Paul W. Hodes: “Perhaps the gentleman, my colleague, does not understand that this amendment prohibits lying. "Be all you can be" is…”

“Perhaps the gentleman, my colleague, does not understand that this amendment prohibits lying. "Be all you can be" is persuasion. A concerted program of government-directed lies is propaganda. The amendment would simply codify language outlawing propaganda within the United States aimed at our citizens, and perhaps the gentleman is unaware that similar language has been included in congressional appropriations bills since the 1950s. And thus, this amendment does not represent any change in U.S. policy. Propaganda is narrowly defined as communications designed to influence the people of the United States, and it is limited to domestic programs within the United States aimed at U.S. citizens.”