PHI 210 Week 5

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We will have two ten-minute breaks: at 7:30 and 9 pm. You will 15 minutes in the Lab--9:45-10:00, Discussion, 10:00 pm, before you are dismissed at 10:15 pm.

Statistics come from gathering and ________data.

Given Answer:   analyzing Correct Answer:   analyzing

out of 4 points

Question 2:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Conspiracy theories often lack which of the following?
   	Given Answer:   simplicity and falsifiability Correct Answer:   simplicity and falsifiability

out of 4 points

Question 3:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Frode is afraid of dogs because he was attacked by one as a child. This is an example of which of the following?
   	Given Answer:   explanation Correct Answer:   explanation

out of 4 points

Question 4:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Which of the following is MOST likely to be driven by ideology, culture, or commercial goals?
   	Given Answer:   pseudoscience Correct Answer:   pseudoscience

out of 4 points

Question 5:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Mary grows hundreds of fruit trees in her orchard. The trees range in age, size, and type. Mary's neighbor states, "Now that Mary has listened to my advice, 93% of her trees are bearing fruit." What makes this conclusion difficult to evaluate?
   	Given Answer:   There is missing background information. Correct Answer:   There is missing background information.

out of 4 points

Question 6:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Of the following questions, which one would likely be the LEAST helpful to ask?
   	Given Answer:   Which of these options would require the least amount of effort? Correct Answer:   Which of these options would require the least amount of effort?

out of 4 points

Question 7:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Bryan is the manager of his company's IT department. One morning a server cluster loses power. Bryan first checks the power supply, the power cables, the wall outlet, and finally the circuit breaker to find what caused the power outage. What did Bryan do?
   	Given Answer:   He explored potential causes of the problem. Correct Answer:   He explored potential causes of the problem.

out of 4 points

Question 8:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Wallace is having a frustrating day at work after his manager changes deadlines on him, leaves him out of the loop in an important email chain, and turns down his time-off request. In the middle of a meeting that afternoon, Wallace stands up, announces that he's quitting, and walks out of the office. Which decision-making misstep did Wallace commit?
   	Given Answer:   acting impulsively Correct Answer:   acting impulsively

out of 4 points

Question 9:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Putting in the effort to adequately define the problem is which of the following?
   	Given Answer:   helpful when the time comes to properly generate options Correct Answer:   helpful when the time comes to properly generate options

out of 4 points

Question 10:   Multiple Choice

1. 	A good practice when making a decision involves which of the following?
   	Given Answer:   committing to the decision and solving the problem Correct Answer:   committing to the decision and solving the problem

out of 4 points

Question 11:   Multiple Choice

1. 	What is another term for semantic meaning?
   	Given Answer:   denotative meaning Correct Answer:   denotative meaning

out of 4 points

Question 12:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Margo told her friend Lisa about a recent study that she had read. Which statement is an indicator to Lisa of Margo's use of a proof surrogate in her argument?
   	Given Answer:   "Everyone knows that all of our cells regenerate every couple of years." Correct Answer:   "Everyone knows that all of our cells regenerate every couple of years."

out of 4 points

Question 13:   Multiple Choice

1. 	To Albert, the word "love" brings up positive feelings about his son; to Raj, it brings up negative feelings about a previous relationship; and to Anthony, it refers to the warm feeling he gets during family gatherings. Which category of meaning are these statements describing?
   	Given Answer:   connotative meaning Correct Answer:   connotative meaning

out of 4 points

Question 14:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Which list includes terms that are most often used as qualifiers or "weasel words"?
   	Given Answer:   suggested, perhaps, arguably, may, possibly Correct Answer:   suggested, perhaps, arguably, may, possibly

out of 4 points

Question 15:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Which of these statements demonstrate the use of a euphemism?
   	Correct Answer:   Your coworker announces that her cat was put to sleep over the weekend.

out of 4 points

Question 16:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Which of the following is the BEST example of an amoral claim?
   	Given Answer:   Fire can be used for cooking and generating heat. Correct Answer:   Fire can be used for cooking and generating heat.

out of 4 points

Question 17:   Multiple Choice

1. 	A bank states that its decision to offer home loans at an extremely low initial, but variable, rate is rooted in the idea that all have a right to owning an affordable home. The bank does not state that the loans are packaged in a product sold to another, larger bank that may or may not work with customers in difficult situations. The smaller bank is no longer exposed to the risk of longer-term loans, and makes a large profit. Which moral theory is the bank operating under?
   	Given Answer:   Ethical Egoism. The bank did what was best for the institution. Correct Answer:   Ethical Egoism. The bank did what was best for the institution.

out of 4 points

Question 18:   Multiple Choice

1. 	A fellow coworker takes someone else's food from the community refrigerator and eats it. When confronted about the offense, the coworker stated that someone else took his food the previous month. This is an example of which of the following?
   	Given Answer:   an excuse Correct Answer:   an excuse

out of 4 points

Question 19:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Your company is operating as a subcontractor on a large government contract. The government decides to request proposals for another upcoming project. Your boss asks you to submit a proposal on behalf of your company, knowing it would violate the current agreement with the primary contractor. If you do what your boss says because he is your boss, you are operating under which moral theory?
   	Given Answer:   authoritarian moral theory Correct Answer:   authoritarian moral theory

out of 4 points

Question 20:   Multiple Choice

1. 	What is an argument claiming the violation of some moral principle is the right course of action?
   	Given Answer:   a justification Correct Answer:   a justification

out of 4 points

Question 21:   Multiple Choice

1. 	When debating solutions to problems related to climate change on a national level, which problem related to climate change has a prominent amount of conflicting political opinions?
   	Given Answer:   possible economic effects of fighting climate change Correct Answer:   possible economic effects of fighting climate change

out of 4 points

Question 22:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Which of the following is an example of a "loaded question"?
   	Given Answer:   Should a harmless slap, as part of good parental ion, be a criminal offense? Correct Answer:   Should a harmless slap, as part of good parental ion, be a criminal offense?

out of 4 points

Question 23:   Multiple Choice

1. 	The two parts of an argument are _________ and _________.
   	Given Answer:   premise; conclusion Correct Answer:   premise; conclusion

out of 4 points

Question 24:   Multiple Choice

1. 	When listening to people debating a topic, a critical thinker should ignore _________.
   	Given Answer:   if they are dressed in a professional manner Correct Answer:   if they are dressed in a professional manner

out of 4 points

Question 25:   Multiple Choice

	To get the latest information on stem cell research and its future applications, it would be best to consult a researcher in the field of _________.
	Given Answer:   Developmental Biology Correct Answer:   Developmental Biology

Question 1:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Which of the following is MOST likely to be driven by ideology, culture, or commercial goals?
   	Given Answer:   pseudoscience Correct Answer:   pseudoscience

out of 4 points

Question 2:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Brian's eighth grade biology class is conducting a scientific investigation to find out what types of rock the school is built on. The class goes out to collect rocks from an exposure at the edge of the school property. Which scientific process is the class involved in when they do this?
   	Given Answer:   gathering evidence Correct Answer:   gathering evidence

out of 4 points

Question 3:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Sally reads a report about a casual study of students and their attitudes to drugs. "A group of high school students were asked if they had ever used an illegal substance; the majority of those students said 'No.'" Sally then cites this study in her paper about drug use. She says, "A study of students revealed that only 10% of high school students use drugs." Why is her conclusion flawed?
   	Given Answer:   The data relied on the self-reporting of participants. Correct Answer:   The data relied on the self-reporting of participants.

out of 4 points

Question 4:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Mary grows hundreds of fruit trees in her orchard. The trees range in age, size, and type. Mary's neighbor states, "Now that Mary has listened to my advice, 93% of her trees are bearing fruit." What makes this conclusion difficult to evaluate?
   	Given Answer:   There is missing background information. Correct Answer:   There is missing background information.

out of 4 points

Question 5:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Frode is afraid of dogs because he was attacked by one as a child. This is an example of which of the following?
   	Given Answer:   explanation Correct Answer:   explanation

out of 4 points

Question 6:   Multiple Choice

1. 	A good practice when making a decision involves which of the following?
   	Given Answer:   committing to the decision and solving the problem Correct Answer:   committing to the decision and solving the problem

out of 4 points

Question 7:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Of the following questions, which one would likely be the LEAST helpful to ask?
   	Given Answer:   Which of these options would require the least amount of effort? Correct Answer:   Which of these options would require the least amount of effort?

out of 4 points

Question 8:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Charlie completely forgot he had a paper on the complications of giving aid to developing countries due the next day. He considers pulling an all-nighter to complete the paper, emailing his instructor to ask for an extension, or copying an essay he found online and submitting it as his own work. He eliminates the option of copying someone else's work because he believes that misusing sources is a betrayal of trust to both his instructor and classmates. Which of the following questions likely had the MOST weight in his decision?
   	Given Answer:   Does it fit with my personal ethics? Correct Answer:   Does it fit with my personal ethics?

out of 4 points

Question 9:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Which of the following is MOST likely to lead to bad decisions?
   	Given Answer:   Go with the first choice that springs to mind without taking a moment to consider alternatives. Correct Answer:   Go with the first choice that springs to mind without taking a moment to consider alternatives.

out of 4 points

Question 10:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Putting in the effort to adequately define the problem is which of the following?
   	Given Answer:   helpful when the time comes to properly generate options Correct Answer:   helpful when the time comes to properly generate options

out of 4 points

Question 11:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Which statement BEST represents the syntactic meaning of love as physical affection?
   	Given Answer:   Ainsley shows her love for her son by hugging him when she picks him up from school. Correct Answer:   Ainsley shows her love for her son by hugging him when she picks him up from school.

out of 4 points

Question 12:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Which statement BEST describes the relationship between defining terms and clear thinking?
   	Given Answer:   Clear thinking is helped by well-defined terms. Correct Answer:   Clear thinking is helped by well-defined terms.

out of 4 points

Question 13:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Using the term "snail mail" to describe postal mail is an example of which of these?
   	Given Answer:   a dysphemism Correct Answer:   a dysphemism

out of 4 points

Question 14:   Multiple Choice

1. 	To Albert, the word "love" brings up positive feelings about his son; to Raj, it brings up negative feelings about a previous relationship; and to Anthony, it refers to the warm feeling he gets during family gatherings. Which category of meaning are these statements describing?
   	Given Answer:   connotative meaning Correct Answer:   connotative meaning

out of 4 points

Question 15:   Multiple Choice

1. 	In what way is the statement "Marcie gave her cat food" syntactically ambiguous?
   	Given Answer:   Without context, you can't tell if Marcie gave food to a cat that belongs to her, or if Marcie gave another woman cat food. Correct Answer:   Without context, you can't tell if Marcie gave food to a cat that belongs to her, or if Marcie gave another woman cat food.

out of 4 points

Question 16:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Which theory is characterized by doing what is best for others instead of oneself?
   	Given Answer:   ethical altruism Correct Answer:   ethical altruism

out of 4 points

Question 17:   Multiple Choice

1. 	A bank states that its decision to offer home loans at an extremely low initial, but variable, rate is rooted in the idea that all have a right to owning an affordable home. The bank does not state that the loans are packaged in a product sold to another, larger bank that may or may not work with customers in difficult situations. The smaller bank is no longer exposed to the risk of longer-term loans, and makes a large profit. Which moral theory is the bank operating under?
   	Given Answer:   Ethical Egoism. The bank did what was best for the institution. Correct Answer:   Ethical Egoism. The bank did what was best for the institution.

out of 4 points

Question 18:   Multiple Choice

1. 	What makes an argument an ethical argument?
   	Given Answer:   a conclusion based on a moral premise that makes a statement about right and wrong in a particular situation Correct Answer:   a conclusion based on a moral premise that makes a statement about right and wrong in a particular situation

out of 4 points

Question 19:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Consider the following ethical argument. Which of the three statements represents the moral statement about a moral principle? Statement 1: A dealership advertised a car at a very low price, but only had a similar higher priced model in stock. Statement 2: It is wrong to perform a bait and switch. Statement 3: The dealership was wrong to advertise the car on special sale when in actually it was not available.
   	Correct Answer:   Statement 2

out of 4 points

Question 20:   Multiple Choice

1. 	What is an argument claiming the violation of some moral principle is the right course of action?
   	Given Answer:   a justification Correct Answer:   a justification

out of 4 points

Question 21:   Multiple Choice

1. 	When listening to people debating a topic, a critical thinker should ignore _________.
   	Given Answer:   if they are dressed in a professional manner Correct Answer:   if they are dressed in a professional manner

out of 4 points

Question 22:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Which of the following is an example of a "loaded question"?
   	Given Answer:   Should a harmless slap, as part of good parental ion, be a criminal offense? Correct Answer:   Should a harmless slap, as part of good parental ion, be a criminal offense?

out of 4 points

Question 23:   Multiple Choice

1. 	The post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy is a fallacy in which the arguer _________.
   	Given Answer:   assumes that because there is a correlation between two events (i.e., one preceded the other), then the first must have caused the second Correct Answer:   assumes that because there is a correlation between two events (i.e., one preceded the other), then the first must have caused the second

out of 4 points

Question 24:   Multiple Choice

1. 	The false dichotomy fallacy is a fallacy in which the arguer _________.
   	Given Answer:   inaccurately portrays a circumstance as having a limited number of possible outcomes, thus setting up an either-or situation Correct Answer:   inaccurately portrays a circumstance as having a limited number of possible outcomes, thus setting up an either-or situation

out of 4 points

Question 25:   Multiple Choice

	Which of the following statements uses "innuendo"?
	Given Answer:   The chain store doesn't even refute that they are involved in human trafficking. Correct Answer:   The chain store doesn't even refute that they are involved in human trafficking.

Question 1:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Statistics come from gathering and ________data.
   	Given Answer:   analyzing Correct Answer:   analyzing

out of 4 points

Question 2:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Conspiracy theories often lack which of the following?
   	Given Answer:   simplicity and falsifiability Correct Answer:   simplicity and falsifiability

out of 4 points

Question 3:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Frode is afraid of dogs because he was attacked by one as a child. This is an example of which of the following?
   	Given Answer:   explanation Correct Answer:   explanation

out of 4 points

Question 4:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Which of the following is MOST likely to be driven by ideology, culture, or commercial goals?
   	Given Answer:   pseudoscience Correct Answer:   pseudoscience

out of 4 points

Question 5:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Mary grows hundreds of fruit trees in her orchard. The trees range in age, size, and type. Mary's neighbor states, "Now that Mary has listened to my advice, 93% of her trees are bearing fruit." What makes this conclusion difficult to evaluate?
   	Given Answer:   There is missing background information. Correct Answer:   There is missing background information.

out of 4 points

Question 6:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Of the following questions, which one would likely be the LEAST helpful to ask?
   	Given Answer:   Which of these options would require the least amount of effort? Correct Answer:   Which of these options would require the least amount of effort?

out of 4 points

Question 7:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Bryan is the manager of his company's IT department. One morning a server cluster loses power. Bryan first checks the power supply, the power cables, the wall outlet, and finally the circuit breaker to find what caused the power outage. What did Bryan do?
   	Given Answer:   He explored potential causes of the problem. Correct Answer:   He explored potential causes of the problem.

out of 4 points

Question 8:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Wallace is having a frustrating day at work after his manager changes deadlines on him, leaves him out of the loop in an important email chain, and turns down his time-off request. In the middle of a meeting that afternoon, Wallace stands up, announces that he's quitting, and walks out of the office. Which decision-making misstep did Wallace commit?
   	Given Answer:   acting impulsively Correct Answer:   acting impulsively

out of 4 points

Question 9:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Putting in the effort to adequately define the problem is which of the following?
   	Given Answer:   helpful when the time comes to properly generate options Correct Answer:   helpful when the time comes to properly generate options

out of 4 points

Question 10:   Multiple Choice

1. 	A good practice when making a decision involves which of the following?
   	Given Answer:   committing to the decision and solving the problem Correct Answer:   committing to the decision and solving the problem

out of 4 points

Question 11:   Multiple Choice

1. 	What is another term for semantic meaning?
   	Given Answer:   denotative meaning Correct Answer:   denotative meaning

out of 4 points

Question 12:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Margo told her friend Lisa about a recent study that she had read. Which statement is an indicator to Lisa of Margo's use of a proof surrogate in her argument?
   	Given Answer:   "Everyone knows that all of our cells regenerate every couple of years." Correct Answer:   "Everyone knows that all of our cells regenerate every couple of years."

out of 4 points

Question 13:   Multiple Choice

1. 	To Albert, the word "love" brings up positive feelings about his son; to Raj, it brings up negative feelings about a previous relationship; and to Anthony, it refers to the warm feeling he gets during family gatherings. Which category of meaning are these statements describing?
   	Given Answer:   connotative meaning Correct Answer:   connotative meaning

out of 4 points

Question 14:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Which list includes terms that are most often used as qualifiers or "weasel words"?
   	Given Answer:   suggested, perhaps, arguably, may, possibly Correct Answer:   suggested, perhaps, arguably, may, possibly

out of 4 points

Question 15:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Which of these statements demonstrate the use of a euphemism?
   	Given Answer:   Your boss tells you that you are fired from your job during an impromptu meeting. Correct Answer:   Your coworker announces that her cat was put to sleep over the weekend.

out of 4 points

Question 16:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Which of the following is the BEST example of an amoral claim?
   	Given Answer:   Fire can be used for cooking and generating heat. Correct Answer:   Fire can be used for cooking and generating heat.

out of 4 points

Question 17:   Multiple Choice

1. 	A bank states that its decision to offer home loans at an extremely low initial, but variable, rate is rooted in the idea that all have a right to owning an affordable home. The bank does not state that the loans are packaged in a product sold to another, larger bank that may or may not work with customers in difficult situations. The smaller bank is no longer exposed to the risk of longer-term loans, and makes a large profit. Which moral theory is the bank operating under?
   	Given Answer:   Ethical Egoism. The bank did what was best for the institution. Correct Answer:   Ethical Egoism. The bank did what was best for the institution.

out of 4 points

Question 18:   Multiple Choice

1. 	A fellow coworker takes someone else's food from the community refrigerator and eats it. When confronted about the offense, the coworker stated that someone else took his food the previous month. This is an example of which of the following?
   	Given Answer:   an excuse Correct Answer:   an excuse

out of 4 points

Question 19:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Your company is operating as a subcontractor on a large government contract. The government decides to request proposals for another upcoming project. Your boss asks you to submit a proposal on behalf of your company, knowing it would violate the current agreement with the primary contractor. If you do what your boss says because he is your boss, you are operating under which moral theory?
   	Given Answer:   authoritarian moral theory Correct Answer:   authoritarian moral theory

out of 4 points

Question 20:   Multiple Choice

1. 	What is an argument claiming the violation of some moral principle is the right course of action?
   	Given Answer:   a justification Correct Answer:   a justification

out of 4 points

Question 21:   Multiple Choice

1. 	When debating solutions to problems related to climate change on a national level, which problem related to climate change has a prominent amount of conflicting political opinions?
   	Given Answer:   possible economic effects of fighting climate change Correct Answer:   possible economic effects of fighting climate change

out of 4 points

Question 22:   Multiple Choice

1. 	Which of the following is an example of a "loaded question"?
   	Given Answer:   Should a harmless slap, as part of good parental ion, be a criminal offense? Correct Answer:   Should a harmless slap, as part of good parental ion, be a criminal offense?

out of 4 points

Question 23:   Multiple Choice

1. 	The two parts of an argument are _________ and _________.
   	Given Answer:   premise; conclusion Correct Answer:   premise; conclusion

out of 4 points

Question 24:   Multiple Choice

1. 	When listening to people debating a topic, a critical thinker should ignore _________.
   	Given Answer:   if they are dressed in a professional manner Correct Answer:   if they are dressed in a professional manner

out of 4 points

Question 25:   Multiple Choice

	To get the latest information on stem cell research and its future applications, it would be best to consult a researcher in the field of _________.
	Given Answer:   Developmental Biology Correct Answer:   Developmental Biology

REVIEW of FALLACIES

Discussion Wk 4 Ch 4 Fallacies(1).ppt
 
5.1 Credibility

Credibility refers to the objective and subjective components of the believability of a source or message.

Traditionally, modern, credibility, reliability has two key components: trustworthiness and expertise, which both have objective and subjective components. Trustworthiness is based more on subjective factors, but can include objective measurements such as established reliability. Expertise can be similarly subjectively perceived, but also includes relatively objective characteristics of the source or message (e.g., credentials, certification or information quality).[1] Secondary components of credibility include source dynamism (charisma) and physical attractiveness.

Credibility online has become an important topic since the mid-1990s. This is because the web has increasingly become an information resource. The Credibility and Digital Media Project @ UCSB[2] highlights recent and ongoing work in this area, including recent consideration of digital media, youth, and credibility. In addition, the Persuasive Technology Lab[3] at Stanford University has studied web credibility and proposed the principal components of online credibility and a general theory called Prominence-Interpretation Theory.[4]

History

The term "credibility gap" came against a background of the use of the term "missile gap", which the Oxford English Dictionary lists as first being used by then-Senator John F. Kennedy on 14 August 1958, when he stated: "Our Nation could have afforded, and can afford now, the steps necessary to close the missile gap."[3] “Doomsday gap” and “mineshaft gap” were the imagined post-apocalyptic continuations of this paranoia.[4]


The missile gap was the Cold War term used in the US for the perceived superiority of the number and power of the USSR's missiles in comparison with its own. This gap in the ballistic missile arsenals only existed in exaggerated estimates made by the Gaither Committee in 1957 and in United States Air Force (USAF) figures. Even the contradictory CIA figures for the USSR's weaponry, which showed a clear advantage for the US, were far above the actual count. Like the bomber gap of only a few years earlier, it was soon demonstrated that the gap was entirely fictional.

John F. Kennedy is credited with inventing the term in 1958 as part of the ongoing election campaign, in which a primary plank of his rhetoric was that the Eisenhower administration was weak on defense. It was later learned that Kennedy was apprised of the actual situation during the campaign, which has led scholars to question what the (future) president knew and when he knew it. There has been some speculation that he was aware of the illusory nature of the missile gap from the start, and was using it solely as a political tool, an example of policy by press release.

Background

The Soviet launch of Sputnik 1 on 4 October 1957 highlighted the technological achievements of the Soviets and sparked some worrying questions for the politicians and general public of the USA. Although US military and civilian agencies were well aware of Soviet satellite plans, as they were publicly announced as part of the International Geophysical Year, Eisenhower's announcements that the event was unsurprising found little support among a US public still struggling with McCarthyism.

1957 - First Satellite in Space (Sputnik), 3:24

Sputnik 1 launched on October 4, 1957. The satellite was 58 cm (about 23 in) in diameter and weighed approximately 83.6 kg (about 183 lb). Each of its elliptical orbits around the Earth took about 96 minutes. Monitoring of the satellite was done by many amateur radio operators and the Jodrell Bank Observatory. Sputnik's R-7 booster had previously proven itself more than one month earlier as the world's first ICBM in the successful long-range test flight of August 21 (with the accomplishment published in Aviation Week). Sputnik 1 was not visible from Earth but the casing of the R-7 booster, traveling behind it, was.

https://youtu.be/Xw57VErRjA8




Political opponents seized on the event, and Eisenhower's ineffectual response, as further proof that the US was "fiddling as Rome burned." John F. Kennedy stated "the nation was losing the satellite-missile race with the Soviet Union because of … complacent miscalculations, penny-pinching, budget cutbacks, incredibly confused mismanagement, and wasteful rivalries and jealousies."[1]

The Soviets capitalized on their strengthened position with false claims of Soviet missile capabilities, claiming on December 4, 1958, that "Soviet ICBMs are at present in mass production." Five days later on December 9th, Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschev boasted the successful testing of an ICBM with an impressive 8,000 mile range. [2] Coupled with the United States' failed launch of the Titan ICBM that month, a prevailing sense of Soviet superiority in missile technology became prevalent.

Eisenhower Denies US Lag In Missiles 1957/10/10, 1:39

1) Ike speaks, that Vanguard is being developed, has never been a race, but part of IGY scientific work 2) Ike decorates Secretary Wilson with Medal of Freedom, replaced by Neil McElroy (partial newsreel)

https://youtu.be/JcP6yXkUN0U



Inaccuracy of intelligence

The National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) 11-10-57, issued in December 1957, predicted that the Soviets would "probably have a first operational capability with up to 10 prototype ICBMs" at "some time during the period from mid-1958 to mid-1959." The numbers started to inflate. A similar report gathered only a few months later, NIE 11-5-58 released in August 1958, concluded that the USSR had "the technical and industrial capability ... to have an operational capability with 100 ICBMs" some time in 1960, and perhaps 500 ICBMs "some time in 1961, or at the latest in 1962."[1]

Beginning with the collection of photo-intelligence by U-2 overflights of the Soviet Union in 1956, the Eisenhower administration had increasing hard evidence that claims of any strategic weapons favoring the Soviet Union were false. Based on this evidence, the CIA placed the number of ICBMs closer to a dozen. Continued sporadic flights failed to turn up any evidence of additional missiles. Curtis LeMay argued that the large stocks of missiles were in the areas not photographed by the U-2s, and arguments broke out over the Soviet factory capability in an effort to estimate their production rate.

In a widely syndicated article in 1959, Joseph Alsop even went so far as to describe "classified intelligence" as placing the Soviet missile count as high as 1,500 by 1963, while the US would have only 130 at that time.[3]

It is known today that even the CIA's estimate was too high; the actual number of ICBMs, even including interim-use prototypes, was 4.[4]

Playing for the public

In 1958 Kennedy was gearing up for his Senate re-election campaign and seized the issue. The Oxford English Dictionary lists the first use of the term "missile gap" on 14 August 1958 when he stated: "Our Nation could have afforded, and can afford now, the steps necessary to close the missile gap."[1] According to Robert McNamara, Kennedy was leaked the inflated USAF estimates by Senator Stuart Symington, the former Secretary of the Air Force. Unaware that the report was misleading, Kennedy used the numbers in the document and based some of his 1960 election campaign platform on the Republicans being "weak on defense".[5] The missile gap was a common theme.

Eisenhower refused to publicly refute the claims, fearing that public disclosure of this evidence would jeopardize the secret U-2 flights. Consequently, Eisenhower was frustrated by what he conclusively knew to be Kennedy's erroneous claims that the United States was behind the Soviet Union in number of missiles.[6] in an attempt to defuse the situation, Eisenhower arranged for Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson to be appraised of the information, first with a meeting by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, then Strategic Air Command, and finally with the Director of the CIA, Allen Dulles, in July 1960.[4] In spite of these meetings, Kennedy continued to use the same rhetoric, which modern historians have debated as likely being so useful to the campaign that he was willing to ignore the truth.[7]

The 1960 U-2 incident occurred during the Cold War on 1 May 1960, during the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower and the premiership of Nikita Khrushchev, when a United States U-2 spy plane was shot down while in Soviet airspace. The aircraft, flown by Central Intelligence Agency pilot Francis Gary Powers, was performing photographic aerial reconnaissance when it was hit by an S-75 Dvina (SA-2 Guideline) surface-to-air missile and crashed in Sverdlovsk. Powers parachuted safely and was captured.

Initially the United States government tried to cover up the plane's purpose and mission, but was forced to admit its military nature when the Soviet government came forward with the captured pilot and remains of the U-2 including spying technology that had survived the crash as well as photos of military bases in Russia taken by the aircraft. Coming roughly two weeks before the scheduled opening of an east–west summit in Paris, the incident was a great embarrassment to the United States[2] and prompted a marked deterioration in its relations with the Soviet Union. Powers was convicted of espionage and sentenced to three years of imprisonment plus seven years of hard labor but would be released two years later on 10 February 1962 during a prisoner exchange for Soviet officer Rudolf Abel.[3]

The U2 Incident, 1:06

Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev raises incident of captured U2 spy plane and pilot over Soviet Union at the Paris Summit and UN

Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev raises the incident of United States spying Soviet positions. An American U2 Jet takes off for reconnaissance over the Soviet Union. Parts from downed U2 plane, including pilot's uniform, on display in the Soviet Union. Pilot Francis Gary Powers tried in Moscow. Power's family during the trial in court. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev speaks about the incident at the Paris Summit. The historic UN session on September 23, 1960 of the General Assembly in New York. Nikita Khrushchev targets British Prime Minister MacMillan at the meeting. In the UN chamber, Khrushchev pounds his fists on his desk along with the entire Soviet delegation. General Secretary Dag Hammerskjold defies Khrushchev's threats. Location: United States. Date: September 23, 1960.

Visit us at www.CriticalPast.com: 57,000+ broadcast-quality historic clips for immediate download. Fully digitized and searchable, the CriticalPast collection is one of the largest archival footage collections in the world. All clips are licensed royalty-free, worldwide, in perpetuity. CriticalPast offers immediate downloads of full-resolution HD and SD masters and full-resolution time-coded screeners, 24 hours a day, to serve the needs of broadcast news, TV, film, and publishing professionals worldwide. Still photo images extracted from the vintage footage are also available for immediate download. CriticalPast is your source for imagery of worldwide events, people, and B-roll spanning the 20th century.

https://youtu.be/yARkyHM_pc0



Francis Gary Powers & The U-2 Incident, 2:06

https://youtu.be/vc50FsXib48



JFK vs. Nixon - 2nd 1960 debate, 8:33

Among the issues discussed was the U-2 incident involving Francis Gary Powers that occurred in May 1960, in the midst of the Cold War.

The 1960 U-2 incident occurred during the Cold War on 1 May 1960, during the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower and the premiership of Nikita Khrushchev, when a United States U-2 spy plane was shot down while in Soviet airspace. The aircraft, flown by Central Intelligence Agency pilot Francis Gary Powers, was performing photographic aerial reconnaissance when it was hit by an S-75 Dvina (SA-2 Guideline) surface-to-air missile and crashed in Sverdlovsk. Powers parachuted safely and was captured.

Initially the United States government tried to cover up the plane's purpose and mission, but was forced to admit its military nature when the Soviet government came forward with the captured pilot and remains of the U-2 including spying technology that had survived the crash as well as photos of military bases in Russia taken by the aircraft. Coming roughly two weeks before the scheduled opening of an east–west summit in Paris, the incident was a great embarrassment to the United States[2] and prompted a marked deterioration in its relations with the Soviet Union. Powers was convicted of espionage and sentenced to three years of imprisonment plus seven years of hard labor but would be released two years later on 10 February 1962 during a prisoner exchange for Soviet officer Rudolf Abel.[3]

https://youtu.be/30kDGU2vmx8



In January 1961 McNamara, the new secretary of defense, and Roswell Gilpatric, a new deputy secretary who strongly believed in the existence of a missile gap, personally examined photographs taken by Corona satellites. Although the Soviet R-7 missile launchers were large and would be easy to spot in Corona photographs, they did not appear in any of them. In February McNamara stated that there was no evidence of a large-scale Soviet effort to build ICBMs. More satellite overflights continued to find no evidence, and by September 1961 a National Intelligence Estimate concluded that the USSR possessed no more than 25 ICBMs and would not possess more in the near future.[8] There was a missile gap, but it was greatly in the United States' favour, as it had already deployed substantial numbers of several varieties of land- and sea-based missiles.

Kennedy was embarrassed by the whole issue. Kennedy had already admitted as much publicly, The Listener, 19 April 1962 noted "The passages on the 'missile gap' are a little dated, since Mr Kennedy has now told us that it scarcely ever existed."[9]

Effects

Warnings and calls to address imbalances between the fighting capabilities of two forces were not new, as a "bomber gap" had exercised political concerns a few years previously. What was different about the missile gap was the fear that a distant country could strike without warning from far away with little damage to themselves. Concerns about missile gaps and similar fears, such as nuclear proliferation, continue.

Promotion of the missile gap had several unintended consequences. The R-7 requires as much as 20 hours to be readied for launch, meaning that they could be easily attacked by bombers before they could strike. This demanded that they be based in secret locations to prevent a pre-emptive strike on them. As Corona could find these sites no matter where they were located, the Soviets decided not to build large numbers of R-7s, in favour of more advanced missiles that could be launched more quickly.[8]

Later evidence has emerged that one consequence of J.F Kennedy pushing the false idea that America was behind the Soviets in a missile gap was that Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev and senior Soviet military figures began to believe that Kennedy was a dangerous extremist who, with the American military, was seeking to plant the idea of a Soviet first-strike capability to justify a pre-emptive American attack. This belief about Kennedy as a militarist was reinforced in Soviet minds by the Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961 and led to the Soviets placing nuclear missiles in Cuba in 1962. (Kennedy was informed the missile gap was "a fiction" in January 1961.)[10]

Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba - Newsreel, 1961, 2:08

Newsreel from April 19, 1961. The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. Footage of rebels and invaders with statements issues by Fidel Castro amidst US denials.


https://youtu.be/neks5_5LZp4



Popular culture

The whole idea of a missile gap was parodied in the 1964 film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb in which a Doomsday device is built by the Soviets because they had read in The New York Times that the U.S. was working along similar lines and wanted to avoid a "Doomsday Gap". As the weapon is set up to go off automatically if the USSR is attacked, which is occurring as the movie progresses, the president is informed that all life on the surface will be killed off for a period of years. The only hope for survival is to select important people and place them deep underground in mine shafts until the radiation clears. The generals almost immediately begin to worry about a "mine shaft gap" between the US and Soviets. In reference to the alleged "missile gap" itself, General Turgidson mentions off-hand at one point that the United States actually has a five to one rate of missile superiority against the Soviet Union. The Russian ambassador himself also explains that one of the major reasons that the Soviets began work on the doomsday machine is that, ultimately, they realized that they simply could never match the rate of American military production (let alone outproduce American missile construction). The doomsday machine only cost a small fraction of what they normally spent on defense in a single year.

"mine shaft gap", 4:15

Mineshaft gap - Dr. Strangelove, 4:15

https://youtu.be/ybSzoLCCX-Y



Missile Gap is also the title of a science fiction book by Charles Stross, which depicts an alternative resolution to the missile gap situation and subsequent Cuban Missile Crisis.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, more commonly known as Dr. Strangelove, is a 1964 political satire black comedy film that satirizes the Cold War fears of a nuclear conflict between the USSR and the US. The film was directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick, stars Peter Sellers and George C. Scott, and features Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn, and Slim Pickens. Production took place in the United Kingdom. The film is loosely based on Peter George's thriller novel Red Alert.

The story concerns an unhinged United States Air Force general who orders a first strike nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. It follows the President of the United States, his advisers, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a Royal Air Force (RAF) officer as they try to recall the bombers to prevent a nuclear apocalypse. It separately follows the crew of one B-52 bomber as they try to deliver their payload.
In 1989, the United States Library of Congress included it in the first group of films selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. It was listed as number three on AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs list.

Stanley Kubrick (/ˈkuːbrɪk/; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor, and photographer. Part of the New Hollywood film-making wave, Kubrick's films are considered by film historian Michel Ciment to be "among the most important contributions to world cinema in the twentieth century", and he is frequently cited as one of the greatest and most influential directors in cinematic history. His films, which are typically adaptations of novels or short stories, cover a wide range of genres, and are noted for their realism, dark humor, unique cinematography, extensive set designs, and evocative use of music.

Kubrick grew up in the Bronx in New York City, and attended William Howard Taft High School from 1941 to 1945. Although he only received average grades, Kubrick displayed a keen interest in literature, photography, and film from a young age, and taught himself all aspects of film production and directing after graduating from high school. After working as a photographer for Look magazine in the late 1940s and early 1950s, he began making short films on a shoestring budget, and made his first major Hollywood film, The Killing, for United Artists in 1956. This was followed by two collaborations with Kirk Douglas, the war picture Paths of Glory (1957) and the historical epic Spartacus (1960). His reputation as a filmmaker in Hollywood grew, and he was approached by Marlon Brando to film what would become One-Eyed Jacks (1961), though Brando eventually decided to direct it himself. Creative differences arising from his work with Douglas and the film studios, a dislike of Hollywood, and a growing concern about crime in America prompted Kubrick to move to the United Kingdom in 1961, where he spent most of the remainder of his life and career. His home at Childwickbury Manor in Hertfordshire, which he shared with his wife Christiane, became his workplace, where he did his writing, research, editing, and management of production details. This allowed him to have almost complete artistic control over his films, but with the rare advantage of having financial support from major Hollywood studios. His first British productions were two films with Peter Sellers, Lolita (1962) and Dr. Strangelove (1964).

Kubrick is noted for his attention to detail and skillful use of music. A demanding perfectionist, he assumed control over most aspects of the film making process, from direction and writing to editing, and took painstaking care with researching his films and staging scenes, working in close coordination with his actors and other collaborators. He often asked for several dozen retakes of the same scene in a movie, which resulted in many conflicts with his casts. Despite the resulting notoriety among actors, many of Kubrick's films broke new ground in cinematography. The scientific realism and innovative special effects of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) were without precedent in the history of cinema, and the film earned him his only personal Oscar, for Best Visual Effects. Steven Spielberg has referred to the film as his generation's "big bang", and it is often included in polls of the greatest films ever made. For the 18th-century period film Barry Lyndon (1975), Kubrick obtained lenses developed by Zeiss for NASA, to film scenes under natural candlelight. With The Shining (1980), he became one of the first directors to make use of a Steadicam for stabilized and fluid tracking shots. While many of Kubrick's films were controversial and initially received mixed reviews upon release—particularly A Clockwork Orange (1971), which Kubrick pulled from circulation in the UK following a mass media frenzy—most of his films were nominated for Oscars, Golden Globes, or BAFTA Awards. His last film, Eyes Wide Shut, was completed shortly before his death in 1999.

Dr Strangelove - Official Trailer [1964] HD Remaster, 3:25

https://youtu.be/IE9CmX15PYA



1970s

A second claim of a missile gap appeared in 1974. Albert Wohlstetter, a professor at the University of Chicago, accused the CIA of systematically underestimating Soviet missile deployment, in his 1974 foreign policy article entitled "Is There a Strategic Arms Race?" Wohlstetter concluded that the United States was allowing the Soviet Union to achieve military superiority by not closing a perceived missile gap. Many conservatives then began a concerted attack on the CIA's annual assessment of the Soviet threat.[11]

http://albertwohlstetter.com/writings/20081200-Nuclear%20Heuristics.pdf

This led to an exercise in competitive analysis, with a group called Team B being created with the production of a highly controversial report.

According to then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, by 1976 the USA had a 6-to-1 advantage in the number of nuclear warheads over the Soviet Union.[12]

A 1979 briefing note on the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) of the missile gap concluded that the NIE's record on estimating the Soviet missile force in the 1970s was mixed. The NIE estimates for initial operational capability (IOC) date for MIRVed ICBMs and SLBMs were generally accurate, as were the NIE predictions on the development of Soviet strategic air defenses. However, the NIE predictions also overestimated the scope of infrastructure upgrades in the Soviet system and underestimated the speed of Soviet improvement in accuracy and proliferation of re-entry vehicles. NIE results were regarded as improving but still vague, showing broad fluctuations and having little long-term validity.[13]

Credibility gap is a term that came into wide use with journalism, political and public discourse in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. At the time, it was most frequently used to describe public skepticism about the Lyndon B. Johnson administration's statements and policies on the Vietnam War.[1] It was used in journalism as a euphemism for recognized lies told to the public by politicians. Today, it is used more generally to describe almost any "gap" between the alleged reality of a situation and what politicians and government agencies say about it.[2]


August 1964

The Gulf of Tonkin incident (Vietnamese: Sự kiện Vịnh Bắc Bộ), also known as the USS Maddox incident, involved what were originally claimed to be two separate confrontations involving North Vietnam and the United States in the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. The original American report blamed North Vietnam for both incidents, but eventually became very controversial with widespread claims that either one or both incidents were false, and possibly purposefully so. On August 2, 1964, the destroyer USS Maddox, while performing a signals intelligence patrol as part of DESOTO operations, was pursued by three North Vietnamese Navy torpedo boats of the 135th Torpedo Squadron.[1][2] The Maddox fired 3 warning shots and the North Vietnamese boats then attacked with torpedoes and machine gun fire.[2] The Maddox expended over 280 3-inch and 5-inch shells in what was claimed to be a sea battle. One US aircraft was damaged, three North Vietnamese torpedo boats were allegedly damaged, and four North Vietnamese sailors were said to have been killed, with six more wounded. There were no U.S. casualties.[3] The Maddox "was unscathed except for a single bullet hole from a Vietnamese machine gun round."[2]

It was originally claimed by the National Security Agency that a Second Gulf of Tonkin incident occurred on August 4, 1964, as another sea battle, but instead evidence was found of "Tonkin ghosts"[4] (false radar images) and not actual North Vietnamese torpedo boats. In the 2003 documentary The Fog of War, the former Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara admitted that the August 2 USS Maddox attack happened with no Defense Department response, but the August 4 Gulf of Tonkin attack never happened.[5]
Gulf of Tonkin: McNamara admits It didn't happen. 3:34
An extract From "The Fog of War". An interview with Robert S McNamara who was Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam war.
https://youtu.be/HODxnUrFX6k

The outcome of these two incidents was the passage by Congress of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which granted President Lyndon B. Johnson the authority to assist any Southeast Asian country whose government was considered to be jeopardized by "communist aggression". The resolution served as Johnson's legal justification for deploying US conventional forces and the commencement of open warfare against North Vietnam.

In 1995, former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara met with former Vietnam People's Army General Võ Nguyên Giáp to ask what happened on 4 August 1964 in the second Gulf of Tonkin Incident. "Absolutely nothing", Giáp replied.[6] Giáp claimed that the attack had been imaginary.[7]

In 2005, an internal National Security Agency historical study was declassified; it concluded that Maddox had engaged the North Vietnamese Navy on August 2, but that there were no North Vietnamese naval vessels present during the incident of August 4. The report stated regarding the first incident on August 2 that "at 1500G,[note 1] Captain Herrick ordered Ogier's gun crews to open fire if the boats approached within ten thousand yards. At about 1505G,[note 1] the Maddox fired three rounds to warn off the communist boats. This initial action was never reported by the Johnson administration, which insisted that the Vietnamese boats fired first."[2]

Gulf of Tonkin Controversy from 60 Minutes -- LBJ, Fulbright, Morse, 3:29

Excerpts from a program on the Gulf of Tonkin incident and controversy. Includes interviews with LBJ, Senator William Fulbright, Senator Wayne Morse. Back when there was real journalism on television.

https://youtu.be/NOEH-xAMHRk



If LBJ suffered from a credibility gap why was he so persuasive?

LBJ regularly applied "The Johnson Treatment" as persuasion.

Is he convincing on the basis of evidence, logic, or facts to back up his position?

Lyndon Johnson delivers "the Johnson Treatment", 1:11

President Lyndon Johnson was famous for using what's called "the Johnson Treatment," or a set of irresistible persuasion tactics. In this phone call on December 20, 1963, he talks with Representative Albert Thomas (D-Texas) about a clause forcing the President to publicly report to Congress on wheat sales to the Soviet Union and argues that it would resonate poorly with the American public. Listen in as he uses "the Johnson Treatment" to do so. (K6312.11)

https://youtu.be/G7KZogmtlRU



One of LBJ's most important spokespersons was Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara.
Robert Strange McNamara (June 9, 1916 – July 6, 2009) was an American business executive and the eighth Secretary of Defense, serving from 1961 to 1968 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, during which time he played a major role in escalating the United States involvement in the Vietnam War.[1] Following that, he served as President of the World Bank from 1968 to 1981. McNamara was responsible for the institution of systems analysis in public policy, which developed into the discipline known today as policy analysis.[2] McNamara consolidated intelligence and logistics functions of the Pentagon into two centralized agencies: the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Defense Supply Agency.

Prior to his public service, McNamara was one of the "Whiz Kids" who helped rebuild Ford Motor Company after World War II and briefly served as Ford's President before becoming Secretary of Defense. A group of advisors he brought to the Pentagon inherited the "Whiz Kids" moniker.
McNamara remains the longest serving Secretary of Defense, having remained in office over seven years.

US Defense Secretary Robert McNamara addresses a news conference and reports on V...HD Stock Footage, 1:57

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/656... Historic Stock Footage Archival and Vintage Video Clips in HD.

US Defense Secretary Robert McNamara addresses a news conference and reports on Vietnam in the United States.

US Defense Secretary McNamara addresses a news conference in the United States. United States Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara addresses a news conference and reports on Vietnam. He points at the bombed out supply routes from the North Vietnam. He shows the Chinese machine gun. He points at the charts showing the air raid damaged bridges. Reporters note down the points. The Defense Secretary states presence of the regular North Vietnamese troops in the South. Location: United States. Date: April 26, 1965.

Visit us at www.CriticalPast.com: 57,000+ broadcast-quality historic clips for immediate download. Fully digitized and searchable, the CriticalPast collection is one of the largest archival footage collections in the world. All clips are licensed royalty-free, worldwide, in perpetuity. CriticalPast offers immediate downloads of full-resolution HD and SD masters and full-resolution time-coded screeners, 24 hours a day, to serve the needs of broadcast news, TV, film, and publishing professionals worldwide. Still photo images extracted from the vintage footage are also available for immediate download. CriticalPast is your source for imagery of worldwide events, people, and B-roll spanning the 20th century.

https://youtu.be/9-I6wcRwnfE



Robert McNamara, Westmoreland, The Credibility Gap, 4:20

https://youtu.be/c76hfFfiJX8



The term "credibility gap" was widely in use as early as 1963, according to "Timetables of History".[5] It was popularized in 1966 by J. William Fulbright, a Democratic Senator from Arkansas, when he could not get a straight answer from President Johnson's Administration regarding the war in Vietnam.[6]

"Credibility gap" was first used in association with the Vietnam War in the New York Herald Tribune in March 1965, to describe then-president Lyndon Johnson's handling of the escalation of American involvement in the war. A number of events—particularly the surprise Tet Offensive, and later the 1971 release of the Pentagon Papers—helped to confirm public suspicion that there was a significant "gap" between the administration's declarations of controlled military and political resolution, and the reality. These were viewed as examples of Johnson's and later Richard Nixon's duplicity.
The Pentagon Papers, 4:51
On June 13, 1971, The New York Times began publishing stories based on the Pentagon Papers, a classified document about the controversial Vietnam War that had been leaked to the Times by Daniel Ellsberg, a military analyst.
https://youtu.be/F4kQG1bPf2k
Throughout the war, Johnson worked with his officials to ensure that his public addresses would only disclose bare details of the war to the American public. During the war the country grew more and more aware of the credibility gap especially after Johnson's speech at Johns Hopkins University in April 1965.[7] An example of public opinion appeared in the New York Times concerning the war. "The time has come to call a spade a bloody shovel. This country is in an undeclared and unexplained war in Vietnam. Our masters have a lot of long and fancy names for it, like escalation and retaliation, but it is a war just the same." - James Reston.

The advent of the presence of television journalists allowed by the military to report and photograph events of the war within hours or days of their actual occurrence in an uncensored manner drove the discrepancy widely referred to as "the credibility gap."

However, the term had actually been used prior to its association with the Vietnam War. In December 1962, at the annual meeting of the U.S. Inter-American Council, Senator Kenneth B. Keating (R-N.Y.) praised President John F. Kennedy's prompt action in the Cuban Missile Crisis. But he said there was an urgent need for the United States to plug what he termed the "Credibility Gap" in U.S. policy on Cuba.[8]

Hearts and Minds Documentary: Westmoreland, 2:18

This clip from the movie "Hearts and Minds" (directed by Peter Davis) has been criticized for juxtaposing General Westmoreland's comments such as, "the Oriental doesn't put the same high price on life as the Westerner," with a scene of a Vietnamese funeral. The juxtaposition has been called "cheap" and "manipulative" and critics have said that it does nothing but make viewers dislike Westmoreland. However, Peter Davis has argued that in no context would these words be acceptable or accurate and that Westmoreland in fact made this statement three times. Davis allows Westmoreland's own words destroy his credibility and compels viewers to question Washington's justification for the Vietnam War.

From Westmoreland’s arrival in South Vietnam in January 1964, his brief was to achieve outright victory over the Northern-backed Viet Cong, with minimal US casualties, without provoking the Chinese by attacks on the North. Even some of his critics acknowledged that these demands were contradictory, and when casualties inevitably mounted, he was accused of pursuing a war of attrition. During his period of command, both the Battle of Ia Drang (Nov. 1965) and the Tet Offensive (Jan. 1968) were technically US victories, but public discord with the war was sowed by media broadcasting and college students (who had deferred their draft status) were putting pressure through protesting on the government to end the war. By the time he left to become Army chief of staff, US manpower in Vietnam had reached a peak of 535,000. Westmoreland’s strategy, based on artillery and air power, was tactically successful but politically allowed the enemy to destroy the American public's support for the war.

Analytical Papers: http://www.trinity.edu/adelwich/docum...

Viewing Guides: http://www.trinity.edu/adelwich/docum...

https://youtu.be/huFh760p-MA



Later usage

After the Vietnam War, the term "credibility gap" came to be used by political opponents in cases where an actual, perceived or implied discrepancy existed between a politician's public pronouncements and the actual, perceived or implied reality. For example, in the 1970s the term was applied to Nixon's own handling of the Vietnam War[9] and subsequently to the discrepancy between evidence of Richard Nixon's complicity in the Watergate break-in and his repeated claims of innocence.


Watergate was a major political scandal that occurred in the United States in the 1970s, following a break-in at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. and President Richard Nixon's administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement. When the conspiracy was discovered and investigated by the U.S. Congress, the Nixon administration's resistance to its probes led to a constitutional crisis.[1]
WATERGATE in a Minute, 1:30
Notes on the Watergate scandal of 1973.
https://youtu.be/jXCxZE0hZ40


The term Watergate has come to encompass an array of clandestine and often illegal activities undertaken by members of the Nixon administration. Those activities included such "dirty tricks" as bugging the offices of political opponents and people of whom Nixon or his officials were suspicious. Nixon and his close aides ordered harassment of activist groups and political figures, using the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The scandal led to the discovery of multiple abuses of power by the Nixon administration, articles of impeachment,[2] and the resignation of Nixon as President of the United States in August 1974. The scandal also resulted in the indictment of 69 people, with trials or pleas resulting in 25 being found guilty and incarcerated, many of whom were Nixon's top administration officials.[3]

The affair began with the arrest of five men for breaking and entering into the DNC headquarters at the Watergate complex on Saturday, June 17, 1972. The FBI investigated and discovered a connection between cash found on the burglars and a slush fund used by the Committee for the Re-Election of the President (CRP), the official organization of Nixon's campaign.[4][5] In July 1973, evidence mounted against the President's staff, including testimony provided by former staff members in an investigation conducted by the Senate Watergate Committee. The investigation revealed that President Nixon had a tape-recording system in his offices and that he had recorded many conversations.[6][7]

After a protracted series of bitter court battles, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the president was obligated to release the tapes to government investigators, and he eventually complied. These audio recordings implicated the president, revealing he had attempted to cover up activities that took place after the break-in and to use federal officials to deflect the investigation.[5][8] Facing near-certain impeachment in the House of Representatives and equally certain conviction by the Senate, Nixon resigned the presidency on August 9, 1974.[9][10] On September 8, 1974, his successor, Gerald Ford, pardoned him.

The name "Watergate" and the suffix "-gate" have since become synonymous with political scandals in the United States and elsewhere.[11][12][13][14][15]

Nixon: raw watergate tape: 'smoking gun' section, 5:41

Actual audio recording taken of President Richard Nixon and H.R. Haldeman at the White House. It was recorded June 23, 1972. This is part of the so-called 'Smoking Gun' tape. Source: Nixon Library. Watergate Tapes. You'll notice a reference to Mark Felt who later was revealed to be "Deep Throat".

https://youtu.be/_oe3OgU8W0s




Credibility Gap Today
BENGHAZI HILLARY CLINTON FACES OFF AGAINST SENATOR JOHNSON, 6:16

In the aftermath of the 9/11/12 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton answers to Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis) fully expecting scrutiny from Republicans during her testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Clinton appeared to take exception to Johnson's pointed inquiry into the State Department's initial report that the attack had been mounted spontaneously as a reaction to an anti-Islam YouTube video. After the hearing, Senator Johnson went on record stating he was not trying to be rude to Secretary Clinton, however, he was acutely aware that (then) Secretary Clinton was attempting to evade answering direct questions as to what happened on September 11, 2012, and instead of answering, Sec. Clinton used "theatrics" to filibuster the 5 minute inquiry by the Senator.

Up through today, 9/11/14, Americans STILL do not have a clear accounting of what caused the attacks on US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and several other US officials by "militant attackers." What is clear, is that there was never a protest outside the compound that was attacked, and the purported video that caused the uprising was called into question, possibly as a false motive / narrative to distract away from the actual reasons behind the attack.

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https://youtu.be/L8jpl3_Ddjc



Credibility Today

Documents from the Department of State containing the telephone transcripts from the evening of September 11, 2012, in which then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton informs then-Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Kandil that the deadly terrorist attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi “had nothing to do with the film.” The documents include previously unreleased telephone transcripts with world leaders about the Benghazi attack. Clinton’s admission to Kandil was first produced to the Select Committee on Benghazi on October 13, 2015 and publicized on the day of Mrs. Clinton’s testimony, October 22, but court filings in Judicial Watch litigation show that the record was only produced after two federal court judges ordered the State Department to produce more Benghazi-related records to Judicial Watch.

Similarly, Judicial Watch litigation also forced the release of the September 11, 2012 email in which Secretary of State Hillary Clinton informed her daughter by email that the attack had been staged by an “Al Qaeda-like group,” rather than as the result of “inflammatory material posted on the Internet,” as Mrs. Clinton had claimed in her official public statement one hour earlier. The State Department previously told a federal court that the Kandil document wasn’t responsive to Judicial Watch’s request and resulting lawsuit (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:14-cv-01511)) seeking: Any and all records concerning, regarding, or related to notes, updates, or reports created in response to the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

This request includes, but is not limited to, notes taken by then Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton or employees of the Office of the Secretary of State during the attack and its immediate aftermath.

But the State Department then produced this information to Judicial Watch. The records, the State Department told the Court, were found among thousands of new Clinton State Department records supposedly only discovered in December, 2015 – again, two months after the key Kandil document was first produced to the Benghazi Committee. Under court order, the State Department released 11 documents responsive to the Judicial Watch request with large blocks of information redacted. The documents also include phone conversations between Clinton and other foreign dignitaries and heads of state during the period of the deadly terrorist attack on the Benghazi consulate.

At 10:08 p.m. on September 11, Mrs. Clinton issued an official State Department press statement, approved by the White House, placing the blame for the attack on an Internet video: Some have sought to justify this behavior as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet. The United States deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. But let me be clear: There is never any justification for violent acts of this kind.

Yet the next day, in her 7:49 PM September 12 conversation with Kandil, Clinton said, “We know the attack in Libya had nothing to do with the film. It was a planned attack – not a protest.” Kandil responded, “You’re not kidding. Based on the information we saw today we believe that group that claimed responsibility for this is affiliated with al-Qaeda.”

On September 15, in a telephone call with then-Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Amr, Clinton emphatically portrayed the “stupid, very offensive film” as the root cause of the Benghazi violence. Clinton told Amr, “I have repeatedly, as has the President and other officials in our government, deplored not only the content of this stupid, very offensive film… But we have to exercise more self-discipline… otherwise we’ll be in a vicious downward circle against everyone who has ever felt offended, particularly on the internet….”

Clinton’s telephone call with Amr also contained a curious reference to what the former secretary referred to as a “very successful investment visit led by my deputy Tom Nides, and on the very day they left this series of incidents began to unfold.” According to the Washington Post, Nides, who was deputy secretary for management and resources at the State Department, was at the same time responsible for “communications with donors” to the Clinton Foundation. Nides was also involved in the scandal involving Clinton’s efforts to provide special access to State Department officials for hedge fund clients of her son-in-law, Marc Mezinsky.

In a September 12 call with the Afghan President Hamid Kharzi, Clinton says at some point they need to talk about “about religious feelings and insults and defamation.” Islamists seeks to criminalize criticism (“defamation”) of Islam.

The Obama administration worked closely with advocates for restrictions on free speech as part of their Benghazi video PR campaign. The documents also show that Clinton referenced the “actions of a mob” to Tunisian Prime Minister Jebali on September 14. Jebali responded that he condemned “these terrorist actions.” “There are two scandals here. The first is Hillary Clinton was telling different stories to different foreign leaders about the Benghazi attack – including an admission that it was a terrorist attack,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

“The second is the State Department’s cover-up of these documents. The State Department is forcing Judicial Watch to play ‘whack-a-mole’ with Clinton and Benghazi documents. It is no wonder that two frustrated federal court judges granted Judicial Watch discovery into the Clinton FOIA issues.”


As a result, it is not surprising that as students we need to find credible sources for academic work.

Religious Institutions

Fox News Reporting: Losing Faith In America? Church Attendance On The Decline, 4:16
Church attendance on the decline; Fox News finds unique sources of inspiration throughout the country. Bill Hemmer. Fox News Reporting

https://youtu.be/pKCCpjr7-tA



Academe

5.1 Credibility

Visitors and Residents: Credibility, 10:40

David White (@daveowhite, http://twitter.com/daveowhite) of the University of Oxford explains how the Web is changing academic practice and challenging traditional notions of credibility and authority. In part 2 of this series, he considers how the Visitors and Residents model helps understand what this means for individuals and institutions.

Part 1: Visitors and Residents http://youtu.be/sPOG3iThmRI

Find out more about Visitors and Residents at: http://www.netskills.ac.uk/vandr

http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits... http://tallblog.conted.ox.ac.uk/index... http://firstmonday.org/article/view/3...

http://youtu.be/kO569eknM6U



Can we trust the government?

How Much Do We Waste?

REAL or FAKE: Can you tell which of these government spending projects are real or fake?, 3:18

http://youtu.be/9Gp0JuBp8xA



Real or Fake 2: Can you tell which of these spending examples are true? 2:26
http://youtu.be/pShicKqreGI



News

News is packaged information about current events happening somewhere else; or, alternatively, news is that which the news industry sells. News moves through many different media, based on word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting, and electronic communication.

Common topics for news reports include war, politics, and business, as well as athletic contests, quirky or unusual events, and the doings of celebrities. Government proclamations, concerning royal ceremonies, laws, taxes, public health, and criminals, have been dubbed news since ancient times.
Humans exhibit a nearly universal desire to learn and share news from elsewhere, which they satisfy by traveling and talking to each other. Technological and social developments, often driven by government communication and espionage networks, have increased the speed with which news can spread, as well as influenced its content. The genre of news as we know it today is closely associated with the newspaper, which originated in China as a court bulletin and spread, with paper and printing press, to Europe.

Americans lose faith in mainstream media, 3:08

When it comes to Americans having trust in the mainstream media, the numbers don't lie. According to a recent Gallup poll, only 21 percent of Americans have confidence in television News. The decrease in viewership has become an alarming trend, and RT's Liz Wahl has more.

https://youtu.be/evCvHSZEz0o



These 6 Corporations Control 90% Of The Media In America
http://www.businessinsider.com/these-6-corporations-control-90-of-the-media-in-america-2012-6

What news alternatives are there?

A news aggregator, instead of a news producer, may provide alternative and options to the controlled media, e.g., The Drudge Report.

http://drudgereport.com/

Evaluating Sources for Credibility, 3:14

What does it mean for a source to be credible?

Why is it important to use these sources?

How can you tell if a source is credible?

This video is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States license.

https://youtu.be/PLTOVoHbH5c




5.1 Practice: Credibility

How Much Do We Waste?

5.2 Experts


An expert (About this sound pronunciation (US) (help·info)) is "somebody who obtains results that are vastly superior to those obtained by the majority of the population".[1] Alternatively, an expert is someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by peers or the public in a specific well-distinguished domain. An expert, more generally, is a person with extensive knowledge or ability based on research, experience, or occupation and in a particular area of study. Experts are called in for advice on their respective subject, but they do not always agree on the particulars of a field of study. An expert can be believed, by virtue of credential, training, education, profession, publication or experience, to have special knowledge of a subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially (and legally) rely upon the individual's opinion. Historically, an expert was referred to as a sage (Sophos). The individual was usually a profound thinker distinguished for wisdom and sound judgment.

Experts have a prolonged or intense experience through practice and education in a particular field. In specific fields, the definition of expert is well established by consensus and therefore it is not always necessary for individuals to have a professional or academic qualification for them to be accepted as an expert. In this respect, a shepherd with 50 years of experience tending flocks would be widely recognized as having complete expertise in the use and training of sheep dogs and the care of sheep. Another example from computer science is that an expert system may be taught by a human and thereafter considered an expert, often outperforming human beings at particular tasks. In law, an expert witness must be recognized by argument and authority.

Research in this area attempts to understand the relation between expert knowledge, skills and personal characteristics and exceptional performance. Some researchers have investigated the cognitive structures and processes of experts. The fundamental aim of this research is to describe what it is that experts know and how they use their knowledge to achieve performance that most people assume requires extreme or extraordinary ability. Studies have investigated the factors that enable experts to be fast and accurate.[2]

The Expert (Short Comedy Sketch), 7:34

Funny business meeting illustrating how hard it is for an engineer to fit into the corporate world! Starring: Orion Lee, James Marlowe, Abdiel LeRoy, Ewa Wojcik, Tatjana Sendzimir. Subtitles available in 39 languages (enable them using the "Captions" button). A big thank-you to everyone who translated! Written & Directed by Lauris Beinerts Based on a short story "The Meeting" by Alexey Berezin Produced by Connor Snedecor & Lauris Beinerts Director of Photography: Matthew Riley Sound Recordist: Simon Oldham Production Designer: Karina Beinerte 1st Assistant Director: James Hanline Make-up Artist: Emily Russell Editor: Connor Snedecor Sound Designer: James Bryant Colourist: Janis Stals Animator: Benjamin Charles The original short story "The Meeting" (in Russian): http://alex-aka-jj.livejournal.com/66... We made this video using: - Canon 7D camera: http://amzn.to/1FuXXVv - Final Cut Pro 7: http://amzn.to/1Lt7UrZ - Web-based Cyrillic converter: http://2cyr.com/ - The Hospital Club premises for a stage test (only partially recorded...): http://thehospitalclub.com/ - Libre Office Calc to make sense of the shot list... - 7 different markers and an empty juice pack to get the right sound - A bottle of single malt whiskey Funny short comedy films / sketches / skits & any other videos / movies made by Lauris Beinerts. If you like to laugh, subscribe for new (albeit irregular) videos! Семь красных линий Гуманитарий и инженер Дизайнер и заказчик 工程师心里的痛只有工程师能懂 史上最悲催工程师 如何用透明笔画出红色线条

https://youtu.be/BKorP55Aqvg



Expertise

Bill Gates on Expertise: 10,000 Hours and a Lifetime of Fanaticism, 3:08

Complete Premium video at: http://fora.tv/series/92y_politics

Bill Gates responds to Malcolm Gladwell's theory that it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to master a skill. Apart from acknowledging luck, timing and an open mind, Gates suggests that a successful person survives many cycles of attrition to make it to 10,000 hours of experience. "You do have to be lucky enough, but also fanatical enough to keep going," explains Gates.

----- Microsoft founder Bill Gates leads a conversation with his father Bill Gates Senior, titled "A Conversation with My Father," in which the pair talk about parenting, philanthropy, commerce and citizenship.

Bill Gates Sr. was an attorney who co-founded his own firm and was on the board of Planned Parenthood. Since retiring from law in 1998, he has served as the co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and as director for Costco Wholesale. He's also the author of Showing Up for Life: Thoughts on the Gifts of a Lifetime as well as Wealth and Commonwealth: Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes.
Bill Gates III is chairman of Microsoft Corporation, the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. In July 2008, Gates transitioned out of a day-to-day role in the company to spend more time on his global health and education work at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Gates continues to serve as Microsoft's chairman and an advisor on key development projects.

https://youtu.be/CsGihiSE6sM



Limits of Expertise

Peer Review

Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people of similar competence to the producers of the work (peers). It constitutes a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards of quality, improve performance, and provide credibility. In academia, scholarly peer review is often used to determine an academic paper's suitability for publication. Peer review can be categorized by the type of activity and by the field or profession in which the activity occurs, e.g., medical peer review.

Peer Review in 3 Minutes, 3:15

How do articles get peer reviewed? What role does peer review play in scholarly research and publication? This video will explain.

https://youtu.be/rOCQZ7QnoN0








5.2 Practice: Experts

Hasty Reporting, Regrettable Mistake

5.3 Everyone Else

Types of Internet sites

Credible Websites? 3:52

Learn about evaluating websites. (Hartness Library CCV/Vermont Tech)

https://youtu.be/AFEwwG7rq0E


5.3 Practice: Everyone Else

How Good Is Milk for you?

5.1 Credibility

5.1 Practice: Credibility

How Much Do We Waste?

5.2 Experts

Do You Think? 4:03

With increased societal polarization, especially political, where people are bombarded with "facts" and opinions by pundits and experts, too many people choose to blindly follow their pundit of choice like rats following the Pied Pipers, without really thinking and questioning. I've felt that if more people were exposed to critical thinking principles, they might at least be able to identify when statements, opinions and actions aren't completely rational. This video is about teaching some very basic critical thinking standards with the intent to intrigue the viewer enough about critical thinking to learn more about the subject.

http://youtu.be/-85-j7Nr9i4





Week 5 Lecture 1

Pre-Built Course Content

Week 5 Lecture 2

Pre-Built Course Content

Week 5 Lecture 2

Pre-Built Course Content

REFERENCES

Charles Moerdler, United Federation of Teachers,7:31

https://youtu.be/Kyrkeer8Nu0



Charles Moerdler, 11:30

https://youtu.be/x9K6roM2ag0



Pamela Geller Speaks at MTA Board Meeting to Ban Free Speech, 2:20

https://youtu.be/PFJEkgLIq44



Islamists

Attempt to Kill and End Free Speech

AFDI/Jihad Watch Muhammad Contest

http://pamelageller.com/2015/05/texas-afdi-muhammad-contest-event-sold-out.html/
This event follows the Stand With the Prophet conference in January.

Watter's World, 5:37

Bill O'Reilly Watters World Stand with the Prophet Conference

https://youtu.be/SWGSbH58PmI





Strategy to Shut Down Debate, Brooklyn College, Pamela Geller, speaker, 6:17

https://youtu.be/b_stYHItS-s



Tom Trento

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v52q0Z_nSEM&feature=youtu.be

DISCUSSION

"Identifying Misleading Information in an Argument"

Please respond to the following:

Consider the following argument: There are many arguments for the elimination or modification of current U. S. drug laws, but one of the most persuasive involves what negative effects drug laws are having on society in comparison with the effects of the drugs themselves. In the past ten years, most forms of drug use have dropped significantly, especially among teens. Despite this, non-violent drug offenders accounted for 21.1 percent of the federal prison population. First time drug offenders serve, on average, a sentence three months longer than kidnappers, nine months longer than burglars, and thirty-three months longer than sex abusers. In 1992, the average cost of keeping an inmate in either state or federal prison was about $20,000 per prisoner per year. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with 455 prisoners per 100,000 population. It is maintaining these prisoners at great expense in an environment where they are unlikely to develop a socially constructive attitude. Perhaps it is time that we reconsider our attitudes toward those who choose to use drugs; failure to do so may cost society even more than it already has.

Determine whether or not the argument uses any deceptive statistics. Give your opinion on whether or not the argument has persuaded you. Explain why or why not.

Determine the primary ways in which statistics or authority are used in your current position in developing persuasive arguments, and provide examples of such use.