U.S. Army Calls in Hill & Knowlton

The U.S. Army Community and Family Support Center recently hired PR-firm Hill & Knowlton for a 5-year, $2-million-dollar contract to promote the Center's "morale, welfare and recreation (MWR) programs." According to a Center spokesperson, H&K's work on 250 various MWR activities will include concerts (Miller Genuine Draft Army Concert Tour), sporting events ("Bowl Hog Wild" tournament featuring a Harley-Davidson motorcycle as grand prize), theater, and social/health/education programs. MWR programs are designed to make life better for soldiers stationed in 90 Army installations throughout the world, including Macedonia, Saudi Arabia, Kosovo, and Bosnia. H&K is no stranger to international, military-related work. In 1990, they fabricated testimony in front of a fake "congressional hearing" as part of a campaign to help the government of Kuwait promote the Persian Gulf War. (For the details, see the pages 167-75 of Stauber & Rampton's, "Toxic Sludge Is Good For You.") H&K has offices in 30 countries and clients ranging from the International Olympic Committee to the Italian Trade Commission to Microsoft.