Read "Most Katrina Aid From Overseas Went Unclaimed" by John Solomon and Spencer S. Hsu, The Washington Post, April 29, 2007.
According to the article on September 7, 2005, right after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Karen Hughes sent a cable from her State Department office to U.S. ambassadors worldwide. Hughes, a former White House communications adviser, had recently been named Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs -- a job she still holds. The Ambassadors were to "(a)ssure the scores of countries that had pledged or donated aid at the height of the disaster that their largesse had provided Americans 'practical help and moral support' and 'highlight the concrete benefits hurricane victims are receiving.'" They were to repeat this message again and again, as in an "echo chamber".
The article further states:
Allies offered $854 million in cash and in oil that was to be sold for cash. But only $40 million has been used so far for disaster victims or reconstruction, according to U.S. officials and contractors. Most of the aid went uncollected, including $400 million worth of oil. Some offers were withdrawn or redirected to private groups such as the Red Cross. The rest has been delayed by red tape and bureaucratic limits on how it can be spent.
Comment: An example of State substituting a right-sounding message for hard cold facts -- what Stephen Colbert calls "truthiness". JADStephen Colbert
Colbert Report website
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