WASHINGTON, Dec 14: The Pentagon plans to launch a 300-million-dollar operation to place pro-US messages in foreign media and on items such as T-shirts and bumper stickers without disclosing the US government as the source, USA Today reported On Wednesday.

Managed by psychological warfare experts at the US Special Operations Command, the media campaign is aimed at countering ‘terrorist ideology’ and swaying foreign audiences to support US policies, one of the military officials in charge of the program told the daily.

The program will operate throughout the world, including US allies, and will be handled by SYColeman of Washington, Science Applications International Corp of San Diego, California, and Lincoln Group of Washington.

The Pentagon is currently investigating the Lincoln Group for allegedly paying Iraqi newspapers to run ghost-written pro-American stories.

Military officials said they have no plans to plant false stories in foreign news outlets clandestinely, but added that they may not always reveal their role in distributing accurate messages favourable to the United States.

“While the product may not carry the label ‘Made in the USA’, we will respond truthfully if asked” by reporters, Mike Furlong, deputy director of the Joint Psychological Operations Support Element, told the newspaper.

“We’re looking at programs, for example, to counter suicide bombers,” Mr Furlong added.

The US military wants to fight the information war against Al Qaeda through newspapers, websites, radio and television as well as T-shirts and bumper stickers, the newspaper reported.

The contracts to the three companies were awarded in June and reported in the US media at the time. One of the firms, SYColeman, is led by a retired general who was a top official in the Defence Department.

Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said previously that the United States has received overly critical media coverage and has advocated improving how Washington conveys its interests abroad.

Similar propaganda efforts were pursued by the United States during the Cold War. —AFP