Why Leaders Lie (21 page)
Authors: John J. Mearsheimer
rival states
inter-state lies to, 44
lack of trust between, 100
Roosevelt, Franklin D., 40, 78
fearmongering, 46–47
Gulf of Tonkin, and North Vietnam War, 7
on Soviet responsibility, 129
n
9
World War II, United States participation in, 6–7
routine lying, consequences of, 84
at home front, 86
Rumsfeld, Donald, fearmongering, 51
Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, Columbia University, ix
selfish lies, 11 (
see also
altruistic lies)
Shamir, Yitzhak, inter-state lies, 28–29
Sharett, Moshe, 108
n
3 (ch.3)
Schelling, Thomas, 40
secrecy, 25
Shamir, Yitzhak, 28–29
Sharett, Moshe, lying about surveillance program, 39–40
Sharon, Major Ariel, 65
Shlaim, Avi, 65
social imperialism, 23, 24
Soviet Union
breakup of, 75–76
downplaying hostile intentions, 34
missile attack on Cuba, 33
Moscow, lie on biological weapons handling, 33–34
spinning, 9, 13, 25, 27, 49–55 (
see also
deceptions)
characteristics, 18–19
counter-spinners, 19
definition of, 16–17
downplaying facts, 16
exaggeration, 17
by lawyers, in truth finding, 107
n
4
as legitimate, 10
spying or sabotage, lying about, 38–39
Stalin, Josef, 78
downplaying hostile intentions, 34
lie about Soviet military, 31
Western allies’ portrayal of, 79
state-building process, and nationalist myths, 75–76
straightforwardness, 15
strategic benefits, deceptions providing, 99–100
strategic cover-ups, 22, 63–70
circumstances for, 68–70
democracy versus nondemocracy, 69–70
for failed policy, 94–95
in foreign policy realm, 93–94
and geography, 68
hiding controversial policy, 66–70
hiding failure and incompetence, 64–66
at home front, 92
intended audience for, 64–65
purpose of, 23, 24
risks of, 93–94
during wartime, 68–69
strategic deception campaigns, 40
strategic lies, 11
strategic nuclear parity
Kissinger, Henry, comment on, 112
n
24
surveillance program, 38–40, 100
Sylvester, Arthur, 30–31
target audience
spinning, 18–19
strategic cover-ups, 64–65
Taylor, Henry, on falsehoods, 19
threat deflation, 61, 91, 108
n
3
threat inflation, 61, 91
treaties
inter-state lies during negotiations, 40
Treaty of Brussels, 35–36
Treaty of Dunkirk, 35–36
Versailles Treaty, violation by German military, 67
Truman administration, 122
n
48
fearmongering in, 56
truth telling, 15
military’s role in, 114
n
31
truthfulness, 16
United States
empty threat of bombing Libya, 36
foreign policy, 101
false report on Muammar al-Gaddafi, 36
lie about North Korea selling uranium hexafluoride to Libya, 38
lies to Western European allies for EDC Treaty ratification, 41–42
lying on downing of the U-2 spy plane, 38–39
secret agreement with Japan during Cold War, 67–68
United States Code, 106
n
1, 107
n
6
University of Chicago Program on International Security Policy, x
USS Greer incident. See
Greer
incident
Van Evera, Stephen, 71, 75
Versailles Treaty, violation by German military, 67
von Tirpitz, Admiral Alfred, false claim on fleet building, 32
Walzer, Michael, 81
Warsaw Pact nations, 36–37
wartime, 43
liberal lies during, 77–78
nationalist myths during, 75
strategic cover-ups during, 68–69
Wehrmacht, the, 72–73
When Presidents Lie: A History of Official Deception and Its Consequences
(Alterman), 10
white lies, 7, 87
withholding information, 17, 20 (
see also
concealment)
WMD capabilities, Iraq, 50–51
Bush administration on, 51–52
terrorism and, 55
Wolfowitz, Paul, 52
Woods, Tiger, 17
World Trade Center, September 11 attack
Bush briefing on, 119–20
n
35
World War I, 43, 61, 64, 95, 96
Britain’s lies on tank manufacturing, 33
World War II, 46, 47, 72–73, 82, 100
British deception campaign against Nazi Germany, 40
British aerial-bombing on Germany during World War II, 80
liberal lies during, 78–79
Nazi Germany efforts to blame Poland for starting war, 79–80
Wotton, Sir Henry, 24
Zionism, nationalist mythmaking, 96–97
