The Nation on May 7, 1988.

In 1986, for instance, President Reagan cited Central American surveys by the respected Gallup organization to support his campaign for more funds for the contras. The great majority of Costa Ricans, Guatemalans, Salvadorans and Hondurans supported the US war against Nicaragua, and polls proved it, Reagan alleged: "In some countries, more than 90% of the people support what we are doing." US Ambassador to the United Nations Jeane Kirkpatrick used the argument in a bitter attack on Bruce Babbit, then a presidential aspirant proud of his fluency in Spanish and his familiarity with Latin American affairs. Citing the Gallup statistics, she ridiculed the Arizona governor in The Washington Post, saying he was out of step with Central Americans in his opposition to contraaid. Philip Habib, Reagan's special ambassador to Central America, likewise referred to the Gallup poll as proof that "the majority of Central Americans, in the first place, condemn the situation in Nicaragua, and, in the second place, support aid to the contras."

The catch was that none of this information could be verified. USIA is forbidden by law from carrying out propaganda within the United States, so the poll results were not published there. (This also raises interesting questions about the White House use of the Central American survey.)

The results of USIA-undertaken surveys are often declared classified, and the Central American survey was no exception. The most that US journalists found out was the admission of Reagan's spokesperson Larry Speakes that the 90% was "exaggerated." They were not told,