During the 'Vietnam War', the world became familiar with the expression - "the credibility gap".

This was the gap between the wartime lies of governments (often repeated and reinforced by much of the mainstream news media and Hollywood movies), and the actual truth of what was really going on in Viet Nam.

It was more accurately a massive chasm, rather than just a 'gap', and the negative consequences of it still continue today.


Of course, this 'credibility gap' was later proved beyond any doubt by the leaking and publishing in 1971 of the famous 'Pentagon Papers' - the US government's very own 'top secret' official documents on the origins and real reasons for their criminal war in Indochina.

Thus, the official government statements to the public were known to be cold-blooded and deliberate lies by the very people uttering them at the time!


All this was already known to anyone interested enough to seek out the truth, often at considerable personal cost to themselves, and then oppose the American War against Indochina, one of the worst war crimes in human history, the consequences of which still continue today.


The anti-war people were often attacked or not believed at the time, but of course they were subsequently proved right.


The pro-war propagandists were proved disastrously wrong, although they have never been held to account for their guilt, and they still go on lying us into war after destructive war.


History repeated itself with the more recent Iraq war, of course, and Afghanistan, and Gaza, and....... And it will continue to do so until enough people understand, and forcefully demand: "Enough!"


So, while the US government was deliberately lying for years to the public and Congress, it's own documents in the 'Pentagon Papers' revealed another quite opposite reality.


However, they thought they would get away with the lying and deliberate deceit because the 'Pentagon Papers' were intended to be kept top secret, never to be seen by the public.


Of course, this all came unstuck for them when American hero Daniel Ellsberg, (the very Pentagon staffer whose job it was to compile the official study), turned against the war, and decided the public should know the truth.


He famously leaked the 'Pentagon Papers'. They were then published in newspapers and books, despite a desperate and unsuccessful attempt by the US government to stop it.


Does anyone actually remember (or even know about) 'The Pentagon Papers' today?! Well we should! It is just as significant and important today, because the "credibilty gap" continues and widens.


I am reminded of this all the time in my work as a tour group leader in Viet Nam. Foreign tourists arrive from all over the world from diverse backgrounds. Some are very interested in history and politics, well-informed, and keen to engage in informed discussion. Unfortunately, however, far too many are simply not.

Those in power have been remarkably successful at popularizing untruths, apathy, and a certain worldview, which is how they maintain their power. And how they keep lying us into their wars!

"Everything faded into mist. The past was erased,
the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth."
(From "1984", by George Orwell)

Now, as before, it is essential for the public to be very well-informed, and not automatically believe the official line on all the important major issues in the world - from the bogus "War on Terror", to the world financial crisis - which are affecting and threatening us all.


Information is seldom neutral.

Always ask: Who benefits from this information? Who loses? Why are they telling us this? Whose interests are being served? Are they lying again for their own vested interests? Where can I find an alternative view to consider and make up my own mind?


To be able to make up our own mind on contentious issues, we must have access to all the information and viewpoints of all sides to the dispute - not just the official line. Of course, to do this, can be very time-consuming.


But one amazing American man deserves our thanks, respect and support because he has made the job of being well-informed so much easier for all of us!

Every single day he publishes a free, online digest of important alternative news and views on a wide range of issues, from all around the world, in a convenient format, just a few mouse clicks away. Check it out!


Information is power.

Click here, and be well-informed every day!
Click here, and discover an alternative world!

Click here, and surf over "the credibility gap"! . . . .

INFORMATION CLEARING HOUSE
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info




And if you want to know more about the 'Pentagon Papers' and what they reveal about the American War in Viet Nam, check out these excellent web sites:


Pentagon Papers: An Introduction
http://www.nnn.se/vietnam/pentpapers.pdf

Secrets: A memoir of Vietnam and The Pentagon Papers
By Daniel Ellsberg
http://www.nnn.se/vietnam/ellsberg.pdf


Nordic News Network - Al Burke
http://www.nn.se

Cheers, and happy reading!