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The Politics and Censorship of Video Games

A recent report in Newsweek’s NewsGeek section has drawn attention to how video games, just like other forms of entertainment, can carry political messages.

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https://www.spyculture.com/the-politics-and-censorship-of-video-games/

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ClandesTime 197 – The Spycops Scandal

For decades undercover British intelligence officers have infiltrated almost every notable political movement in the UK. In this episode I talk to Kit Klarenberg, an investigative journalist who has written extensively about this topic. We discuss how many of these undercover officers got involved in romantic relationships with the people they were spying on, and how this became a national scandal.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clandestime-197-the-spycops-scandal/

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Swearing, Drugs and Ethnic Stereotypes: Why the US Military Rejected Good Morning, Vietnam

Good Morning, Vietnam is perhaps the most popular Vietnam war film ever made. Loosely based on the real life experiences of Army Forces Radio Service DJ Adrian Cronauer it takes a sideways look at the war that is often sardonic and satirical.

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https://www.spyculture.com/swearing-drugs-and-ethnic-stereotypes-why-the-us-military-rejected-good-morning-vietnam/

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US Coast Guard’s Hollywood Office Takes 3 YEARS to Release 20 Pages of Documents

In March 2016 I put in a FOIA request with the US Coast Guard. Several appeals, a lot of ignored emails and well over three years later they finally released just 20 pages of documents on the activities of their entertainment liaison office. I thought the CIA's FOIA office was bad, but this is perhaps the worst FOIA experience I've ever had with the US govern

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https://www.spyculture.com/us-coast-guards-hollywood-office-takes-3-years-to-release-20-pages-of-documents/

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US Coast Guard

ClandesTime 196 – The Final Countdown

The Final Countdown is a classic of good bad cinema, featuring an aircraft carrier that goes through a wormhole and goes back in time to the day before Pearl Harbor was attacked. In this episode I review and analyse the film, which benefited from full DOD support.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clandestime-196-the-final-countdown/

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How the Hot Shots! Producers Tried (and Failed) to Fool the Pentagon

In March 1991 the producers of Hot Shots!

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https://www.spyculture.com/how-the-hot-shots-producers-tried-and-failed-to-fool-the-pentagon/

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Films

spoof

MI5 (Wrongly) Suspected Odeon Cinema Chain of Being Front for Commie Spies

A 1940s MI5 file shows that British intelligence suspected that the Odeon chain of cinemas was a front organisation providing cover for Soviet spies to get into the UK. Proving once again that it is the intelligence services who are the biggest conspiracy theorists of all, this suspicion was based on a scant handful of coincidences, interpreted through the paranoid mindset of the spooks.&nbs

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https://www.spyculture.com/mi5-wrongly-suspected-odeon-cinema-chain-of-being-front-for-commie-spies/

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Jack Ryan Star John Krasinski Tries to Dispell Allegations of Propaganda

With just a week to go before season 2 of Amazon's Jack Ryan is released and the eponymous star John Krasinski has tried to downplay allegations that the show is propaganda for a US coup or war in Venezuela. In an interview he tried to make out that the new season is all about Ryan trying to find out what happened to a friend of his, an ambassador, and that because the US doesn'

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https://www.spyculture.com/jack-ryan-star-john-krasinski-tries-to-dispell-allegations-of-propaganda/

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‘While the Script is Somewhat Clichéd, We Are Not Movie Critics’ – DOD Memo on The Heroes of Desert Storm

There aren't very many films about the first Gulf War, which is ironic because if ever there was a war for PR purposes, that was it. While Jarhead and Three Kings were rejected by the Pentagon's Hollywood office, one film that did benefit from military support was The Heroes of Desert Storm. As one Pentagon memo notes, the script is as hackneyed

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https://www.spyculture.com/while-the-script-is-somewhat-cliched-we-are-not-movie-critics-dod-memo-on-the-heroes-of-desert-storm/

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Subscriber Podcast #35 – China, Censorship and South Park

Over the last few weeks a storm has been brewing about the Chinese government’s censorship of American movies, as well as several countries banning or censoring the Chinese co-production Abominable.

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https://www.spyculture.com/subscriber-podcast-35-china-censorship-and-south-park/

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Vietnam Bans a Movie, But Somehow It is China’s Fault?

Today's entertainment news features an absolute gem of political hypocrisy: Vietnam's one party 'Communist' state has banned the animated kids' movie Abominable, and the Western media are heralding the decision, claiming that Vietnam are standing up to China's censorious one party 'Communist' state. This is perhaps the dumbest employment of double standards I've encountered in years of reporting on the p

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https://www.spyculture.com/vietnam-bans-a-movie-but-somehow-it-is-chinas-fault/

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Ex-MI6 Boss Says he Wouldn’t Have Allowed Skyfall to Blow Up MI6 HQ

Former head of MI6 and Iraq War criminal Sir Richard Dearlove continued his recent speight of complaining about everything by claiming that he was never told that the producers of several Bond films had been granted permission to film the MI6 headquarters at Vauxhall Cross. Dearlove says that the requests were funneled through then-Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, and that he never would hav

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https://www.spyculture.com/ex-mi6-boss-says-he-wouldnt-have-allowed-skyfall-to-blow-up-mi6-hq/

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ClandesTime 195 – The New Cultural Cold War

The original Cultural Cold War has been the subject of numerous books and articles on both sides of the divide, but the new version has been almost entirely ignored.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clandestime-195-the-new-cultural-cold-war/

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Did the Pentagon Support Venezuela Coup Porn Jack Ryan Season 2?

As prep for my forthcoming video on Amazon's Jack Ryan as next-gen propaganda I've been keeping an eye on promotions and events around the launch of season two in November. The first episode was shown at New York Comic-Con a few days ago, and at a panel discussion the new series regular Michael Kelly revealed that he shot a scene in a Blackhawk helicopter. This appears to confirm that the Pe

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https://www.spyculture.com/did-the-pentagon-support-venezuela-coup-porn-jack-ryan-season-2/

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The Film Censorship Cold War — China vs the US

Recently, Martha Bayles of The Atlantic published a hilariously misleading essay calling for Hollywood to produce more pro-American propaganda, in the face of the Chinese government’s increased role in the entertainment industry.

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https://www.spyculture.com/the-film-censorship-cold-war-china-vs-the-us/

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Ex-MI6 Boss Blasts Le Carré’s Spy Novels, Even Though MI6 Vetted Most of Them

Former MI6 chief Richard Dearlove has criticised spy author John Le Carré for his 'nihilistic' and 'corrosive' view of British intelligence, even though Le Carré submitted all of his early novels to MI6 for them to review prior to publication. This appears to be the latest round of intelligence doublespeak where spies flit between comparing themselves to their fictional counter

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https://www.spyculture.com/ex-mi6-boss-blasts-le-carres-spy-novels-even-though-mi6-vetted-most-of-them/

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Even the US Army Warned of Violence at the Joker Premiere But So Far, So Good

For weeks the internet has been awash with claims, rumours, scuttlebutt and hearsay about some kind of shooting at the premiere of the new Joker movie. Even the US Army sent out a memo saying they'd received a 'credible threat' of a shooting attack, but the film's premiere went off without a hitch this weekend. It is unclear why this movie is being singled out, given the p

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https://www.spyculture.com/even-the-us-army-warned-of-violence-at-the-joker-premiere-but-so-far-so-good/

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ClandesTime 194 – Oliver Stone’s JFK

This week, I welcome to the show author and friend James Oddy to discuss the JFK assassination case and its treatment in the Oliver Stone movie JFK. We look at the psychological and political consequences of the assassination, as well as the political and cultural impact of the film.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clandestime-194-oliver-stones-jfk/

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Napalm, Ambushes and Russian Roulette: Why the Pentagon Rejected The Deer Hunter

The epic war drama The Deer Hunter won five Oscars, despite the central conceit and metaphor of the film being inaccurate. This conceit - that the Viet Cong forced American prisoners of war to play Russian Roulette - is the main reason the film was rejected for DOD support, along with scenes that made the US Army look incompetent or needlessly cruel.

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https://www.spyculture.com/napalm-ambushes-and-russian-roulette-why-the-pentagon-rejected-the-deer-hunter/

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Mecha-Marines: US Marine Corps Developing Aliens-style Exoskeleton

The US military’s attempts to duplicate action movie technology took another leap recently as the Guardian XO robotic exoskeleton was demonstrated at the recent Modern Day Marine expo. The suit is an obvious knockoff of the power loader exosuit featured in Aliens over 30 years ago, and reports suggest that marines will begin testing the […]

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https://www.spyculture.com/mecha-marines-us-marine-corps-developing-aliens-style-exoskeleton/

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Subscriber Podcast #34 – Anti-Capitalist Pop Culture

Why is it that capitalist economies and cultures produce anti-capitalist products? In this month’s subscriber podcast I examine three examples of anti-capitalist pop culture – Sorry to Bother You, Office Uprising and Corporate. I discuss how their storylines contain some very pertinent criticisms of capitalism as an economic model and of the corporate world.

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https://www.spyculture.com/subscriber-podcast-34-anti-capitalist-pop-culture/

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ROI: Does the Pentagon Fund Movies?

One of the most common conspiracy theories you hear in this line of research is that the Pentagon and CIA fund Hollywood movies. This isn't entirely untrue - the CIA covertly funded productions of Animal Farm and 1984 in the early Cold War period - but on the whole, it is untrue. In all the many thousands of documents I have about the government involvement in the entertainment industry, there are very few indications

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https://www.spyculture.com/roi-does-the-pentagon-fund-movies/

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Revolving Doors: Technical Advisors and The Entertainment-Propaganda Complex

The role of the technical advisor is crucial to understanding the military-Hollywood relationship, but very few people know who these people are or what they do. Even less well known is that a significant number of private industry technical advisors used to work for the Pentagon's entertainment liaison offices, and are effectively continuing that work even after leaving th

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https://www.spyculture.com/revolving-doors-technical-advisors-and-the-entertainment-propaganda-complex/

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USAF

ClandesTime 193 – An Alternative History of Al Qaeda: Aukai Collins

In 1998 the CIA got an opportunity to infiltrate one of their spies into the Al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, but turned it down. This week, I examine the autobiography of that spy – Aukai Collins, an American jihadi who became a deep cover agent for the FBI and CIA.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clandestime-193-an-alternative-history-of-al-qaeda-aukai-collins/

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New Jack Ryan Trailer Illustrates Western Hypocrisy Over Arms Trade

The latest trailer for Amazon Prime's Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan is a perfect illustration of Western double standards and hypocrisy over the global arms trade. As I predicted in an earlier article, the plotline centres on Venezuela and in all likelihood is going to be little more than regime change propaganda. The new trailer adds a few more details, which make the prospects for the

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https://www.spyculture.com/new-jack-ryan-trailer-illustrates-western-hypocrisy-over-arms-trade/

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ClandesTime 192 – The Cinema of the Navy SEALs

The US Navy SEALs are known as the ‘quiet professionals’, but in recent times they have become the highest-profile of all US special forces. In this episode I examine several films depicting the SEALs, how the Pentagon has shaped their public image through Hollywood, and why they have become so well known that now there is even a TV show named after them.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clandestime-192-the-cinema-of-the-navy-seals/

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film violence

The US Navy Supported Captain Phillips – One of the Most Inaccurate Movies I’ve Ever Seen

Captain Phillips tells the story of the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama - a US container ship - off the coast of Somalia, and the subsequent US Navy intervention that killed three of the pirates and arrested the fourth. It is also one of the least historically accurate films ever made, begging the question of why the real-life Navy supported it. Thei

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https://www.spyculture.com/the-us-navy-supported-captain-phillips-one-of-the-most-inaccurate-movies-ive-ever-seen/

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Disney’s Star Wars, the Military and the Worst Hats I’ve Ever Seen

Walt Disney World Resort’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens this week - 14 acres of Star Wars experience for those who want to waste their money on plastic replicas of pod racers, Jar Jar Binks masks and hair dye so they can look like Vice Admiral Gender Studies from The Last Jedi. To promote this corporate abomination, Disney invited five military members and their families

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https://www.spyculture.com/disneys-star-wars-the-military-and-the-worst-hats-ive-ever-seen/

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Act of Valor: When the US Navy Commissioned one of the Worst Films Ever Made

2012's Act of Valor is widely recognised as the terrible, dull, depressing, futile piece of cinema that it surely is, but what is less well-recognised is that it was the brainchild of the US Navy's Special Warfare Recruiting Directorate, and they had a hand in every stage of its production.

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https://www.spyculture.com/act-of-valor-when-the-us-navy-commissioned-one-of-the-worst-films-ever-made/

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war on terror

The DOD and Lone Survivor

Lone Survivor is a piece of absolute militaristic schlock, starring the whiny-voiced Marky Mark Wahlberg as Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell - the only survivor of Operation Red Wings, a 2005 special forces joint operation in the summer of 2005. Over 100 pages of Navy documents show their heavy involvement in the film and how they covered up for Luttrell's grossly inconsistent and contradictory accounts of what happened.

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https://www.spyculture.com/the-dod-and-lone-survivor/

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How the Pentagon Rewrote GI Jane

GI Jane is a crude, clumsy attempt to show a 'woman's perspective' on being in the military, that ruined Demi Moore's career as a leading lady. Little known until now is how the Pentagon negotiated with Ridley Scott to rewrite the script, and even though the film didn't qualify for military support some of the script changes made their way into the finished movie.

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https://www.spyculture.com/how-the-pentagon-rewrote-gi-jane/

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Clint Eastwood and the Geneva Conventions

One issue that comes up repeatedly in the script changes enforced by the Pentagon is war crimes, and other violations of the Geneva Conventions. As is so often the case I'm left thinking 'if only the DOD applied the same rules to real life wars as they do to the depiction of wars in Hollywood movies'.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clint-eastwood-and-the-geneva-conventions/

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Born on the 4th of July – Tom on Fortress on a Hill

In the second part of our discussion (following Combat Obscura), Henri, Keagan and I talked about the 1989 Oliver Stone classic Born on the 4th of July. Based on the real life experiences of Ron Kovic, we charted the film's development in the late 70s and into the 80s, the Pentagon's response when they were approached about supporting the movie, and how the film captures the anti-Vietnam war m

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https://www.spyculture.com/born-on-the-4th-of-july-tom-on-fortress-on-a-hill/

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ClandesTime 191 – The ‘Disguised’ Political Film in Hollywood

Why isn’t the ‘political film’ a genre of cinema? Hollywood puts out a consistent stream of politically-themed films, but rarely if ever promotes them as such.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clandestime-191-the-disguised-political-film-in-hollywood/

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Schlock ex Machina – Is Godzilla: King of the Monsters the Dumbest Movie Ever?

I was looking forward to Godzilla: King of the Monsters, having been a fan of giant creature features since I was a young boy. The blend of massive-scale action and affirming our need to respect nature is a winning combination for me. Then I watched it, and it was one of the dumbest films I have ever seen.

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https://www.spyculture.com/schlock-ex-machina-is-godzilla-king-of-the-monsters-the-dumbest-movie-ever/

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ClandesTime 190 – Karl Rove and the Cultural Impact of 9/11

In the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, President Bush’s chief spin doctor and senior advisor Karl Rove enlisted Hollywood’s help in selling the War on Terror. This week, I examine this White House-driven propaganda effort and assess its influence on Hollywood’s output.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clandestime-190-karl-rove-and-the-cultural-impact-of-9-11/

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From Premises to Character Arcs – How Deeply the Military Rewrites Film & TV

Sometimes the US military's rewriting of scripts is very specific - take out this joke about the US losing in Vietnam, swap this bottle of beer for an energy drink, remove this scene where soldiers set fire to a village and rape all the women. At other times their requested changes are very broad in scope, affecting the overalls arcs and even the premises of films and TV shows.

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https://www.spyculture.com/from-premises-to-character-arcs-how-deeply-the-military-rewrites-film-tv/

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ClandesTime 189 – An Alternative History of Al Qaeda: Omar Nasiri

Omar Nasiri was a Moroccan who spent 6 years spying on Al Qaeda for several European intelligence agencies. In this episode I review his autobiography Inside the Jihad, including the year he spent in Afghan training camps in the mid-1990s.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clandestime-189-an-alternative-history-of-al-qaeda-omar-nasiri/

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Why Amazon’s The Boys is the Most Subversive TV Show of the Year

Amazon Prime's The Boys is not only the most enjoyable TV show I've seen all year, it's also the most subversive. While it will appeal to audiences suffering from superhero fatigue after more than a decade of relentless Marvel and DC products, it is so much more than that. It subverts both superhero pop culture and the role that culture plays in promoting the military-industrial complex.&

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https://www.spyculture.com/why-amazons-the-boys-is-the-most-subversive-tv-show-of-the-year/

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Subscriber Podcast #33 – American Moon

Did we really go to the moon? Yes, probably, but American Moon is an epic 3 1/2 hour documentary that tries to make arguments that the Apollo missions were faked. In this month's subscriber podcast I offer a critical review of American Moon, from the photographic evidence to the geopolitics of the space race.

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https://www.spyculture.com/subscriber-podcast-33-american-moon/

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‘In The Navy’ Songwriter Dead at 82

Co-founder of the Village People and co-writer of 'YMCA', 'Macho Man' and 'In the Navy' Henri Belolo died last saturday at the age of 82. Born in Casablanca, Belolo was a key member of perhaps the first openly gay disco outfit. He also participated in one of the funniest co-sponsorship deals the US Navy has ever seen.

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https://www.spyculture.com/in-the-navy-songwriter-dead-at-82/

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creative freedom

history

pop music

Combat Obscura – Tom on Fortress on a Hill

I recently joined Henri from the Fortress on a Hill podcast for our latest discussion on military movies.

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https://www.spyculture.com/combat-obscura-tom-on-fortress-on-a-hill/

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‘You Need to Keep an Eye on the Director’ – US Army emails

The US Army's emails on The Long Road Home show that not everything ran smoothly while filming progressed as Fort Hood. While all of the information on script input is redacted, one email contains production notes from the Army's project officer Lt Col.

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https://www.spyculture.com/you-need-to-keep-an-eye-on-the-director-us-army-emails/

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ClandesTime 188 – An Alternative History of Al Qaeda: Mubin Shaikh

The 2006 arrests of the Toronto 18 was a key moment in the post-9/11 war on terror. It helped internationalise the war effort and added Canada to the list of supposed terrorist targets. This week I examine the life and work of the main Canadian intelligence informant inside the Toronto 18 – Mubin Shaikh.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clandestime-188-an-alternative-history-of-al-qaeda-mubin-shaikh/

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Documents: CIA Successfully Pressured Michael Bay To Change Benghazi Movie

I recently obtained 50 pages of documents from the CIA on the support they provided to Michael Bay's Benghazi movie 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. In this investigation for Shadowproof I outline how the relationship between Bay and the Agency started well, how they leaned on Bay to remove 'unauthorized information' from the script and where it all went wrong, resulting in the CIA

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https://www.spyculture.com/documents-cia-successfully-pressured-michael-bay-to-change-benghazi-movie/

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The New Jack Ryan Will Promote a Coup in Venezuela, but Why did the DOD Reject the Series?

The teaser trailer for season 2 of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan depict John Krasinski as the eponymous hero in a Latin American country where there is an uprising against the government (cough, thinly-disguised Venezuela, cough). Like season 1, I expect the show will by fully supported by the CIA but the DOD rejected the producers' requests for support, tu

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https://www.spyculture.com/the-new-jack-ryan-will-promote-a-coup-in-venezuela-but-why-did-the-dod-reject-the-series/

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ClandesTime 187 – When Entertainment Liaison Offices Go Bad

The relationship between government liaison offices and the entertainment industry usually works well, resulting in added production value for the industry’s products and the furtherance of the government’s agendas. But sometimes things go wrong.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clandestime-187-when-entertainment-liaison-offices-go-bad/

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Western Media Coverage of Top Gun: Maverick Jacket Highlights Hypocrisy Over Military Censorship of Movies

A story doing the rounds in the last few days claims that the producers of Top Gun: Maverick changed the decals on the back of his leather jacket in order to 'appease Communist China'. While the story may be true, not a single report has highlighted the much more egregious censorship of the original movie by the Pentagon.

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https://www.spyculture.com/western-media-coverage-of-top-gun-maverick-jacket-highlights-hypocrisy-over-military-censorship-of-movies/

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The Beirut Marine Barracks Bombing and Heartbreak Ridge

The US military's negotiations on the 1980s Clint Eastwood vehicle Heartbreak Ridge were protracted and complex, resulting in numerous changes before the movie could be approved for Pentagon support. This included changing Clint Eastwood's character from a soldier to a marine after the US Army rejected the script, but then having to rewrite his backstory to accomodate for historical accura

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https://www.spyculture.com/the-beirut-marine-barracks-bombing-and-heartbreak-ridge/

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Spy Culture in the Washington Business Journal

News about this site appears to be spreading - after the flurry of articles citing Spy Culture around the release of Captain Marvel earlier this year, the Washington Business Journal put out a piece on the Top Gun: Maverick trailer using the production assistance agreement I obtained under FOIA. In all honesty I'd never read the Washington Business Journal before this morning but I am glad that mo

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https://www.spyculture.com/spy-culture-in-the-washington-business-journal/

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“Shame on them, they know better” – When the Pentagon Fell Out with NCIS

For over a decade the CBS action drama NCIS has enjoyed a very close working relationship with the US military, which allows the entertainment liaison offices to review every script, even for episodes where they provide no support. This unusual situation nearly fell apart in early 2014 when the producers refused to rewrite an episode the DOD didn't like, and then produced a pilot

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https://www.spyculture.com/shame-on-them-they-know-better-when-the-pentagon-fell-out-with-ncis/

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ClandesTime 186 – NCIS

NCIS is a wildly successful TV drama, one of the most popular series of the last 20 years. This week I recount how the DOD, Navy and Marine Corps routinely rewrite episodes of NCIS to fit their PR and propaganda goals.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clandestime-186-ncis/

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How the Western media support state terror – while millions die

In this guest article Matt Alford - alongside Drs Daniel Broudy, Jeffery Klaehn, Alan MacLeod and Florian Zollmann - lay out their case that news media has systemically downplayed or simply avoided discussing the bloody consequences of Western foreign policy. While the crimes of NATO allies are frequently portrayed as necessary or even benevolent actions, the brutality of enemy states is pre

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https://www.spyculture.com/what-the-mainstream-media-wont-tell-us-about-the-world/

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As Top Gun: Maverick Trailer Drops, Tom Cruise Lies About Why the Sequel Took So Long

Tom Cruise dropped into San Diego Comic-Con this week to premiere the trailer for Top Gun: Maverick, which is nothing short of a fan service nostalgia reel and some cheesy dialogue about how Maverick is still - you've guessed it - a Maverick. All indications are that it will be a soft reboot of the homoerotic military recruitment ad original, but more importantly,

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https://www.spyculture.com/as-top-gun-maverick-trailer-drops-tom-cruise-lies-about-why-the-sequel-took-so-long/

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USAF’s Rules of Engagement for Hollywood: No Flipflops or Hoverboards, and No Goddamn Peanuts

The US Air Force recently released a tranche of documents on the support they provided to the Neil Armstrong biopic First Man. This included their Rules of Engagement for companies filming on Edwards Air Force Base, which detail the stringent and at times ludicrous restrictions the Air Force places on Hollywood film crews.

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https://www.spyculture.com/usafs-rules-of-engagement-for-hollywood-no-flipflops-or-hoverboards-and-no-goddamn-peanuts/

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nasa

USAF

‘I Can Get the Pentagon to Vouch for Me’ – Michael Bay letter to the CIA

Michael Bay is well known for working closely with government agencies when making his films, mostly the Pentagon but also NASA. Less well known is how he worked with the CIA to vet his script for the Benghazi movie 13 Hours, and how his request to film the CIA's Memorial Wall was turned down by the Agency.

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https://www.spyculture.com/i-can-get-the-pentagon-to-vouch-for-me-michael-bay-letter-to-the-cia/

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Subscriber Podcast #32 – The Looming Tower

On this feature-length subscriber podcast I analyse the Hulu TV drama The Looming Tower (based on the original book by Lawrence Wright). It tells the story of the intelligence breakdown between the CIA's Alec Station and the FBI's I-49 squad, honing in on the tetchy relationship between the FBI's John O'Neill and the CIA's Michael Scheuer.

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https://www.spyculture.com/subscriber-podcast-32-the-looming-tower/

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‘We Should be Concerned Where and How DOD Policy and Criticism of DOD Might be’ – Pentagon File on Heartbreak Ridge

The Pentagon’s Film Office file on Heartbreak Ridge is one of the more lengthy and interesting sets of documents. It tells the story of how the film was rejected by the Army but was supported by the Marine Corps, before being disowned by the DOD after they previewed a rought cut of the movie. One […]

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https://www.spyculture.com/we-should-be-concerned-where-and-how-dod-policy-and-criticism-of-dod-might-be-pentagon-file-on-heartbreak-ridge/

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propaganda

ClandesTime 185 – An Alternative History of Al Qaeda: Morten Storm

Morten Storm is a Danish man who converted to Islam in the 1990s and got involved in the jihadi scene in Denmark, the UK, Yemen and Somalia. In 2006 he suffered a loss of faith, and turned to Danish intelligence and offered to help them fight the war on terror.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clandestime-185-an-alternative-history-of-al-qaeda-morten-storm/

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‘We are Anxious to tell this Story that Showcases the Army in such a Positive Way’

The in-development film Raven Four-Two tells the story of a battle in 2005 between insurgents and a Kentucky Army National Guard Military Police Unit, during the war in Iraq. Documents released by the US Army reveal that the film is being produced by two former Army Public Affairs officers, and is explicitly designed to help with military recruitment and the Pentagon's PR mission.&nbs

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https://www.spyculture.com/we-are-anxious-to-tell-this-story-that-showcases-the-army-in-such-a-positive-way/

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war on terror

US Army Doesn’t Work on ‘Audience Participation’ TV Due to ‘Spontaneity’

The US Army's regulations on Public Affairs activities are over 100 pages of rules and restriction governing how the Army interacts with news media, entertainment media and other public events. It outlines which activities require prior approval from Army Public Affairs chiefs (i.e.

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https://www.spyculture.com/us-army-doesnt-work-on-audience-participation-tv-due-to-spontaneity/

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politics

propaganda

When the Producers of Downton Abbey Signed the Official Secrets Act

Just like other government departments the Foreign & Commonwealth Office requires film and TV producers to sign contracts with them to provide production assistance. The agreement signed with the makers of Downton Abbey includes an interesting clause - they signed up to abide by the strictures of the Official Secrets Act, in perpetuity, throughout the universe.

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https://www.spyculture.com/when-the-producers-of-downton-abbey-signed-the-official-secrets-act/

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ClandesTime 184 – Political Paralysis in the Information Age

What happens when people are given too much information? They feel overwhelmed, which quickly becomes apathy and political paralysis. In this episode I analyse the philosophical and critical origins of our current political malaise, where many people feel the system is incapable of facing up to real and serious problems.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clandestime-184-political-paralysis-in-the-information-age/

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‘Weave in Key Talking Points’ – Pentagon Contract for Top Gun: Maverick

The Pentagon recently released the Production Assistance Agreement they signed with the producers of Top Gun: Maverick. It details the vast scale of support provided to the film, including turning over command authority to Jerry Bruckheimer, and notes that Navy officials would 'weave in key talking points' after reviewing the script.

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https://www.spyculture.com/weave-in-key-talking-points-pentagon-contract-for-top-gun-maverick/

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US Military Continue their Degradation of Superman

The new Superman is now a Navy SEAL. No, you didn't misread that - the affable journalist Clarke Kent is being erased from history in favour of making the world's most famous superhero an advert for naval special forces. "Superman: Year One" went on sale this week as part of DC's attempt to reboot their comic book universe, and Clarke Kent is an early casualty of this new campaign in the military's

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https://www.spyculture.com/us-military-continue-their-degradation-of-superman/

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‘The Army’s Newest Weapon: Death by Cringe’ – US Army Posts Hip Hop Track on Youtube

A week ago the US Army posted a youtube video of the Army Field Band's new hip-hop track 'Won't Be Defeated'. At the time of writing its likes-dislikes ratio is 625 to 593, and the comments section is littered with mocking and ironic comments. As a PR and recruiting effort it has backfired quite spectacularly, and is being criticised by soldiers, veterans and the p

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https://www.spyculture.com/the-armys-newest-weapon-death-by-cringe-us-army-posts-hip-hop-track-on-youtube/

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Blog

pop music

satire

‘Awards Shows + Mental Health/PTSD Issues + DOD Endorsement Scares Me’ – The Pentagon and the PRISM Awards

The PRISM Awards are an entertainment industry ceremony that gives out gongs for accurate depictions of substance abuse and mental health problems in films and TV shows. In 2012 the Pentagon were asked to attend and participate in the awards, which caused quite a stir within the entertainment liaison offices.

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https://www.spyculture.com/awards-shows-mental-health-ptsd-issues-dod-endorsement-scares-me-the-pentagon-and-the-prism-awards/

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Psychology

Subscriber Podcast #31 – Rollerball

In this month's subscriber-only podcast I examine the 1975 movie Rollerball, about an ultra-violent bloodsport and the corporate dystopian society surrounding it. I discuss some of my favourite scenes in the film and how they reflect aspects of our present, real society, as well as the political philosophy of social Darwinism.

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https://www.spyculture.com/subscriber-podcast-31-rollerball/

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Predictive Programming

The DEA and Breaking Bad: Why Hank Never Tapped Jesse’s Phone

Despite its enormous popularity there are many problems with Breaking Bad - the utterly racist depiction of Mexicans, the glorifying of a sociopathic protagonist and that incredibly boring and pointless fifth season come to mind. But what has never been discussed before is how the show functions as propaganda for the Drug Enforcement Administration, which likely explains why Hank never got a

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https://www.spyculture.com/the-dea-and-breaking-bad-why-hank-never-tapped-jesses-phone/

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The Rebooted Designated Survivor: Sponsored by the CIA?

The soft reboot of the political drama Designated Survivor recently dropped on Netflix and in spite of Kiefer Sutherland making the least convincing president since Sarah Palin it is a considerable improvement on the first two seasons. What no other critic has noticed is that the CIA supported the series, likely through their 'longtime contact' Rich Klein.

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https://www.spyculture.com/the-rebooted-designated-survivor-sponsored-by-the-cia/

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ClandesTime 183 – Fields of Fire

Fields of Fire is one of the greatest movies that was never made. A brutal but sympathetic portrait of the Vietnam War, it was denied military support despite being written by a former Secretary of the Navy. This week I examine the story of Fields of Fire using a file from the DOD’s entertainment liaison office.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clandestime-183-fields-of-fire/

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‘Fuck John Wayne’ – Why the DOD Prevented the movie Fields of Fire from Being Made

When James Webb approached the Pentagon to ask for assistance making his Vietnam war drama Fields of Fire he had every right to expect their support. A former Marine and short-term Secretary of the Navy he was a military veteran who had written his novel based on his own real-life experiences of Vietnam. It therefore should have met the DOD's demands for a 'reasonably realis

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https://www.spyculture.com/fuck-john-wayne-why-the-dod-prevented-the-movie-fields-of-fire-from-being-made/

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Spy Culture Certified by American Journal of Economics and Sociology

Today I received an email that I thought I would share with you, from the publishers of the American Journal of Economics and Sociology. It said that the two articles I penned for the journal were among the top 20 most-downloaded articles in the year following publication, and even offered me a certificate in recognition for my work.

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https://www.spyculture.com/spy-culture-certified-by-american-journal-of-economics-and-sociology/

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How the DOD’s Entertainment Liaison Office Protects the Entire US Government

The DOD's directive on working with Hollywood says that they can provide production assistance if it is deemed 'in the best interest of the Nation', but as with all their criteria for deciding whether to give support the Pentagon interpret this very broadly. They use the considerable influence that DOD support (or a refusal) entails in order to protect the cinemat

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https://www.spyculture.com/how-the-dods-entertainment-liaison-office-protects-the-entire-us-government/

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Black Hawk Down, the LA Riots and Clear and Present Danger

When the producers of Clear and Present Danger approached the Pentagon to ask for military support they probably weren't expecting 6 months of script negotiations to get their film into a shape deemed acceptable by the entertainment liaison offices. Documents from the DOD show how their concerns ranged from the depiction of the Colombian government to comparisons to the military's

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https://www.spyculture.com/black-hawk-down-the-la-riots-and-clear-and-present-danger/

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ClandesTime 182 – Clear and Present Danger

1994’s Clear and Present Danger is one of the most important movies in the cinema of the war on drugs, depicting black operations by the CIA and US military against a Colombian drug cartel. In this episode I do a deep dive on Clear and Present Danger, and how it set the standards for much of the war on drugs-themed entertainment since then.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clandestime-182-clear-and-present-danger/

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Documents reveal Hollywood Cover-Up of Pentagon’s Sex Crime Problem

The Military, Movies and #MeToo

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https://www.spyculture.com/documents-reveal-hollywood-cover-up-of-pentagons-sex-crime-problem/

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The FBI and DEA Spy on Hollywood Producers

The relationship between intelligence agencies and the entertainment industry is complex and multi-faceted. Angles include the influence of the agencies on their own public image, the influence of entertainment on the agencies, and intelligence-gathering by those agencies on the culture industry. Documents released by the FBI and the DEA show that before agreeing to work with Hollywood producers, both agenci

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https://www.spyculture.com/the-fbi-and-dea-spy-on-hollywood-producers/

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DEA

Q-Force, or How Queers Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Fascism

Netflix recently ordered a 10-episode first series of Q-Force, the world's first animated LGBTQ spy series. Pitched as a 'gay James Bond' the cartoon will undoubtedly contain the usual PR for the security state, wrapped up in a rainbow flag. No doubt it will be heralded by numerous liberal and LGBTQ media outlets as 'breaking down barriers' and praised for including 'the heroes trans p

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https://www.spyculture.com/q-force-or-how-queers-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-fascism/

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The DEA and the Entertainment Industry: Spying, Censorship and Control

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently released nearly 200 pages of contracts between themselves and entertainment producers, which for the first time shed light on how they interact with Hollywood.

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https://www.spyculture.com/the-dea-and-the-entertainment-industry-spying-censorship-and-control/

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DEA

ClandesTime 181 – The Cinema of Iran-Contra

Iran-Contra is in many ways the definitive government conspiracy – involving guns, drugs, anti-communism and black operations, it went all the way to the White House. This week I examine several films that implicitly or explicitly incorporate the Iran-Contra conspiracy into their plots, as well as movies about Iran-Contra that were never made due to government interference.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clandestime-181-the-cinema-of-iran-contra/

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Top Secret CIA Emails on Osama bin Laden ‘Devil Doll’

In 2014 the Washington Post's Adam Goldman published a story about the CIA producing dolls of Osama bin Laden as part of an influence operation designed to diminish the former Al Qaeda's leader's popularity in the Middle East. The dolls would be made so the paint on the eyes would easily rub off, revealing 'devil eyes' underneath. Newly-released emails confirm that the CIA monitored the development of

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https://www.spyculture.com/top-secret-cia-emails-on-osama-bin-laden-devil-doll/

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‘A Complete Rewrite of the Storyline Would be Required’ – DOD File on The Presidio

1988's The Presidio wanted to film at the real Presidio in San Francisco, an Army installation. As per usual this required a full military script review, but the DOD responded demanding a 'complete rewrite' before they would approve access to the base. The resulting film bears little resemblance to the submitted script, leading to glowing feedback from the Army.

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https://www.spyculture.com/a-complete-rewrite-of-the-storyline-would-be-required-dod-file-on-the-presidio/

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The Latest in Recruitment Propaganda: US Air Force teams up with MMA

The US military's ever-expanding portfolio of recruitment efforts just broke new ground: the Professional Fighters League. This mixed martial arts league is watched the world over and a recent event in Nassau was sponsored by Air Force Special Ops and the Air Force Reserve Command. It seems no aspect of pop culture is free from the full spectrum dominance of Pentagon's propaganda operati

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https://www.spyculture.com/the-latest-in-recruitment-propaganda-us-air-force-teams-up-with-mma/

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Blog

USAF

ClandesTime 180 – The Politics of Monster Movies

Monster movies are one of the most beloved and distinctive genres in cinema, featuring a winning combination of exotic spectacle, ground-breaking visual effects and reflections on humanity’s relationship with nature.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clandestime-180-the-politics-of-monster-movies/

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‘The Script was Entertaining but very Sophmorish’ – FBI Deputy Director on The X-Files

In 1998 retired FBI deputy director Cartha DeLoach was asked by the producers of The X-Files to review the script for an episode of the show that was set in the 1950s. The FBI recently released DeLoach's response to the producers, where he branded the script 'very entertaining but Sophmorish', taking particular issue with the depiction of his boss J Edgar Hoover.

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https://www.spyculture.com/the-script-was-entertaining-but-very-sophmorish-fbi-deputy-director-on-the-x-files/

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Review – Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How The Left Took Over Your TV

In a guest article for Spy Culture my good friend and co-author of National Security Cinema Matt Alford reviews Ben Shapiro's book Primetime Propaganda.

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https://www.spyculture.com/review-primetime-propaganda-the-true-hollywood-story-of-how-the-left-took-over-your-tv/

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Subscriber Podcast #30 – Starship Troopers

On this month's subscriber-only podcast I review one of my favourite films of all time - Starship Troopers. I discuss the film's dual narratives, how it is an anti-war film disguised as a piece of war propaganda, and why it was so misunderstood when it first came out. I outline my view that watching the movie is a lesson in how to identify and understand war propaganda, as well being an ultra-violent satire of fascism.

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https://www.spyculture.com/subscriber-podcast-30-starship-troopers/

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Forrest Gump – Tom Secker on Fortress on a Hill

Chris and Danny invited me back onto their podcast to discuss the 1994 comedy-drama Forrest Gump. We talked about the original book by Winston Groom as well as McNamara's 100,000 - a project to recruit troops into the US Army who would normally have fallen below the required standards. We honed in on the differences between the book and the film, how the book is clearly anti-war while the film is ambiguous at

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https://www.spyculture.com/forrest-gump-tom-secker-on-fortress-on-a-hill/

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Why Did the Pentagon Support Godzilla and Transformers, but Rejected Jarhead?

The 2005 biographical war film Jarhead is one of a very small number of films set in the first Gulf War. Despite being based on the autobiography of a Marine who served in Desert Storm the DOD refused to provide it with military support. But how can a film based on a first-hand account not meet the criterion of being a 'reasonably realistic depiction' of the military, when Transformer

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https://www.spyculture.com/why-did-the-pentagon-support-godzilla-and-transformers-but-rejected-jarhead/

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Iraq

Iraq War

Phil Strub

war films

ClandesTime 179 – The Philosophy and Politics of Superman

Superman is one of the world’s most recognisable cultural icons. A symbol of human idealism, he has been subject to a range of political and philosophical agendas over the last 80 years. This week I analyse the ideas behind Superman, and how they have manifested and changed throughout the course of the films.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clandestime-179-the-philosophy-and-politics-of-superman/

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How the Pentagon Rewrote Man of Steel

The Superman reboot Man of Steel launched the (now abandoned) DC Extended Universe, and put a much darker tinge on the Superman franchise than any previous incarnation, especially the Christopher Reeve classics. Man of Steel benefited from large-scale support from the military, but hidden until now are the details of the script changes the DOD […]

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https://www.spyculture.com/how-the-pentagon-rewrote-man-of-steel/

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Avengers: Endgame — What the Media Won’t Talk About

I recently saw Avengers: Endgame and it’s a pretty spectacular end to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it. It is also the greatest piece of promotion for the predominant economic model of our time that I’ve ever seen.

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https://www.spyculture.com/avengers-endgame%e2%80%8a-%e2%80%8awhat-the-media-wont-talk-about/

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The Pentagon, Superman and the Freedom of Information Act

In 1977 the producers of Superman and Superman II approached the Pentagon to try to obtain stock footage of missiles launching, for use in depicting Lex Luthor's dastardly plot to nuke the San Andreas fault. The Air Force and Strategic Air Command were provided with copies of the script in order to assess the request, and there were disagreements between the various DOD components as to whethe

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https://www.spyculture.com/the-pentagon-superman-and-the-freedom-of-information-act/

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ClandesTime 178 – Black Panther vs Django Unchained

Black Panther and Django Unchained are perhaps the two most successful movies featuring black actors in lead roles that Hollywood has ever made. But are they as radical as they seem? This week I analyse these films, how they operate as emotive fantasies for black audiences.

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https://www.spyculture.com/clandestime-178-black-panther-vs-django-unchained/

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Watergate, the Mark Felt Biopic and the FBI

In my latest article for Shadowproof I examine the FBI's role in the Mark Felt biopic Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House. Using documents obtained under FOIA and an interview with Ed Gray, the son of FBI acting director Pat Gray (who is depicted in Mark Felt) I reveal the film's production history, the FBI's influence on the script, and how it came to be so inaccurate when the Bu

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https://www.spyculture.com/watergate-the-mark-felt-biopic-and-the-fbi/

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How the FBI Spied on and Rewrote the Torture Thriller Unthinkable

The 2010 thriller Unthinkable courted controversy by depicting the torture of a suspected terrorist who claims to have planted nuclear bombs in three US cities. Despite a strong cast including Samuel L Jackson, Carrie-Ann Moss and Stephen Root it was released direct-to-video and lost money.

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https://www.spyculture.com/how-the-fbi-spied-on-and-rewrote-the-torture-thriller-unthinkable/