National Security Cinema: The Shocking New Evidence of Government Control in Hollywood

by Matthew Alford, Tom Secker

This is a book about secrecy, militarism, and censorship at the heart of the world’s leading democracy—and about those who fight them. Using thousands of pages of documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act, 'National Security Cinema' exclusively reveals that the national security state—led by the CIA and Pentagon—has worked on more than eight-hundred Hollywood films and over a thousand network television shows. The latest scholarship has underestimated the size of this operation, in part because the government have gone to considerable lengths to prevent data emerging, especially in the 21st Century, as the practice of government-Hollywood cooperation has escalated. National Security Cinema reveals for the first time specific script changes made by the government for political reasons on dozens of blockbusting franchises like Avatar, Meet the Parents, and The Terminator. These forces have suppressed important narratives CIA drug trafficking; illegal arms sales; PTSD in servicemen; the interaction of private armies and oil companies; government treatment of minorities; torture; coups; assassinations, and the failure to prevent 9/11.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, Film, Economics, American History, American

265 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 27, 2017

About the author

Matthew Alford is a Lecturer in Politics, Languages & International Studies at the University of Bath. He was awarded a doctorate by the University of Bath in 2008. His thesis used Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky's Propaganda Model to examine contemporary Hollywood.

Alford has written articles for UK newspapers like The Guardian,[3] New Statesman,[4] and Independent.[5] He has also written for Fortean Times[6] Subjects have included Hollywood cinema, pop music, censorship, conspiracy theories, and the political thought of Noam Chomsky.

Alford has been interviewed by stations such as Canal Plus, Al Jazeera, and the CBC.

Alford's first book Reel Power: Hollywood Cinema and American Supremacy was published in 2010. It is based on his doctoral thesis. The Scotsman wrote that the book provides a "useful précis of some of the more explicit links between major movie studios, American political interests and powerful lobbies, most notably the arms industry". The book identifies "the Pentagon's active practical support of, and influence upon, films such as films such as Top Gun, Pearl Harbor and Black Hawk Down".

Alford produced and appeared in the 2014 documentary The Writer with No Hands, which followed his investigation into the 1997 disappearance and death of Hollywood screenwriter Gary Devore. The documentary examines the US military’s influence in Hollywood and the role of propaganda. It premiered at Hot Docs.

In 2020, he performed a solo stage version of The Writer with No Hands at the Edinburgh Free Fringe online and played himself as a "mediocre stand-up comedian" in a short docufiction in which he is recruited by MI5 to kidnap the US President.

In 2020, Alford's documentary, Theatres of Command: The Military Occupation of Hollywood, was released. It is based on the book National Security Cinema: The Shocking New Evidence of Government Control in Hollywood, which he co-wrote with Tom Secker.

Reviews

[محمد شفیعی · Rating 5 out of 5]

A shocking book about how CIA, Pentagon and ... Influence Hollywood
Besides you could find out how money and advertisement is shaping Hollywood and its audiences

[Valiant Thor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid treatment of a very important topic. It's clear to anyone with "eyes to see and ears to hear" that military/intelligence works hand-in-glove with Hollywood, but this book provides the facts that back it up, with many specific examples of how it's done, even if what's in the book is just the tip of the iceberg.

The book is readable, not overly long, and manages to stay admirably objective in the face of a practice deserving of contempt.

Perhaps the best protection against the subtle (and not-so-subtle) military/intelligence propaganda of Hollywood is knowledge of what's being done and how, and this book contains that knowledge- and the protection it provides. The best protection, however, is simply not consuming Hollywood's garbage, to the extent that's possible.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

A vital and worthy narrative of the infiltration of pro-pentagon narratives into mass entertainment, but one also occasionally marred by bizarre takes on some of the films overviewed. Even the mediocre 'Contact' surely cannot be hyperbolicly labeled as 'white supremacist' or even the fast and lose coverage of actual events in 'Hotel Rwanda' cannot be quantified by what happened in that country after the events of when it takes place with the later Mugabe government (many of which were certainly justifiable in context by any realistic and non-moralist view).

But I always do appreciate fellow travelers who enjoy Robocop and Starship Troopers as good subversive content.

[Mahdi · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب بسیار خوبی برای شناخت رویکرد راهبردی به سینماست

[Kevin Gosztola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Few realize how hundreds of films and thousands of television episodes are influenced by the government. The Pentagon and CIA, in particular, shape entertainment by promising logistical support and equipment in return for script revisions. These changes are not innocent but designed to undermine subversive messages about the military, etc.

Through this low-budget book, Tom Secker and Matthew Alford do a good job of documenting several recent films and the government influence that weakened messages in them. They use documents obtained through FOIA to slightly peel back a veil of unjustifiable secrecy because the Pentagon and CIA do not want the public to know too much about the lengths these agencies will go to undermine artistic freedom and impose censorship.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good reference piece for the role of DoD/Intelligence censorship and influence in Hollywood. However, a bit hamstrung by some sloppy writing and the latter half of the book taking the form largely of film criticism, rather than documenting interference.

[Fatemeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

کتاب منصفانه ای که با بررسی اسناد به تاثیر نهادهای امنیتی آمریکا از جمله پنتاگون، کاخ سفید و... در سینما می‌پردازه و در مواردی به جزییات این تاثیرات می‌پردازه

[Ryan Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both expected and unexpected.

I was both blown away and not surprised in the least with the content of this book. The biggest revelation for me personally was the amount of meddling in materials I always thought were “anti war/govt/corporations” but actually just filtered that shit trough a prism that those industries were cool with. I found myself multiple times switching from no shit, to NO SHIT! Give this a read if the actual limits of what is propaganda appeal to you.

[Dan Geddes · Rating 4 out of 5]

National Security Cinema documents the important role that the US Department of Defense and CIA have always played during the production of many of your favorite Hollywood movies (including Iron Man, the James Bond movies, Transformers, Avatar, Argo, Enemy of the State, the Tom Clancy movies, as well as Forrest Gump, Meet the Parents, among hundreds of others) as well as TV shows, such as 24. While many people are already aware of this, or may find it harmless (of course movie producers need to shoot on an aircraft carrier or fighter jet from time to time), the fact that the U.S. government exercises enough leverage even to change movie scripts so that they better fit the Pentagon’s desired narrative might raise skeptical eyebrows in some quarters. As authors Alford and Secker argue, showing the U.S. military as the ultimate defender of truth, justice, and the American way is just another type of product placement, not really so different from showing a can of Coca-Cola on screen. Alford and Secker list more than 800 movies (going back to 1911) and more than 1,100 TV shows that were made with the co-operation of the US Department of Defense (as demonstrated via government documentation obtained via Freedom of Information Act requests). National Security Cinema also reviews the works of a few directors (such as Oliver Stone and Paul Verhoeven) who have managed to create major Hollywood productions that are critical of the U.S. defense establishment. Although not a flawless work (I spotted some typos and even a paragraph that was repeated verbatim) National Security Cinema is an essential volume for documenting the government’s role in manufacturing our shared culture and perceived reality for its own end.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about how the American military exerts control over the entertainment industry to ensure a pure image of them gets lodged in audiences' minds. By the time I read it, I'd been following co-author Tom Secker's Clandestime podcast for several years, so the book was a bit of a supplement to the show, some information had already been covered but there was enough new there to make the read worthwhile. My only criticism is that the book could have used more proofreading, but as it's self-published, that's something I can overlook.

[Tariq Mahmood · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a reference book with a list of Hollywood movies with inferences to CIA and the Department of Defence direct and indirect influence over certain blockbuster movies. After the initial introduction and summary, a list of movies and the extent of CIA/DOD influence is detailed, which after the first few examples becomes repetitive turning eventually to tiresome.

[Pete Judge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book and learned from it a lot about US govt involvement in cinema. I’d recommend to people who want to know about that if you have long suspected, like me, that US culture helps to fuel militaristic aims

[José María · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would be much better if an editor had worked on it.

[KT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and illuminating read on the history of how the US military, FBI and CIA have influenced, bough out and used Hollywood for their own propaganda purposes

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great survey of the field. Lots of pathetic details, especially of those like Spielberg who don't have to take any direction.

[Anthony Ponzio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but I remember not liking something about it. Very interesting though!

[Kam Ho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but intriguing dive into the entanglement of politics and entertainment.

[Anti Mr Wonderful 666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly good, but is prejudiced against JFK.

[Æ · Rating 5 out of 5]

You are not immune to propaganda. I am not immune to propaganda. No one is immune to propaganda. In a country that opposes censorship, indoctrination, and propaganda, that country’s government would be required by law to make their files on media cooperation open to the public and require studios to explicitly declare any cooperation in the opening credits of their films, television shows, and videogames. After reading this and the “Lies” book, it’s clear that the US citizenry is one of the most indoctrinated populations on earth. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn what media has been directly influenced by state propagandists, the methodology used by said propagandists, and the history of US Propaganda. [Highly Recommended]

[Jenni Ludtke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched and well written

The explanations of script changes and how these changes changed the overall message of the movies was most interesting, as well as examples of why certain films were never made. As well researched as it could be, especially given the lack of information readily available.
The one small downside is it could use better editing ,as there were a few parts that were literally repetitive parts from a few paragraphs earlier. Overall, very interesting and informative.