Suppressed knowledge allows the myth of American decency to endure.

Evidence

Really secrecy is about mind control. It’s about deliberately imposed historical amnesia. If you can suppress all knowledge of something like Operation Sphinx for decades, you allow the myth of American decency and goodness to endure. — Nicholson Baker, Baseless- My Search for Secrets in the…, 1087

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Nicholson Baker, Baseless- My Search for Secrets in the…, 1087
• XREF: connects to: The American denial was a coordinated deception despite its truth. — Nicholson Baker, Baseless- My Search for Secrets in the…, 609; Post-WWII American officials downplayed Japanese war crimes in germ warfare. — Nicholson Baker, Baseless- My Search for Secrets in the…, 633; Gaitán was killed under orders of the American embassy. — Nicholson Baker, Baseless- My Search for Secrets in the…, 833 (+11 more)

Broader Connections

• Americans mistakenly believe they are different from other nations. #expands (0.80) — Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 121
• The American germ warfare program targeted various diseases including anthrax. #exemplifies (0.70) — Nicholson Baker, Baseless- My Search for Secrets in the…, 139
• Founding myths substitute fabricated narrative for genuine history to serve ruling classes #corroborates (0.70)
• The Soviets’ germ-warfare propaganda aimed to discredit American morality regarding warfare. #corroborates (0.65) — Nicholson Baker, Baseless- My Search for Secrets in the…, 1119
• Intense present-mindedness makes advanced societies blind to their self-inflicted misfortunes. #qualifies (0.50)
• State repression, not just culture, sustained American Islamophobia #complicates (0.40) — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 344