A view of the Pentagon. Photo: VCG

They used to say of one famous American film studio that it had more stars than there were in the heavens. Last year, it was discovered that Hollywood has also had more directors than anyone previously knew - but in this case the directions to some of the business's biggest blockbusters came not from Tinseltown but directly from the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency. Generals and spies behind desks in Washington have for decades deliberately influenced how movies have been made. This year, it seems they want to go further and use this propaganda system to target China. Pentagon purges Hollywood - this has become a heated debate these days on social media platforms.

For decades, senior personnel from within the heart of the US government have had a stranglehold on how important aspects of many films are told. A symbiotic relationship has developed between the American military and the American film industry, which has benefited both partners.

The Department of Defense and the CIA have been known to object to the unfavorable depiction of US armed forces, such as being coerced by big business, guilty of war crimes, involved in illegal arms deals, torture, or losing nuclear weapons. If changes are made, the film makers are rewarded with access to the most expensive and shiny ships, aircraft, and even professional advisors, to help make their multi-million dollar movies more successful - that is, more profitable. In return, the Pentagon's entertainment liaison office is rewarded with favorable storylines which portray American armed forces in the best possible light. 

But there is a further, more subtle and more sinister, aspect to the arrangement. In this way, the US government's worldview is reflected as entertainment - making those views the opinions of the "good guys" for example. When this is part of one of the most powerful communication industries in the world, it normalizes those views and makes them less likely to be challenged. People are more willing to accept government policy if it is dressed up as part of a movie plot. It is manufacturing consent.

This was all exposed last year in an acclaimed documentary called Theaters of War, which provided a devastating critique of the system, concluding that many big movies with big-name stars amount to nothing more than public relations promotions for America's armed forces and the military industries which serve them. The film accessed a goldmine of internal documents to detail how the Pentagon and CIA have altered thousands of film and television scripts to present their own version of history. The US military-industrial complex has effectively annexed Hollywood to serve its own ends. Until now, it was done merely to control the military's public image, discouraging criticism and advocating its concerns. Now, it has gone further. Last week it was revealed that for the first time this misplaced power is being weaponized to target just one country. That country is China, and US generals and spies are blatantly trying to shape public opinion in a negative way toward Beijing.

The Washington-based news organisation Politico reported that the Defense Department has just revised its rules for working with movie studios. It means that any film directors who agree to conditions laid down by Beijing to enable distribution of the movie in China - whatever they may be - will get no assistance from the DoD. That means no aircraft carriers, fighter jets, armored personnel vehicles for use in the movies and no sailors, pilots or soldiers to operate them. In most cases, that will mean no movie. They call Chinese conditions "censorship" without recognizing - or refusing to see - that this action by the DoD itself amounts to censorship. Perhaps whether something is seen as "censorship" or "a condition" depends on from where you are looking at it. 

According to the media website, the Pentagon's rule change was triggered by right wing Republican hawk - and outspoken critic of China - Senator Ted Cruz. He became involved in the 2023 fiscal defense policy bill and said during the debate in the Senate: " What does it say to the world when Maverick is scared of the Chinese communists?" referring to the movie Top Gun, based on the US Navy.

Politico said the rules now say that filmmakers who want the US military to help with their projects must promise not to involve China in their films. It is unclear whether the Pentagon or their buddies at Langley have insisted on similar conditions or made similar threats when countries other than China insist on changes to movies in order to comply with that country's laws. Perhaps not. Maybe there is scope for another documentary, this time explaining why one country seems to be singled out for special, unjustified and unfavorable treatment when others are not, just because it panders to the US' warped geopolitical outlook. They could call it The China Syndrome.

The author is an independent researcher and analyst with an interest in China. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn