When Journalism Becomes "Terrorism

By Richard Ryan

Senior Pentagon adviser Richard Perle abruptly announced his resignation on March 27 as chair of the Defense Policy Board, an influential Pentagon advisory panel. Not coincidentally, Perle had shortly before his resignation described the respected journalist Seymour Hersh as a "terrorist," and threatened to sue Hersh for libel in Britain. Pulitzer-winner Hersh’s report in the New Yorker (dated 3/17/03) on Perle’s messy finances became the first of a series of embarrassing stories that threatened Perle’s considerable access to power. It now looks as though Perle, frequently described as the chief architect of the war in Iraq, launched his counter-attack on Hersh as part of a "hide-in-plain-sight" strategy--dodging scrutiny, not the spotlight--in a calculated spin campaign. Notwithstanding his resignation as the board's chair, Perle’s strategy may have worked. Despite first-rate investigative reporting by both Hersh and the New York Times, Perle is as well-connected to Washington’s power elite as ever. If Perle makes it through his current difficulties, it will largely due to the general compliance of the mainstream media with his attempts to squelch investigation of his business dealings.Hersh's story detailed a meeting that Perle admits he had with notorious Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, and another Saudi businessman, in January 2003. Khashoggi and other sources suggest in the story that Perle's goal was raising money for Trireme, his venture capital firm that backs military-related enterprises. Hersh’s sources insisted that Perle and his colleagues in Trireme left the clear impression that, in return for Saudi financial backing, Perle would use his official Pentagon connections to influence DOD policy in the Saudis' favor. As the chair of the Defense Policy Board, Perle was indeed well-placed to broker influence in the military establishment. The board, which consists primarily of well-connected former government officials like Newt Gingrich and Dan Quayle (Perle was himself an assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration), exists in that twilight realm that allows ex-bureaucrats to continue to exert influence on their former colleagues. Though not officially part of the civil service, members of the Defense Policy Board are expected to abide by the same code of ethical conduct that governs all federal employees, which prohibits using official positions for personal gain.