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Unfortunately, militaries are usually rife with rumors...my single stint proved that to me without a doubt. How many times did it come through the ship that we were changing course for Bosnia or Somalia or Iraq or wherever had been seen on the satellite news that night? Too many to count.
In a military run in a dictatorship under the rule of fear and subterfuge, in which everyone was watching their back, I can only imagine it would be worse.
I don't think he is a liar, but he may be getting more mileage out of this than the actual experience warrants. I am reminded of the many German generals who made post-war careers out of highlighting their dislike for Hitler. Not that they were being dishonest--many generals truly did detest the man--but it is also pretty easy to see that they understood that the best way to make it in a new order is to tell your new leaders what they like to hear. I don't have the hard data to call this general a liar, but I would bet that phrases such as saying you believed your men about a statement about where planes were headed are definitely chosen with the audience in mind, knowing that 'they were rumors, but rumors are common in the military' wouldn't have the same positive response from an American audience.
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