy for development.

IRNA chief criticized US media for misrepresenting Iranian nuclear program which is legitimate right of the nation in line with Non-Proliferation Treaty and Safeguards Agreement of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

He said that Iranian nation stands strongly against any bullying power adding that US pressure served to bolster national solidarity in Iran.

Khademolmelleh said that the US administration made a great mistake by getting the Iranian nuclear case out its normal course and taking it to UN Security Council from IAEA.

"Iranian people do not want war with any country. The question is why is Bush acting in a way to drive American people to commit another strategic blunder?"

Khademolmelleh said, "As far as I know US public opinion, the extent to which Bush sought war, the more opposition he faces. More than 65 percent of American people are against Bush's policies." The Swiss ambassador who looks after US interest section received a historical letter from President Ahmadinejad to President George W. Bush on Monday.

Note how aware Iranians are of U.S. public opinion.

They are fully conscious of the division among Americans, and they are doing all that they can to exploit opposition to President Bush's policies.

Such exploitation worked for our enemies in the Vietnam era.

Read an Open Letter from VietNam POW USMC/USAF Col. George "Bud" Day.

(Excerpt)

I was a POW of the Vietnamese in Hanoi in 1971, and am aware that the testimony of John Kerry, the actions of Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden, and the radical left; all caused the Commies to conclude that if they hung on..they would win.

North Vietnamese General Bui Tin commented that every day the Communist leadership listened to world news over the radio to follow the growth of the anti-war movement. Visits to Hanoi by Jane Fonda and Ramsey Clark gave them confidence to hold in the face of battlefield reverses. The guts of it was that propaganda from the anti-war group was part of the Commie combat strategy.

While the Commies were hanging on, innumerable U.S. soldiers, sailors, marines and air force members were being killed in combat. Every battle wound to Americans after Kerry's misdirected testimony is related to Kerry's untruthfulness. John Kerry contributed to every one of these deaths with his lies about U.S. atrocities in Vietnam. He likewise defamed the U.S. to our allies and our supporters.

His conduct also extended the imprisonment of the Vietnamese POWs, of which I was one. I am certain of at least one POW death after his testimony, which might have been prevented with an earlier release of the POWs some 2 years after his 1971 testimony.

Col. George "Bud" Day
Medal of Honor Vietnam POW 1967-1973 Attorney 1949-2004 USMC- USA-USAF

I think it's important to remember that propaganda is an effective weapon.

Every day, just as during the Vietnam War, Americans are supplying our enemies with more ammunition.

That's not to say that one shouldn't express dissent. I just think that it should be expressed in a responsible fashion.