Pentagon says officials won't lie to public

WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Wednesday that a Pentagon campaign to influence global opinion will not include lies to the public, but might employ "tactical" deception to confuse an enemy for battlefield advantage.

"Government officials, the Department of Defense, this secretary and the people that work with me tell the American people and the people of the world the truth," Rumsfeld said while meeting with troops providing security at the Salt Lake City Olympics.

Responding to reports that the new Office of Strategic Influence has proposed placing news items -- false if necessary -- with foreign news organizations, Rumsfeld said the office will instead mostly oversee longtime Pentagon activities like dropping leaflets and broadcasting messages during wartime.

Rumsfeld said the Pentagon also might engage in strategic or tactical deception, as it has in the past. For example, if U.S. troops were about to launch an attack from the west, they might "very well do things" that would make the enemy believe an attack was instead coming from the north, Rumsfeld said.

"That would be characterized as tactical deception," the secretary said.

However, the defense secretary also made clear the new office's mandate is still under discussion. Earlier Wednesday, the official who oversees the new office ruled out using the news media for deception.