The Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 specifies the terms in which the U.S. gov’t can engage in public diplomacy. The Act was “the creation of an information service to disseminate abroad information about the U.S., its people, and policies.”

The Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012 amended Act of 1948 to allow the Sec. of State and the BBG to provide for the research and spreading of information targeted to foreign audiences abroad about the U.S., including its people, its history, and the federal gov’ts policies.

This has cleared the way for the U.S. gov’t to use propaganda made for foreign audiences on the American public.

The NDAA of 2017 exacerbated the issue. It includes the language of The Portman-Murphy Act which officially creates a gov’t-run propaganda center under the State Dept.