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From: berman@ihopb.UUCP (Rational Chutzpah)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Innuendos and Facts
Message-ID: <649@ihopb.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 13-Dec-84 10:13:45 EST
Article-I.D.: ihopb.649
Posted: Thu Dec 13 10:13:45 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 14-Dec-84 06:46:22 EST
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 48

>According to an analyst interviewed on last night's news, it seems
>very likely that the Iranian troops were faking the assault on the
>plane, largely for impact on the world TV audience.  He made several
>points, but among them are (i) no-one storms a hijacked plane by a
>single obvious entrance; (ii) there was no need for smoke, except
>to ensure that the TV cameras did not see what was happening; (iii)
>there was no need to appear to beat up a hijacker on the tarmac
>except for the TV cameras.  There were other more technical points,
>which I forget.
>-- 
>
>Martin Taylor
-----------------------------------------

OK folks, now let's pay attention!  We are in the MIDST of a
classic example of how news gets distorted to serve political
interests.  This case is a CLASSIC because the distortion is
severe: creating a popular impression in the public mind that
is close to 180 degrees away from the factual events. The case
is a CLASSIC because the interests served are those of the
current presidential administration.

Hints and inuendos have been dropped, by unnamed "analysts" as well
as by State Dept Secretary Schutz himself that the Iranians were
in cahoots with the hijackers of that plane. But the two Americans
who were tortured and survived militantly deny this. They
report the Iranians did indeed save their lives in a brave
storming of the plane.
Their comments were reported on National Public Radio
NPR 12/12/84. They are now in Frankfurt undergoing de-briefing.
Will their story change under pressure? Perhaps, but hopefully
not.

Will the effect of the inuendos remain in the public mind?  
Unfortunately, probably so.

It serves Reagan's foreign policy interests well to continue to see Iran as
a devil, a pure evil. But it serves the American people better to
deal with facts as they exist and to make balanced foreign policy
judgements based on reality, not self-serving myths.
This is not a defense of the rotten Khomeni regime, only a defense of
the need to deal with events as they happen, not as someone's policy
might wish them to have happened.

         -Andy Berman

"...and the truth shall make your free!"