Operation POROK: Henry "Scoop" Jackson Gay?

The KGB loved to accuse American politicians of being Zionists, gay, or both. It did not matter if they were Republicans or Democrats. All that mattered was their anti-soviet stance. In the late 60s, after a failed attempt to subsidize Hubert Humphrey's presidential campaign to prevent Richard Nixon from being elected, the KGB moved on to Henry "Scoop" Jackson. Fearing Jackson's stance on the Soviet Union and believing he would be the Democratic nominee, the KGB launched active measures to discredit him as a Zionist and homosexual. First, Service A forged an FBI document claiming that Jackson was gay. Copies were sent to the Chicago Tribune, The L.A. Times, the Topeka Capital and Jimmy Carter's campaign HQs. Then, in April 1976, after Jackson stated on television that "homosexuality leads to the destruction of the family", The KGB sent said statement and forged documents alleging Jackson was a member of a gay sex club to various people and entities including: Senator Edward Kennedy, columnist Jack Anderson, and the Playboy and Penthouse magazines. The KGB continued POROK despite Jackson failed to obtain the Democratic nomination in 1977 one of POROK's goals was to have the gay press attack Jackson as a hypocritical, closet homosexual. A forged document was sent to a California magazine called "Gay Times." The entire operation, however, was largely a failure and had no clear effect on Jackson's career.

To read more, see The Sword and the shield by Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin, Political Warfare, pages: 239 -241.

Active Measure: Herbert Hoover A Homosexual?

Along with the CIA, the FBI was a target of Service A's active measures. Most of the propaganda was aimed at the Bureau's leader J. Edgar Hoover, who passed away in 1972.

The KGB's propagandists delivered their literary mud in three phases:

1. Service A portrayed Hoover as an extreme, ultra right-winger in cahoots with the very right-wing John Birch Society. The Service ended up obtaining some of their stationary; the full extent of how they used the stationary is unclear. They did however later forge a letter in November 1965, making it appear that Hoover was sending the society his warm regards, and that with FBI money the John Birch Society could open up more branches.

2. Operation SPIRIT: This operation's aim was to depict abuses of civil rights on behalf of the FBI. Service A forged yet another letter to make it appear that Frances Knight, head of the Passport Office in the State Department was really an FBI agent. The forged letter from Ms. Knight to Hoover asked for FBI assistance in digging up information on a Harvard Vietnam War critic Professor H. Stuart Hughes. The letter was sent to columnist Drew Pearson and published August 4th 1967. Both Knight and Hoover dismissed the letter as a forgery, but damage had already been done as the FBI did not readily deny contacts with the Passport Office. Lesson: always forcefully deny what are lies and follow it up again and again. Luckily, the damage wasn't too severe.

3. And finally, Hoover was a red dress and boa wearing homosexual. There is of course no proof for this. The KGB had taken testimony from a known perjurer, Susan Rosenstiel, and ran with it. Not helping the matter Hoover did, however, share a home with his deputy Clyde Tolson. Despite this there is no credible evidence that any unusual relationship was occurring. To the dismay of Hoover's number three Deke DeLoach, he was shocked how readily the smear was accepted as an "undeniable truth". This is similar to a "repeat it often enough and people will believe it" matter as is with a more modern urban legend involving Richard Gere and a Gerbal. The lesson is, the next time you hear: "But, I mean everybody knows it's a fact that...", take it with a big grain of salt.