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Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare

Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare

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  • Create Date：2021-06-27 03:40:59
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
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  • Author：Thomas Rid
  • ISBN：1788160754
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Summary

We live in an age of subterfuge。 Spy agencies pour vast resources into hacking， leaking， and forging data， often with the goal of weakening the very foundation of liberal democracy: trust in facts。 Thomas Rid， a renowned expert on technology and national security， was one of the first to sound the alarm。 Even before the 2016 election， he warned that Russian military intelligence was 'carefully planning and timing a high-stakes political campaign' to disrupt the democratic process。 But as crafty as such so-called active measures have become， they are not new。

In this astonishing journey through a century of secret psychological war， Rid reveals for the first time some of history's most significant operations - many of them nearly beyond belief。 A White Russian ploy backfires and brings down a New York police commissioner; a KGB-engineered， anti-Semitic hate campaign creeps back across the Berlin Wall; the CIA backs a fake publishing empire， run by a former Wehrmacht U-boat commander that produces Germany's best jazz magazine。

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Reviews

Holly Dolezalek ，

SO GOOD。 This book doesn't take a thing away from the disinformation campaigns that dogged the 2016 election; but it does put them in context， so you know how long our adversaries （and us） have been up to disinformation campaigns。 SO GOOD。 This book doesn't take a thing away from the disinformation campaigns that dogged the 2016 election; but it does put them in context， so you know how long our adversaries （and us） have been up to disinformation campaigns。 。。。more

Peter Kálnai ，

This is truly a masterpiece by Thomas Rid， if one considers both the investigative efforts and comprehensive writing of 31 extraordinary stories related to active measures。 The epilogue called "A century of disinformation" wraps the whole book in an unexpected philosophical tone。 I'm very impressed and much recommend this artwork。 This is truly a masterpiece by Thomas Rid， if one considers both the investigative efforts and comprehensive writing of 31 extraordinary stories related to active measures。 The epilogue called "A century of disinformation" wraps the whole book in an unexpected philosophical tone。 I'm very impressed and much recommend this artwork。 。。。more

Brian Shevory ，

Rid’s book takes its title from the Russian intelligence practice of proactively sending out disinformation and propaganda for the purpose of gaining advantage on its adversaries and prompting potential destabilization。 His book is meticulously researched， going in depth （almost to a fault） with instances of active measures throughout the 20th and into the 21st centuries。 While Tim Weiner’s recent book focuses on instances of active measures between the US and Russia， Rid’s book goes takes a glo Rid’s book takes its title from the Russian intelligence practice of proactively sending out disinformation and propaganda for the purpose of gaining advantage on its adversaries and prompting potential destabilization。 His book is meticulously researched， going in depth （almost to a fault） with instances of active measures throughout the 20th and into the 21st centuries。 While Tim Weiner’s recent book focuses on instances of active measures between the US and Russia， Rid’s book goes takes a global look at active measure programs in other countries， especially in post war East Germany。 Initially， the detailed stories were intriguing， but almost a little too detailed。 Without knowing a great amount of the background， it was sometimes hard to keep track of different figures and individuals， as well as their allegiances。 Nevertheless， the ending section of the book is where Rid truly makes his argument about how the past instances of active measures are applied to the American political climate of today。 I was really intrigued to learn more about Guccifer 2。0， The GRU and Troll Factory， and a lot of the details that were somewhat known during the 2016 presidential election but became more prominent after the Mueller Report was released。 Rid’s detailed narrative was exciting and compelling， and as a reader， I was able to see how the technology may have made spreading disinformation and propaganda easier， but that it was ultimately the same kind of gamesmanship that Russians （and the US） have engaged in throughout the 20th century。 Rid’s book also made me think about the recent attack on the capitol and how social media and disinformation and propaganda about the election helped inflame the tensions that were boiling from 2016， and possibly before。 While there may not be much we can do to control what Russia does， Rid’s book highlights the importance of educating society about disinformation and helping to make people more informed and skilled in information literacy。 Although the book started a little slowly， it was a compelling read， and Rid does an excellent job detailing and creating entertaining and enlightening narratives around the stories of active measures。 It was amazing to see how some of these campaigns played out and influenced policies， events， and even elections throughout the past 100 years。 。。。more

Mike Hayden ，

Great "history" and philosophy of active measures and disinformation。 So good that I do not know if we should trust Rid as being honest or， as the book argues， we should trust this book as doing active measures in someway because it offers a little bit of truth mixed with purposeful lies。 Great "history" and philosophy of active measures and disinformation。 So good that I do not know if we should trust Rid as being honest or， as the book argues， we should trust this book as doing active measures in someway because it offers a little bit of truth mixed with purposeful lies。 。。。more

Rabie ，

They whisper into the hearts of mankind。 They are from among the jiins and humans。These two verses from Quran explains all there is to explain Active Measures and the art of disinformation。 Active measures utilizes propaganda， lies， forgeries all in an effort to gain some political advantage。 The intelligence agencies use deceit to gain information or influence people's behaviour to get some advantage。 It could be to cause rift and enmity between two allies， exploiting fault lines in a nation to They whisper into the hearts of mankind。 They are from among the jiins and humans。These two verses from Quran explains all there is to explain Active Measures and the art of disinformation。 Active measures utilizes propaganda， lies， forgeries all in an effort to gain some political advantage。 The intelligence agencies use deceit to gain information or influence people's behaviour to get some advantage。 It could be to cause rift and enmity between two allies， exploiting fault lines in a nation to put discord among them。 Basically， spreading corruption in the world in the name of their kings， presidents， or people。Although the author started this history from 1920's but history of political warfare and is as old as humans themselves。 Rid illustrated this phenomenon by giving examples of espionage from the Russian Revolution era， later during the east/west Germany and how they competed for influence and how CIA helped them。 Creating fake pamphlets， vandalizing sacred places， writing fake books， planting bogus evidences are all just part of these Measures。 Governments spends billions of dollars on lies whose success they can't even measure。 Verily， truth remains and falsehood perishes。Today's cyber attacks looked in the light of Active Measures helps to contextualize the problem we are facing。 To better protect our cyber infrastructure， it is important that we understand the motivations of threat actors。 This book does a good job at trying to highlight just that。 Today we see institutions like National Endowment for Democracy （NED）， RT， or Voice of America etc are fronts of their respective governments for the purpose of Active Measures。 。。。more

Chris ，

The use of active measures throughout the last century has set the stage for an ongoing modis operandi of Russian intelligence going into the next decade。

Kelly Phelan ，

Despite the subject matter， and perhaps the cover design， this is not at all a sensational read， but rather a dense historical book。 Written by an historian， it's thoroughly researched， full of dates， and sometimes a little dry。 Read it if you're into history， the evolution of ideas， or social psychology。 Each chapter is on a single disinformation campaign， so it's easy to put it down and pick it up again much later。 It spans the history of disinformation from WW1 to 2017， and never takes sides- Despite the subject matter， and perhaps the cover design， this is not at all a sensational read， but rather a dense historical book。 Written by an historian， it's thoroughly researched， full of dates， and sometimes a little dry。 Read it if you're into history， the evolution of ideas， or social psychology。 Each chapter is on a single disinformation campaign， so it's easy to put it down and pick it up again much later。 It spans the history of disinformation from WW1 to 2017， and never takes sides--just presents the cold， hard facts。 。。。more

Allie ，

An extremely thorough read。

Troy ，

This is a very interesting and detailed history of the title subject。 Rid is fairly balanced in terms of evaluating both Western and Eastern use of the same tactics。 However， at times he does seem to rely on an assumption that "Russia bad" in order for some of his commentary to make sense。 Additionally， on occasion he uncritically uses the labels "open society" and "closed society" to obliquely refer to the US and the USSR （and， seemingly， contemporary Russia） respectively without really explain This is a very interesting and detailed history of the title subject。 Rid is fairly balanced in terms of evaluating both Western and Eastern use of the same tactics。 However， at times he does seem to rely on an assumption that "Russia bad" in order for some of his commentary to make sense。 Additionally， on occasion he uncritically uses the labels "open society" and "closed society" to obliquely refer to the US and the USSR （and， seemingly， contemporary Russia） respectively without really explaining why。 Of course， anyone with any knowledge of the treatment of minorities in the US will know that the US could hardly be called an "open society，" even to this day in many respects （don't worry， I know this goes for Russia as well） so the ultimate analysis really falls apart here。 I do recommend reading this book。 I so recommend because of the factual information included therein， particularly the information related to more recent events， which are fleshed out in a much more informative way than any media account has seemed to manage coming close to。 However， while Mr。 Rid excels at piecing together a well-sourced historical account， the same cannot be said for his takeaways， which I think miss the mark somewhat。 So， come for the former， and do what you will with the latter。 。。。more

Keith Rozario ，

Starts very slow， and besides a few interesting stories is generally quite boring and tedious to keep track of everything。But once we reach 2/3rds of the way through， and we reach more modern times， the book becomes a real page turner。 And then the past suddenly begins to make a lot more sense。Gave it 5 stars because the end was really interesting。

Hillary ，

I was so close to finishing it and then the book disappeared 。。。。 so。。。。。

Denise ，

Active Measures takes the reader deep into a wilderness of mirrors， exploring a century's worth of disinformation campaigns ranging from post-revolutionary Russia through fanciful deception operations perpetrated by the various intelligence agencies operating on both sides of the Iron Curtain during the Cold War and on to the present day， taking a good look at the pivot towards online operations that have become ever more prevalent in the 21st century。 Deeply unsettling and deeply fascinating。 Active Measures takes the reader deep into a wilderness of mirrors， exploring a century's worth of disinformation campaigns ranging from post-revolutionary Russia through fanciful deception operations perpetrated by the various intelligence agencies operating on both sides of the Iron Curtain during the Cold War and on to the present day， taking a good look at the pivot towards online operations that have become ever more prevalent in the 21st century。 Deeply unsettling and deeply fascinating。 。。。more

Karl。bromley ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 2。5 stars。

Lilly ，

Excellent research effort， this author goes above and beyond。 Great read for people interested in the history and evolution of intelligence。 Particular focus on Cold War nations。 Very detailed， but well-written。 My only „critique“ would be that I enjoyed the conclusion‘s analysis the most， and wish it had been longer/ more fleshed out

K ，

I really hope our spooks/ defence establishment are reading this book。 Disinformation （or 'active measures'） is truly an awesome weapon in the hands of powerful （state） actors， and this book provides a good insight into how it was used to great effect in the Cold War， and how it continues to evolve in today's world （think Wikileaks， think election interference write large， think cyberattacks）。 Even if not to engage in disinformation ourselves （and this， as Rid points out， is harder in a democrat I really hope our spooks/ defence establishment are reading this book。 Disinformation （or 'active measures'） is truly an awesome weapon in the hands of powerful （state） actors， and this book provides a good insight into how it was used to great effect in the Cold War， and how it continues to evolve in today's world （think Wikileaks， think election interference write large， think cyberattacks）。 Even if not to engage in disinformation ourselves （and this， as Rid points out， is harder in a democratic society， for practical and moral reasons）， we should be alert to how it works and how we can best defend ourselves against it。 Would recommend to anyone interested in history in general， and also anyone looking to think carefully about how we can design policies and laws to address issues like this。 。。。more

Yann Roshdy ，

Je termine à l'instant cette magnifique histoire de GUERRE POLITIQUE et de MESURES ACTIVES entre les USA et l'URSS （et ses satellites）， puis le remake 2。0 （depuis 1999） entre les USA et la Russie du Tsar Vladimir 1er。Le livre débute dans les années 20 et suit en 5 parties les évolutions de la désinformation depuis 100 ans。La guerre politique du parti communiste chinois se concentre sur 3 champs de bataille （The Three Warfares） : 1） l'opinion publique et les médias， 2） les opérations psychologiqu Je termine à l'instant cette magnifique histoire de GUERRE POLITIQUE et de MESURES ACTIVES entre les USA et l'URSS （et ses satellites）， puis le remake 2。0 （depuis 1999） entre les USA et la Russie du Tsar Vladimir 1er。Le livre débute dans les années 20 et suit en 5 parties les évolutions de la désinformation depuis 100 ans。La guerre politique du parti communiste chinois se concentre sur 3 champs de bataille （The Three Warfares） : 1） l'opinion publique et les médias， 2） les opérations psychologiques （psyops） et 3） la guerre légale。 C'est la base de leur paradigme de la "guerre sans restriction" （il y a des variantes dansa stratégie globale， comme la guerre hybride， appliquée à Taïwan）。 À l'opposé， les services secrets soviétiques et russes se concentrent plutôt dans 3 domaines : 1） les attaques cyber en vue de fuites de renseignements stratégiques ou de déstabilisation économique， 2） la fabrication de faux contenu et de contenu de propagande （forgeries）， et 3） la formation de "réseaux botnets" et "troll puppets farms" pour amplifier la stratégie globale。Quand on essait d'analyser la Guerre Froide 2。0， il faut commencer par comprendre la nature de la guerre， remarquer les récents bouleversements technologiques et puis réappliquer les notions de Machiavel， Clausewitz， Sun Tzu， etc dans ce nouveau paradigme， contexte， champs de bataille。 Aussi， nous devons connaître le paradigme de nos adversaires afin de mieux situer la menace; leurs acteurs， leurs moyens et leurs objectifs。 De cette manière， nous pouvons mieux comprendre ce qui se passe depuis 20 ans: une accélération de l'embrasement des conflits， une augmentation des tensions， une "shadow war" entre la Russie et les USA qui a culminée entre 2013 et 2017 et a menée à notre monde actuel。 La guerre civile en Ukraine， le hack de John Podesta et des serveurs de la DNC， le hack NotPetya en Ukraine， le hack des Shadow Brokers aux USA， les révolutions du printemps arabe， les fuites de données de Snowden et Assange， l'enquête crossfire hurricane contre Trump， et beaucoup d'autres événements sont tous en lien avec cette guerre secrète。 Et là， en 2020， à la fin de l'année， il y a à peine quelques semaines， nous découvrons le Cyber Pearl Harbor; la pire défaite stratégique de l'histoire américaine depuis l'attaque de Japonais。 Le hack Solarwinds dépasse， en fait de dégâts stratégiques， l'impact des Shadow Brokers。 Nous atteindons un nouveau sommet dans les tensions USA-Russie。 （Et nous n'avons pas de preuves directes que se sont les Russes derrière les Shadow Brokers et Solarwinds - cela pourrait être un ou un groupe d'employés （ou ex） de la NSA （ou des sous-contractants）。 2021 sera une année intense。 。。。more

Bryan Alkire ，

Good history。 It’s way better than any spy thriller。 First， it’s presumably true although secret histories are rarely so secret。 Second， there’s nothing cheesy here， in fact， analysis shows the millions of dollars， if not billion， spent on disinformation didn’t have that much impact overall。 I kept thinking that the spy agencies really could have benefitted from a cost benefit AI program。 This book also made me slightly more paranoid about the news and social media today as apparently 2010-2015 Good history。 It’s way better than any spy thriller。 First， it’s presumably true although secret histories are rarely so secret。 Second， there’s nothing cheesy here， in fact， analysis shows the millions of dollars， if not billion， spent on disinformation didn’t have that much impact overall。 I kept thinking that the spy agencies really could have benefitted from a cost benefit AI program。 This book also made me slightly more paranoid about the news and social media today as apparently 2010-2015 was the revived golden age for agency disinformation given the rise of internet and social media use。 The book is engaging and I learned quite a bit about an area of spycraft that I didn’t know。 Worth your reading time if you like Cold War and tech spy books。 。。。more

A ，

Books like this are one in a million - somehow serving multiple crucial roles all at once。Thematically， Rid plays a crucial and underappreciated role in navigating a topic that fills our headlines; placing it in its proper historical context， rectifying a wide-eyed sense of hyperbolic novelty with the sage wisdom that however shiny the computer screens may be， the actual conduct reflected on those screens typically have roots and lineage that stretch further back than the histories in our popula Books like this are one in a million - somehow serving multiple crucial roles all at once。Thematically， Rid plays a crucial and underappreciated role in navigating a topic that fills our headlines; placing it in its proper historical context， rectifying a wide-eyed sense of hyperbolic novelty with the sage wisdom that however shiny the computer screens may be， the actual conduct reflected on those screens typically have roots and lineage that stretch further back than the histories in our popular consciousness reflect。Purely personally， however， Rid also tells a tale that mirrors his own， with vignettes， interviews， and progressions of thought drawn from throughout his winding career culminating in the conclusions contained within this volume。 It's not often that the conclusion of a non-fiction volume feels like a coda， but in this instance， it leaves the reader with a deep appreciation not only for the lucid exploration of a terrain in which epistemology turns to mush， but also for the writer's own personal and human journey and its irrevocable contribution to the book's unique qualities。 。。。more

Gwen ，

I was motivated to read this book in light of the recent broad based hack of US government agencies。 I hoped to learn more about how information gleaned as well as backdoor access to these agencies might show up in the headlines of the day。 I appreciate Rid's through approach to providing historical context as well as detailed information about more recent disinformation campaigns and hacks。 Rid illustrates that Active Measures continue to evolve within the context of broader social dynamics tha I was motivated to read this book in light of the recent broad based hack of US government agencies。 I hoped to learn more about how information gleaned as well as backdoor access to these agencies might show up in the headlines of the day。 I appreciate Rid's through approach to providing historical context as well as detailed information about more recent disinformation campaigns and hacks。 Rid illustrates that Active Measures continue to evolve within the context of broader social dynamics that are difficult to recognize during day to day chaos。 While this book won't inoculate us from disinformation， it may help to raise red flags of recognition that trigger good questions。Active Measures should be required reading in newsrooms。 Coverage decisions about how and what to cover re: disinformation and media manipulation would benefit from the broader perspectives Rid provides。 。。。more

Emily ，

Solid History of Active Measures during the Cold WarActive Measures shines in the first 2/3rds of the book as it follows rigorously sourced examples starting from messing with White Russians all the way through to the fake AIDS created in Fort Detrick rumors （which still float around today）。 The book falls apart in the age of the Internet， where the stories are not as well sourced and fall to speculation。 All In all， a good， educational read。

Kevin Riehle ，

The most important historical study of Soviet/Russian covert influence activities available。 Based on extensive archival sources， this book shows the continuity between the Soviet and post-Soviet era to explain recent Russian disinformation activities。

Victoria ，

*** read for Unrestricted Warfare: Offensive Intelligence and Cyberwarfare in the 21st century course ***

Dennis Murphy ，

Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare by Thomas Rid is one of the best books on the subject designed for a broad audience published in recent years。 The book details about a hundred years of Soviet， Warsaw Pact， and Russian disinformation activities， and their effectiveness/reaction in the West。 The problem of understanding just how effective disinformation or misinformation actually is is a running theme in the book。 Mentioned in passing at first， and event Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare by Thomas Rid is one of the best books on the subject designed for a broad audience published in recent years。 The book details about a hundred years of Soviet， Warsaw Pact， and Russian disinformation activities， and their effectiveness/reaction in the West。 The problem of understanding just how effective disinformation or misinformation actually is is a running theme in the book。 Mentioned in passing at first， and eventually becoming a driving force in the book for more modern activity。 I really liked the book and thought it well done， though I have to say that the book's scope is much more narrow than its subtitle would suggest。 I really recommend giving it a go， if you have time to spare。 For any in the strategic， security， and media realms， this book should be required reading。 94/100 。。。more

Able D。 ，

Cold War Desinformation Tactics should be known in our connected world of today。

Piker7977 ，

This is a encyclopedic study of the most prominent， and known， disinformation campaign implemented before， during， and after the cold war。 Many of these are fascinating while some are banal。 Active Measures ultimately builds up to a knockout punch with the hacking of the DNC and the NSA leak by the Shadow Brokers which reminds the reader that these tactics did not stop with the end of the cold war。 As a matter of fact， they are more common and harder to measure and control。This is a good book。 R This is a encyclopedic study of the most prominent， and known， disinformation campaign implemented before， during， and after the cold war。 Many of these are fascinating while some are banal。 Active Measures ultimately builds up to a knockout punch with the hacking of the DNC and the NSA leak by the Shadow Brokers which reminds the reader that these tactics did not stop with the end of the cold war。 As a matter of fact， they are more common and harder to measure and control。This is a good book。 Recommended for cold war studies or folks looking to seriously consider why our informational landscape is so vulnerable to influence。 。。。more

Bob Ries ，

Active Measures is a well researched book that breaks down the elaborate history of disinformation and active measures on a global scale。The book is very "textbooky"。 It is a dense， highly detailed illumination of the information wars perpetrated by the world's spy agencies in the last 75 or so years。 Although the book is chronological in construction， it will require high levels of concentration by the reader to tie the various knots together into a cogent， understandable whole。Active Measures Active Measures is a well researched book that breaks down the elaborate history of disinformation and active measures on a global scale。The book is very "textbooky"。 It is a dense， highly detailed illumination of the information wars perpetrated by the world's spy agencies in the last 75 or so years。 Although the book is chronological in construction， it will require high levels of concentration by the reader to tie the various knots together into a cogent， understandable whole。Active Measures is an interesting and absorbing history of global disinformation by the world's governmental spy agencies。Robert Frank Ries 。。。more

Printed Pages and Coffee ，

Really good text on the evolution of disinformation and active measures， primarily US-USSR/Russia。

Wilson ，

Outstanding book; one that I’ll be referencing for quite a while。 Pair this with “The Sword and the Shield” and you have one of the most complete histories of the Russian mindset towards the west and all open societies， and why their existence is perceived a threat to Russia’s more totalitarian government。Amazing how since the 1920s， Lenin was prescient in discussing how any rift within a culture or country could and should be attacked when facing a powerful adversary。Even more amazing is how we Outstanding book; one that I’ll be referencing for quite a while。 Pair this with “The Sword and the Shield” and you have one of the most complete histories of the Russian mindset towards the west and all open societies， and why their existence is perceived a threat to Russia’s more totalitarian government。Amazing how since the 1920s， Lenin was prescient in discussing how any rift within a culture or country could and should be attacked when facing a powerful adversary。Even more amazing is how well Russia has co-opted and exploited everything from the KKK， the peace movement， nuclear reduction movements， and even tragedies within their own borders。 Russia does not pick sides on an ideological spectrum， only a tear in the fabric of society。Finally， the author does a great job explaining how “Active Measures” are not only becoming more active， but more difficult to measure。 This， and he explains in great detail how crucial it is to have a hysterical media as part of an Active Measure。So much goodness here。 Read。 This。 Book！ 。。。more

Pete Zilla ，

This book is a dense， but excellent review of many of activities variously known as information warfare， political warfare， and active measures from WWI to the present， to include the 2016 election。 Definitely worth a read for anyone in the United States as we have all been subject to active measures in the last few years。 I thought it a great deep dive on the history of these activities， but while I’m the author didn’t solely focus on Russia （there are brief anecdotes of US political warfare）， This book is a dense， but excellent review of many of activities variously known as information warfare， political warfare， and active measures from WWI to the present， to include the 2016 election。 Definitely worth a read for anyone in the United States as we have all been subject to active measures in the last few years。 I thought it a great deep dive on the history of these activities， but while I’m the author didn’t solely focus on Russia （there are brief anecdotes of US political warfare）， he did predominantly focus on Russia and I think an opportunity was lost to explore other US and worldwide examples of disinformation and political warfare。 I guess just realize this book was written in the shadow of the 2016 US presidential election and that’s how the book culminates。 。。。more

Dale ，

A very interesting history of cold war and current disinformation activities。 I was fascinated by how some of the perceptions that we even have today are the result of someone shaping the narrative to their advantage。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0