A definition from the 1952 Great Soviet Encyclopedia called it the “dissemination (in the press, on the radio, etc.) of false reports intended to mislead public opinion” and suggested that the Soviet Union was the target of such tactics from the West. In his book “Disinformation,” Pacepa wrote that the Soviet manuals he read as a young intelligence officer described disinformation as a tactic used by Moscow with roots in Russian history. Even so, there's little doubt that the United States engaged in its own disinformation campaign, too. Reuters later reported that after the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, the CIA would plant fake stories in other Muslim countries about “invasion day celebrations” at Soviet embassies.

Source: Washington Post November 26, 2016 11:01 UTC