# Disinformation (book)

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{{Short description|2013 nonfiction book by Ion Mihai Pacepa and Ronald J. Rychlak}}
{{distinguish|Dezinformatsia (book)}}
{{Infobox book
| italic title   = <!--(see above)-->
| name           = Disinformation
| image          = Disinformation book.jpg
| image_size     = 250px
| alt            = Disinformation
| caption        = Disinformation
| author         = [Ion Mihai Pacepa](/source/Ion_Mihai_Pacepa) and [Ronald J. Rychlak](/source/Ronald_J._Rychlak)
| audio_read_by  = 
| title_orig     = Disinformation: Former Spy Chief Reveals Secret Strategies for Undermining Freedom, Attacking Religion, and Promoting Terrorism
| orig_lang_code = en
| translator     = 
| cover_artist   = 
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| series         = 
| release_number = 
| subject        = [Disinformation](/source/Disinformation)
| genre          = [Information warfare](/source/Information_warfare)
| set_in         = 
| publisher      = [WND Books](/source/WorldNetDaily)
| publisher2     = 
| pub_date       = 2013
| english_pub_date = 
| published      = 
| media_type     = Hardcover
| pages          = 429
| awards         = 
| isbn           = 978-1-936488-60-5
| isbn_note      = 
| oclc           = 926861117
| dewey          = 
| congress       = 
| preceded_by    = Red Horizons: The True Story of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescus' Crimes, Lifestyle, and Corruption (1990)
| followed_by    = 
| native_wikisource = 
| wikisource     = 
| notes          =
| exclude_cover  = 
| website        =
}}
'''''Disinformation: Former Spy Chief Reveals Secret Strategies for Undermining Freedom, Attacking Religion, and Promoting Terrorism''''' is a 2013 non-fiction book about [disinformation](/source/disinformation) tactics and history rooted in [information warfare](/source/information_warfare). It was written by former [general](/source/general) in the [Securitate](/source/Securitate), the secret police of [Socialist Republic of Romania](/source/Socialist_Republic_of_Romania), [Ion Mihai Pacepa](/source/Ion_Mihai_Pacepa), and law professor [Ronald J. Rychlak](/source/Ronald_J._Rychlak). It was published in 2013 along with a companion film, ''Disinformation: The Secret Strategy to Destroy the West''.

Pacepa and Rychlak document how the Russian word ''dezinformatsiya'' was coined by [Joseph Stalin](/source/Joseph_Stalin), who chose a French-sounding title to make others believe it had originated in the Western world. Disinformation means a perpetrated lie aka [Propaganda](/source/Propaganda) aka Psychological Operation of [Psychological Warfare](/source/Psychological_Warfare) Psy-War. This is most of what secret services like the KGB and the CIA do (per Yuri Bezmenov), namely subvert the masses for the top echelon. Disinformation was then subsequently employed as a warfare tactic by the [Stalinist](/source/Stalinist) government during [World War II](/source/World_War_II) and afterwards by the [Soviet Union](/source/Soviet_Union) during the [Cold War](/source/Cold_War). Pacepa recounts reading Soviet intelligence training manuals describing the inspiration of such deception rooted in the history of [Potemkin village](/source/Potemkin_village)s. The authors describe disinformation campaigns used in the 20th century, including case studies of how [historical revisionism](/source/historical_revisionism) spread through the media.

After its initial publication, the book was re-published in multiple languages including Romanian, Polish, Russian, and Czech. It was included as recommended reading for officers of the [Central Intelligence Agency](/source/Central_Intelligence_Agency) (CIA),<ref name=peake /><ref name=studies /> and incorporated into a college study guide format and one of the required readings in a [graduate-level](/source/graduate-level) course for [Liberty University](/source/Liberty_University).<ref name=liberty /><ref name=samson />

''Disinformation'' received a favorable reception from: the CIA-published academic journal ''[Studies in Intelligence](/source/Studies_in_Intelligence)'',<ref name=peake /> former [Director of Central Intelligence](/source/Director_of_Central_Intelligence) [R. James Woolsey](/source/R._James_Woolsey),<ref name=woolsey /> ''The Counter Terrorist'',<ref name=graham /> The book garnered positive reviews from ''[Tablet](/source/Tablet_(magazine))''<ref name=timmerman /> and ''Distracted Masses'',<ref name=albright /> and was used as a resource by ''[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post)''.<ref name=adamtaylor /> ''[Movieguide](/source/Movieguide)'' gave the film companion to the book a strong recommendation, calling it a "brilliant exposé".<ref name=movieguide />

== Summary==
[[File:Ion Mihai Pacepa 1975cr.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[Ion Mihai Pacepa](/source/Ion_Mihai_Pacepa), while serving as a senior official of the [Romanian secret police](/source/Securitate), 1975<ref name=adamtaylor />]]
The book is mostly written in a single person eyewitness narrative form, as a memoir of a former Romanian official and co-author Pacepa.<ref>{{citation|title=Disinformation: Former Spy Chief Reveals Secret Strategies for Undermining Freedom, Attacking Religion, and Promoting Terrorism|year=2013|author= [Ion Mihai Pacepa](/source/Ion_Mihai_Pacepa) and [Ronald J. Rychlak](/source/Ronald_J._Rychlak)|isbn=978-1-936488-60-5|publisher=WND Books|pages=1–8, Various chapters}}</ref><ref name=gaetan>[http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/disinformation-and-a-dubious-source Disinformation and a Dubious Source], Book Review, Victor Gaetan, National Catholic Register (August 2013)</ref> It includes a discussion of the disinformation campaigns throughout the 20th century and analyze them while attempting to answer questions regarding history and religion. Pacepa describes the origins of the word ''disinformation'', writing that it was coined by [Joseph Stalin](/source/Joseph_Stalin). The [Stalinist](/source/Stalinist) government utilized disinformation tactics in both [World War&nbsp;II](/source/World_War_II) and the [Cold War](/source/Cold_War). Pacepa writes that Stalin gave the tactic a French-sounding title, ''dezinformatsiya'' in Russian, in order to put forth the ruse that it was actually a technique used by the [Western world](/source/Western_world).<ref name=adamtaylor /><ref name=pacepa>{{citation|title=Disinformation: Former Spy Chief Reveals Secret Strategies for Undermining Freedom, Attacking Religion, and Promoting Terrorism|year=2013|author= [Ion Mihai Pacepa](/source/Ion_Mihai_Pacepa) and [Ronald J. Rychlak](/source/Ronald_J._Rychlak)|isbn=978-1-936488-60-5|publisher=WND Books|pages=4–6, 34–39, 75}}</ref><ref name=peake />

Pacepa recounts reading Soviet instruction manuals while working as an intelligence officer, that characterized disinformation as a strategy utilized by the [Russian government](/source/Russian_government) that had early origins in [Russian history](/source/Russian_history). Pacepa recalls that the Soviet manuals said origins of disinformation stemmed from phony towns constructed by [Grigory Potyomkin](/source/Grigory_Potyomkin) in [Crimea](/source/Crimea) to impress [Catherine the Great](/source/Catherine_the_Great) during her 1783 journey to the region—subsequently referred to as [Potemkin village](/source/Potemkin_village)s.<ref name=adamtaylor /><ref name=pacepa /><ref name=peake />

The authors describe disinformation and posit that it played a role in the criticism of Christianity in the [Western world](/source/Western_world). They discuss the role of disinformation with regards to fomenting [Islamic terrorism](/source/Islamic_terrorism) against Jewish and American targets, exploiting the historic anti-Semitic sentiments in the Islamic world.<ref>{{citation|title=Disinformation: Former Spy Chief Reveals Secret Strategies for Undermining Freedom, Attacking Religion, and Promoting Terrorism|year=2013|author= [Ion Mihai Pacepa](/source/Ion_Mihai_Pacepa) and [Ronald J. Rychlak](/source/Ronald_J._Rychlak)|isbn=978-1-936488-60-5|publisher=WND Books|pages=261–264, 292–293, Chapter 33}}</ref><ref name=peake /> Pacepa and Rychlak place burgeoning support for [Marxism](/source/Marxism) within the [North Atlantic Treaty Organization](/source/North_Atlantic_Treaty_Organization) countries and the United States as related to disinformation campaigns.<ref name=pacepa /><ref name=albright />

They argue that disinformation campaigns are ultimately successful when they fool the [mainstream media](/source/mainstream_media) into publicizing deliberate falsehoods, and the consumers of such media then eventually believe these claims are accurate. They write that [media bias in the United States](/source/media_bias_in_the_United_States) increased the susceptibility of the public to internalizing disinformation and [historical revisionism](/source/historical_revisionism).<ref name=pacepa /><ref name=albright />

Pacepa and Rychlak write that Soviet Union intelligence services used 4,000 [espionage](/source/espionage) specialists within the [Muslim world](/source/Muslim_world) in order to stoke political unease towards Israel and the United States. They document a disinformation campaign led by the [KGB](/source/KGB) whose goal was to spread government dissension by U.S. citizens during the [Vietnam War](/source/Vietnam_War). The authors describe manipulation from within the [World Council of Churches](/source/World_Council_of_Churches) by the [Foreign Intelligence Service](/source/Foreign_Intelligence_Service_(Russia)). They recount how disinformation campaigns came to play a role in the [John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories](/source/John_F._Kennedy_assassination_conspiracy_theories) regarding beliefs of involvement by American officials.<ref name=pacepa /><ref name=albright />

==Composition and publication==
''Disinformation'' author [Ion Mihai Pacepa](/source/Ion_Mihai_Pacepa) was a former senior official from the [Romanian secret police](/source/Securitate).<ref name=neubauer>{{citation|title=The Exile and Return of Writers from East-Central Europe: A Compendium|editor1-first=John |editor1-last=Neubauer|editor2-first=Borbála Zsuzsanna |editor2-last=Török|chapter=Monica Lovinescue at Radio Free Europe|first=Camella|last=Craciun|publisher=[De Gruyter](/source/De_Gruyter)|year=2009|isbn=978-3-11-021773-5|pages=276}}</ref><ref name=constantinroman>{{citation|title=Continental Drift: Colliding Continents, Converging Cultures|first=Constantin |last=Roman|page=34|year=2000|isbn=978-0-7503-0686-7|publisher=[CRC Press](/source/CRC_Press)}}</ref> Pacepa held the rank of [lieutenant general](/source/lieutenant_general) and was the highest-ranking [defector](/source/defection) to the United States from an enemy intelligence agency.<ref name=stalinismforall>{{citation|title=Stalinism for All Seasons: A Political History of Romanian Communism|first=Vladimir |last=Tismaneanu|page=221|series=Society and Culture in East-Central Europe|publisher=[University of California Press](/source/University_of_California_Press)|year=2003|isbn=978-0-520-23747-6}}</ref><ref name=laviniastan>{{citation|page=172|title=Transitional Justice in Post-Communist Romania: The Politics of Memory|first=Lavinia |last=Stan|publisher=[Cambridge University Press](/source/Cambridge_University_Press)|year=2012|isbn=978-1-107-02053-5}}</ref><ref name=kengor>{{citation|pages=[https://archive.org/details/communistfrankma0000keng/page/158 158, 347]|title=The Communist|first=Paul|last=Kengor|year=2012|publisher=Mercury Ink|isbn=978-1-4516-9809-1|url=https://archive.org/details/communistfrankma0000keng/page/158}}</ref> He was commander of Romanian foreign intelligence during its communist era, and was involved in key military events throughout the [Cold War](/source/Cold_War).<ref name=nigelwest>{{citation|first=Nigel|last=West|page=254|chapter=Pacepa, Ion|title=Historical Dictionary of Cold War Counterintelligence|year=2007|series=Historical Dictionaries of Intelligence and Counterintelligence|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-5770-4}}</ref><ref name=trahair>{{citation|chapter=Pacepa, Ion Mihai|page=318|title=Encyclopedia of Cold War Espionage, Spies, and Secret Operations|first=Richard|last= Trahair|publisher= Enigma Books|year=2012|isbn=978-1-936274-25-3}}</ref><ref name=coldwarency>{{citation|title=Encyclopedia of the Cold War|editor=Ruud van Dijk |editor2=William Glenn Gray |editor3=Svetlana Savranskaya |editor4=Jeremi Suri |editor5=Qiang Zhai|first=Lucian N.|last=Leustean|page=754|publisher=[Routledge](/source/Routledge)|isbn=978-0-415-97515-5|year=2008}}</ref>  He was also a personal adviser to Romanian leader [Nicolae Ceaușescu](/source/Nicolae_Ceau%C8%99escu), and accompanied the head of state on all trips abroad.<ref name=laviniastan /><ref name=stalinismforall /><ref name=cummings /> Pacepa defected to the United States in 1978.<ref name=ledeen>{{citation|page=132|title=West European Communism and American Foreign Policy|first=Michael Arthur |last=Ledeen|year=1987|publisher=[Routledge](/source/Routledge)|isbn=978-0-88738-140-9}}</ref><ref name=kofman>{{citation|page=740|chapter=Pacepa Ion Mihai|title=Biographical Dictionary of Central and Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century|editor=Wojciech Roszkowski |editor2=Jan Kofman|publisher=[Routledge](/source/Routledge)|year=2008|isbn=978-0-7656-1027-0}}</ref><ref name=cummings>{{citation|page=[https://archive.org/details/coldwarradiodang00cumm/page/97 97]|title=Cold War Radio: The Dangerous History of American Broadcasting in Europe, 1950–1989|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-4138-9|year=2009|first=Richard H.|last=Cummings|url=https://archive.org/details/coldwarradiodang00cumm/page/97}}</ref> After this defection, Ceaușescu, [Muammar Gaddafi](/source/Muammar_Gaddafi), and [Yasser Arafat](/source/Yasser_Arafat) each offered a reward of [US$](/source/United_States_dollar)1 million for the death of Pacepa, and they contracted assassin [Carlos the Jackal](/source/Carlos_the_Jackal), who was unable to find or kill Pacepa.<ref name=laviniastan /><ref name=cummings /> Romania's [High Court of Cassation and Justice](/source/High_Court_of_Cassation_and_Justice) removed Pacepa's death sentence in 1999, and the country restored his rank of general in 2004.<ref name=laviniastan /><ref name=kofman />

Pacepa co-authored the book with law professor [Ronald J. Rychlak](/source/Ronald_J._Rychlak).<ref name=kengor /><ref name=matlary>{{citation|title=Ukraine and Beyond: Russia's Strategic Security Challenge to Europe|editor=Janne Haaland Matlary |editor2=Tormod Heier|page=205|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2016|isbn=978-3-319-32529-3}}</ref> Rychlak received his bachelor's degree from [Wabash College](/source/Wabash_College) and his [Juris Doctor](/source/Juris_Doctor) from [Vanderbilt University](/source/Vanderbilt_University).<ref name=mclean>{{citation|page=213|title=The Most Dangerous Branch|publisher=University Press of America|year=2008|isbn=978-0-7618-4150-0|first=Edward B. |last=McLean}}</ref> After graduating law school, Rychlak worked as an attorney with [Jenner & Block](/source/Jenner_%26_Block) in Chicago.<ref name=supreme /><ref name=aals>{{citation|author=Association of American Law Schools|title=The AALS Directory of Law Teachers|year=2007|publisher=West Publishing Company|page=973|chapter=Rychlak, Ronald J.|oclc=182942968|author-link=Association of American Law Schools}}</ref><ref name=writers>{{citation|title=Writers Directory 2010 V1 A-L|publisher=St. James Press|year=2009|page=1722|isbn=978-1-55862-701-7}}</ref> Subsequently, he served as a law clerk on the [United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit](/source/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Sixth_Circuit) for Senior Judge [Harry W. Wellford](/source/Harry_W._Wellford).<ref name=supreme>{{citation|date=September 4, 2012|url=https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/publications/supreme_court_preview/briefs/11-338_petitioneramculawprofs.authcheckdam.pdf|access-date=June 2, 2017|title=Nos. 11–338 & 11–347: Doug Decker v. Northwest Environmental Defense Center; Georgia Pacific West, Inc. v. Northwest Environmental Defense Center. On Writs Of Certiorari To The United States Court Of Appeals For The Ninth Circuit. Briefs of Amici Curiae. Law Professors in Support of Petitioners.|first=Kevin P.|last=Holewinski|publisher=[American Bar Association](/source/American_Bar_Association)|page=4}}</ref> Rychlak has taught at the [University of Mississippi School of Law](/source/University_of_Mississippi_School_of_Law) in the faculty position of Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association Professor of Law, and also worked as associate dean of academic affairs at the institution.<ref name=supreme /><ref name=mclean /><ref name=gallo>{{citation|editor1-first= Patrick J.|editor1-last= Gallo|title=Pius XII, the Holocaust and the Revisionists|page=214|publisher=[McFarland & Company](/source/McFarland_%26_Company)|year=2005|isbn=978-0-7864-2374-3}}</ref> He has served as an adviser for the [United Nations](/source/United_Nations) representation of the [Holy See](/source/Holy_See).<ref name=mclean /> Rychlak authored books, ''Hitler, the War, and the Pope'' and ''Environmental Law: Thomson Reuters Law for the Layperson Series''.<ref name=gallo /><ref name=supreme />

The book was first published in English by WND Books in 2013.<ref>{{oclc|926861117}}</ref> The companion film in DVD release, ''Disinformation: The Secret Strategy to Destroy the West'', was published the same year.<ref>{{oclc|853619212}}</ref> The book was published in Romanian and Polish in 2015,<ref>{{oclc|953007165}}</ref><ref>{{oclc|932188453}}</ref> and Russian and Czech in 2016.<ref>{{oclc|960464292}}</ref><ref>{{oclc|962341538}}</ref> An English-language audiobook was published by Audible Studios in 2016.<ref>{{oclc|933522261}}</ref>

==Reception==

''Disinformation'' was included as recommended reading for officers of the [Central Intelligence Agency](/source/Central_Intelligence_Agency) (CIA) in "Intelligence Officer's Bookshelf", an article in the series ''Intelligence in Public Literature'' for CIA-published academic journal ''[Studies in Intelligence](/source/Studies_in_Intelligence)''.<ref name=peake>{{citation|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol-58-no-1/pdfs/Peake-IO%20Bookshelf.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140815054923/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol-58-no-1/pdfs/Peake-IO%20Bookshelf.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 15, 2014|volume=58|issue=1|publisher=[Central Intelligence Agency](/source/Central_Intelligence_Agency)|title=Intelligence in Public Literature: Intelligence Officer's Bookshelf|journal=Studies in Intelligence|first=Hayden|last=Peake|date=March 2014}}</ref><ref name=studies>{{citation|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol-58-no-1/pdfs/copy_of_Studies58-1-Extracts-March%202014.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702235326/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol-58-no-1/pdfs/copy_of_Studies58-1-Extracts-March%202014.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 2, 2014|title=Disinformation: Former Spy Chief Reveals Secret Strategies for Undermining Freedom, Attacking Religion, and Promoting Terrorism|pages=27–28|date=March 2014|journal=Studies in Intelligence|publisher=[Central Intelligence Agency](/source/Central_Intelligence_Agency)|volume=58|issue=1|first=Hayden|last=Peake}}</ref> [Liberty University](/source/Liberty_University) made a study guide for the book for its 2013–14 college session,<ref name=liberty>{{citation|title=Ion Mihai Pacepa and Ronald J. Rychlak: Disinformation Study Guide, 2013–14|date=2014|url=http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1433&context=gov_fac_pubs|first=Steven Alan|last= Samson|publisher=[Liberty University](/source/Liberty_University)|work=Faculty Publications and Presentations: Helms School of Government}}</ref> and incorporated it as required reading in a 2015–16 graduate-level course.<ref name=samson>{{citation|url=https://works.bepress.com/steven_samson/564/|title=Course Syllabus|work=GOVT 340 – International Relations (2015)" GOVT 340 – International Relations (2016) |first=Steven Alan|last=Samson|date=January 2016 |publisher=[Liberty University](/source/Liberty_University)}}</ref> In ''Studies in Intelligence'', the book was reviewed positively, with the conclusion: "''Disinformation'' is a provocative book that presents the dangers of officially manipulated information and urges that measures be taken to prevent its use in America."<ref name=peake />

Former [Director of Central Intelligence](/source/Director_of_Central_Intelligence) [R. James Woolsey](/source/R._James_Woolsey) wrote: "Gen. Pacepa writes that there were more in the Soviet bloc working on ''dezinformatsiya'' than in the armed forces and defense industry!"<ref name=woolsey /> He praised the authors' ability to convey the historical context of disinformation campaigns and their advice on how to address such covert operations.<ref name=woolsey>{{citation|first=R. James|last=Woolsey|author-link=R. James Woolsey|url=http://www.speroforum.com/a/HTWNELEQZT35/74505-Book-review-Disinformation#.WTCj2t9jM8o|title=Book review: Disinformation|date=October 23, 2013|work=Spero News|quote=Gen. Pacepa writes that there were more in the Soviet bloc working on ''dezinformatsiya'' than in the armed forces and defense industry! It was, and to some extent still is, a remarkable effort. He and his distinguished co-author, law professor Ronald Rychlak, do something remarkable in this book. They not only help us understand history and many of the current disinformation operations that we continue to see—especially from Russia and countries in the Mideast—but also give us a good start in learning how to defeat them.}}</ref> Writing for ''The Counter Terrorist'', magazine editor and former anti-terrorism unit commander Chris Graham wrote that Pacepa's description of deceptive intelligence operations conducted by Vladimir Putin reflected the breadth of disinformation campaigns required to hold onto authoritarian rule in Russia.<ref name=graham>{{citation|first=Chris|last=Graham|work=The Counter Terrorist|url=http://onlinedigitalpublishing.com/article/BOOK_REVIEW/1610246/192125/article.html|date=March 2014|title=Book Review – Lieutenant General Ion Pacepa – Disinformation|quote=Pacepa's account of life behind the Iron Curtain and life under Vladimir Putin reveals the amount of institutional deception that is necessary to bring an authoritarian government to power and the scope of domestic spying and manipulation that is necessary to retain that power.}}</ref>

Kenneth R. Timmerman wrote for ''[Tablet](/source/Tablet_(magazine))'' magazine: "Henry Kissinger once playfully dismissed critics who accused him of paranoia. 'Even a paranoid can have enemies,' he quipped to ''Time''. Reading ''Disinformation'' will open one's eyes to those enemies."<ref name=timmerman>{{citation|first=Kenneth R.|last=Timmerman|work=[Tablet](/source/Tablet_(magazine))|url=http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/140328/timmerman-disinformation|title=Former Soviet spy sees the long arm of the KGB in today's muslim anti-semitism|date=August 7, 2013}}</ref> Scott Albright reviewed the book for the journal ''Distracted Masses'' and wrote: "What's so shocking about what Pacepa writes is the incredible lengths to which the Russians would go to cover up their own operations and discredit their enemies in the Vatican and the U.S. government."<ref name=albright>{{citation|journal=Distracted Masses|first=Scott|last=Albright|title=Disinformation: By Ion Mihai Pacepa and Ronald J. RychlaK|volume=1|issue=2|page=55|date=November 2014|isbn=978-1-5028-8089-5}}</ref> Adam Taylor wrote for ''[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post)'' the irony that regarding Pacepa's recollection of the inspiration of disinformation stemming originally from [Potemkin village](/source/Potemkin_village)s, there was some doubt as to the actual existence of such villages, and yet nevertheless the term Potemkin village had itself become influential over time.<ref name=adamtaylor>{{citation|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/11/26/before-fake-news-there-was-soviet-disinformation|newspaper=[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post)|date=26 November 2016|title=Before 'fake news,' there was Soviet 'disinformation'|first=Adam|last=Taylor}}</ref> ''[Movieguide](/source/Movieguide)'' gave the companion film to the book a positive review, writing: "''Disinformation'' is a brilliant expose of the mendacious communist strategy to destroy the West, from a top insider in the Soviet Union's Eastern European security forces in Romania who defected. ''Disinformation'' is highly recommended viewing for every concerned American."<ref name=movieguide>{{citation|work=[Movieguide](/source/Movieguide)|url=https://www.movieguide.org/reviews/disinformation-the-secret-strategy-to-destroy-the-west.html|title=Disinformation: The Secret Strategy to Destroy the West|date=2013|access-date=2 June 2017|author-link=Ted Baehr|first=Ted |last=Baehr}}</ref>

Victor Gaetan in his review of the book for the ''[National Catholic Register](/source/National_Catholic_Register)'' criticizes some of Pacepa's story.<ref name=gaetan/> He states that the story misrepresents the life of a legendary Vatican diplomat and defames him. He also states that it misrepresents the history of interaction between the Catholic and Russian Orthodox institutions.<ref name=gaetan/>

==See also==
{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [1995 CIA disinformation controversy](/source/1995_CIA_disinformation_controversy)
* [Active measures](/source/Active_measures)
* [Active Measures Working Group](/source/Active_Measures_Working_Group)
* [Counter Misinformation Team](/source/Counter_Misinformation_Team)
* [Denial and deception](/source/Denial_and_deception)
* [False flag](/source/False_flag)
* [Fear, uncertainty and doubt](/source/Fear%2C_uncertainty_and_doubt)
* [Forgery as covert operation](/source/Forgery_as_covert_operation)
* [Information warfare](/source/Information_warfare)
* [Internet manipulation](/source/Internet_manipulation)
* [Media censorship and disinformation during the Gezi Park protests](/source/Media_censorship_and_disinformation_during_the_Gezi_Park_protests)
* [Manufacturing Consent](/source/Manufacturing_Consent)
* [Operation Shocker](/source/Operation_Shocker) 
* [Operation Toucan (KGB)](/source/Operation_Toucan_(KGB))
*''[The Plot to Hack America](/source/The_Plot_to_Hack_America)''
* [Politico-media complex](/source/Politico-media_complex)
* [Post-truth politics](/source/Post-truth_politics)
* [Propaganda in the Soviet Union](/source/Propaganda_in_the_Soviet_Union)
* [Russian military deception](/source/Russian_military_deception)
*[Social engineering (political science)](/source/Social_engineering_(political_science)) 
*[Persuasion](/source/Persuasion)

{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|first=Ladislav|last=Bittman|author-link=Lawrence Martin-Bittman|title=The KGB and Soviet Disinformation: An Insider's View|year=1985|isbn=0-08-031572-0|publisher=Pergamon-Brassey's|title-link=The KGB and Soviet Disinformation}}
*{{cite journal|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Operation_INFEKTION_-_Soviet_Bloc_Intelligence_and_Its_AIDS_Disinformation_Campaign.pdf|access-date=9 December 2016|title=Operation INFEKTION – Soviet Bloc Intelligence and Its AIDS Disinformation Campaign|first=Thomas|last=Boghardt|date=26 January 2010|journal=[Studies in Intelligence](/source/Studies_in_Intelligence)|volume=53|issue=4|publisher=Center for the Study of Intelligence, [Central Intelligence Agency](/source/Central_Intelligence_Agency)}}
*{{cite book|title=New Lies for Old: The Communist Strategy of Deception and Disinformation|year=1984|author-link=Anatoliy Golitsyn|first=Anatoliy|last=Golitsyn|publisher=Dodd, Mead & Company|isbn=978-0-396-08194-4}}
*{{cite book|author-link=Ion Mihai Pacepa|first=Ion Mihai|last= Pacepa|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/article/392347/brand-new-russia-same-old-disinformation-ion-mihai-pacepa|work=[National Review](/source/National_Review)|title=Brand-New Russia, Same Old Disinformation |date=November 8, 2014}}
*{{cite journal|title=Deception, Disinformation, and Strategic. Communications: How One Interagency Group. Made a Major Difference |author1=Fletcher Schoen  |author2=Christopher J. Lamb|journal=Strategic Perspectives|volume= 11|date= June 1, 2012|publisher=Institute for National Strategic Studies, [National Defense University](/source/National_Defense_University_(Washington%2C_D.C.))|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Deception,_Disinformation,_and_Strategic_Communications.pdf|access-date=9 December 2016}}
*{{cite book|title=Dezinformatsia: Active Measures in Soviet Strategy|year=1984|first1=Richard H.|last1=Shultz|first2=Roy|last2=Godson|publisher=Pergamon-Brassey's|isbn=978-0-08-031573-7|author1-link=Richard H. Shultz|author2-link=Roy Godson|title-link=Dezinformatsia (book)}}
*{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/11/26/before-fake-news-there-was-soviet-disinformation|newspaper=[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post)|date=26 November 2016|access-date=3 December 2016|title=Before 'fake news,' there was Soviet 'disinformation'|first=Adam|last=Taylor}}
*{{cite book|title=The Plot to Hack America: How Putin's Cyberspies and WikiLeaks Tried to Steal the 2016 Election|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing|year=2016|first=Malcolm|last=Nance|author-link=Malcolm Nance|isbn=978-1510723320|oclc=987592653|title-link=The Plot to Hack America}}

==External links==
{{wiktionary|disinformation}}
{{wikiquote|Disinformation}}
*{{IMDb title|qid=Q123536912|title=Disinformation }}

{{Disinformation}}
{{Media manipulation}}
{{Propaganda}}
{{Military deception}}

Category:2013 non-fiction books
Category:Black propaganda
Category:Propaganda techniques
Category:Psychological warfare techniques
Category:Intelligence operations by type
Category:Non-fiction books about Soviet repression
Category:Books about disinformation
Category:WorldNetDaily

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Disinformation (book)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinformation_(book)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinformation_(book)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.