Thread by @3r1nG

Will make a thread with some interesting details from Burson-Marsteller's communications program for the Argentine dictatorship that didn't make it into my @CJR piece: cjr.org/analysis/willi…

The complexity of the network that was established by Burson-Marsteller was particularly insidious. They had tentacles in various kinds of global media: financial reporting, travel reporting and political reporting, as well as influence in government offices around the world.

Offices of Burson-Marsteller in each of the following countries were designated to participate in the comms program: (7 offices total in 8 countries)

USA - NYC & DC
Canada - Toronto
Japan - Tokyo
UK - London
Belgium & Holland - Brussels
Mexico & Colombia - Mexico City

An entire section of Burson-Marsteller's program is dedicated to "Links with embassies"

"An area of ​​central and critical importance in execution of an effective program will be the activities of Burson-Marsteller in connection with the Argentine embassies in all 8 countries."

"The distance we can travel in this direction during the first year of this communications program will be determined to a large extent by teamwork."

"Burson-Marsteller and government personnel must learn to work as a cohesive unit." - from page 6

"It is of paramount importance that Argentina begins to speak with one voice in the nations of the world today. And that can only be accomplished through a highly controlled communications program."

The program was centralized under the direction of B-M's New York office.

This cable from 1976 mentions that Robert S. Benjamin, president of Robert S. Benjamin & Associates, Mexican subsidiary of Burson-Marsteller, was quoted anonymously in an @AP article - the statements were attributed to "sources close to Ambassador Hill" archives.gov/files/argentin…

And I found a mention of Burson-Marsteller in an old Argentine cable. "Local office Burson-Marsteller agency reports that next Thursday the 18th Amnesty International will hold a press conference about our country." (cont.) desclasificacion.cancilleria.gob.ar/userfiles/docu…

"Activists condemning the Argentine government will participate in the press conference. At the end of the press conference, they will march in front of the New York offices of Burson-Marsteller, the consulate in New York is aware."

From ex-Argentine ambassador Aja Espil in DC

I've wondered if more of this communications program can be unearthed by digging through archives from the 8 countries that Burson-Marsteller targeted; media reports from 1976-1980 about Argentina or communications originating from Argentine embassies in those 8 countries.

And I think it's also important to step back and see the panorama. After years of coordinating messaging between this PR firm, various government offices and compliant media, long-term, international networks were established. Still trying to wrap my head around the scale of it.