B.U. Program for Afghan Rebels Criticized as CIA Propaganda

A controversial Boston University journalism program to train Afghan rebels was part of a covert CIA propaganda effort, according to a published report this week.

The report, which appeared in the Boston Globe, says that the B.U. College of Communications got federal funds for a program to teach journalistic skills to Afghan freedom fighters. The program, which touched off faculty resignations at the school, was quashed after being criticized for violating press ethics.

The new report also says the program was part of a larger effort run by the National Security Agency as part a propoganda campaign sponsored by then-CIA Director Bill Casey.

H. Joachim Maitre, dean of the communications school, said he had not previously been aware of any covert funding until the CIA program was disclosed publicly.

"Reporters brought [it] to my attention," Maitre said in an interview. "The information was all new to me last week."

The purpose of the program, according to Joe O'Connell, a spokesman for the U.S. Information Agency (USIA), was "to train Afghans in journalism. We thought there was a problem. The Afghan people had no way to tell the story of Soviet occupation," said O'Connell. "We wanted to help them do it for themselves," he said.

The USIA obtained funding and the right to grant that money from Congress with the help of Senator Gordon Humphrey (R--N.H.).

Afghan Project

The Afghan project was open to bidding and B.U. was granted rights and finances. "B.U. was the best equipped bidder," said O'Connell. "They had already engaged in journalism training."

The Globe also said BU was involved in a domestic propaganda effort. Maitre in 1983 produced a documentary on the Nicaraguan freedom fighters, portions of which were aired in the U.S. to bolster support for contra aid.

While no one has accused BU of violating the law in connection with the programs, press experts have said they thought the university erred in accepting propaganda monies.

Nieman Foundation head Howard Simons said he "thought it was wrong [of B.U.] to engage in a program like that. You ought not teach journalism students that it is o.k. to work for a propaganda agency."

Simons called the program "covert. You don't know where your money is coming from. It's not clean money."

But administration officials disputed charges that the program involved a domestic information campaign. "The NSC has no domestic propaganda campaigns. We are not aware of this relationship," said Bill Harlow, assistant press secretary at the White House.

Bill Anthony, press secretary for Humphrey, also denied a clear link with the CIA. "As far as [the Afghan program] being a CIA effort, that is in dispute. We don't feel that way."

"If there were a school of journalism here, I would oppose accepting USIA money for it," Simons said. "I would assume most educated journalists would say that."

Bernice Buresh and several colleagues agreed. Buresh resigned as B.U. Associate Journalism Professor at the end of the spring term this year on "journalistic grounds and the grounds that [the Afghan project] was likely to be part of an intelligence project."

"Many people warned the administration that this was not the type of thing that the B.U. School of Communications should be involved in," Buresh said in an interview. "But those who applied pressure were treated badly or told that their objections were political. I no longer wanted to be associated with the administration of the college."

Buresh claimed that Maitre was rewarded for his actions by being promoted to acting dean and ultimately permanent dean of the school.

"The irony of the situation," said Buresh, "is that Maitre moved from a communist country and claimed he wanted to get away from that type of government. And yet, the program is an example of government agencies using propaganda illegally--of promoting the political interests of the administration."