Published on Newsmax.
The outrage over foreign meddling in America’s political system is justified.
Declaring
it the worst ever experienced is not.
Since
its founding, America’s principles and civil culture have been a
major influence across the world. Undermining or redirecting
America’s influence has been a magnet for meddling.
When
World War I erupted, Germany’s main concern was keeping America out
of the war. Their meddling in America’s politics successfully
delayed U.S. involvement from August 1914 until April 1917.
President Woodrow Wilson staunchly maintained American neutrality,
despite German U-Boats sinking U.S. vessels. The reason was
Germany’s highly successful strategic effort to turn Mexico into a
credible threat.
The Mexican Revolution provided the perfect environment for German mischief. Germany armed various factions and promoted the “Plan of San Diego”, which detailed Mexico’s reclaiming Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Even before the war, Germany promoting fears of a Mexican invasion pulled America into a bloody confrontation in Veracruz in April 1914.
There
are indications that Germany funded and inspired Pancho Villa’s
March 9, 1916 raid on Columbus, New Mexico. This led to the U.S.
invading northern Mexico (March 1916 - February 1917) to hunt down
Villa. The invasion further diverted America’s attention away from
Europe and soured U.S.-Mexican relations.
Germany’s
most creative method for keeping America out of World War I was a
fifteen-part “Preparedness Serial” called “Patria”. In 1916,
the German Foreign Ministry convinced William Randolph Hearst to
produce this adventure story about Japan helping Mexico reclaim the
American Southwest.
“Patria”
was a major production. It starred Irene Castle, one of the early
“mega-stars” of Hollywood and Broadway. Castle’s character
uses her family fortune to thwart the Japan-Mexico plot against
America. The movie played to packed houses across America and ignited
paranoia about the growing menace on America’s southern border.
“Patria”,
along with other German machinations, clouded the political landscape
and kept America neutral until April 1917. These elaborate ruses,
along with the invasion chasing Pancho Villa, may have continued to
keep America out of WWI except that Germany’s next move was
intercepted by British Intelligence. The infamous “Zimmermann
telegram” exposed German support for Mexico invading America. The
British delivered this incendiary message to President Wilson on
February 24, 1917. Even then, Wilson’s obsessing over Mexican
expansion delayed America’s declaration of war on Germany until
April 6, 1917.
During
the “Cold War” (1945-1989) the Soviet Union spent over $1 billion
on creating and supporting political movements designed to undermine
American resolve. This included various “Peace Councils”
advocating for the U.S. to end its nuclear program and disarm.
Soviet
meddling in U.S. politics peaked during the Vietnam War, when they
launched dozens of front groups to turn American opinion against the
war. Many of these group raised doubt about the legitimacy of
America’s political system. John Kerry’s “Vietnam Veterans
Against the War” was used to alienate Americans from veterans in
order to demoralize the country.
Soviet-backed
groups tried
to stop President Ronald Reagan’s deployment of Pershing II
Missiles in Europe in the1980s. In
1985, even Time Magazine
admitted that the apocalyptic
“nuclear winter” arguments were developed by the Soviets to “give
antinuclear groups in the U.S. and Europe some fresh ammunition
against America's arms buildup.”
The
collapse of the Soviet Union and its empire gave America a brief
respite from foreign meddling. Then
the information age brought
easier access to America. Today, China, Russia, Radical Islam, Iran,
and an array of minor players, are using cyberwarfare to
disrupt
America, including efforts to
“hack” our
voting systems. They are becoming increasingly adept at filling
social media with fake news, fake events, and fake commentary.
Major
General James Jackson, the longest serving of George
Washington’s officers in the
American Revolution, issued the immortal warning that should
guide us today:
“Eternal
vigilance is the price of liberty.
Let
the sentinels on the watch-tower sleep not, and slumber not.”
[Scot
Faulkner advises corporations and governments on how to save billions
of dollars by achieving dramatic and sustainable cost reductions
while
improving operational and service excellence. He served as the Chief
Administrative Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives. He also
served on the White House Staff, and as an Executive Branch
Appointee.]
2 comments:
I cannot recall seeing anyone claim that the recent Russian meddling in the US election of 2016 was the worst ever, and I notice that Faulkner does not provide any examples of people who have said that.
The Soviet Union did meddle in American politics during the Cold War, but this essay wildly exaggerates the magnitude of that meddling. Vietnam Veterans Against the War, for example, was not a Soviet front group.
Historian Michael Becshloss stated "Russia's meddling in the 2016 Election was the worst American history" on the Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC) last week. She enthusiastically agreed. That is what inspired this column.
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