MORE ON RFE FIASCO

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP74-00297R000900090052-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 28, 2013
• Sequence Number: 52
• Publication Date: November 19, 1957
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

YO Declassifiedand Approved For Release @ 50-Yr 2013/10/29: CIA-RDP7402976000900(T90012-01v
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. By FULTON LEWIS, JR.
WAsI OTON,' 18?
?The Board of Pirectors of, the
'Clithade -fer.?-k',i'MUfrrinaludes
citizens, ..-nigfir"dr"'Wliani
'ffienS of mine and some o.,2.
whotri_ are .unhappy575TiritT ?the:,
aaets,?I7haV,`Clitef4i.fecr "4-1j. u
"Radio 1;t:ee ,Europe,,,' fol.' which)'
the -Chi Side- un drai sing
organization.
This' surprises me because /
?consider my expose as a favor
to themnot a criticism. Frank-
ly, V,11.42.N,being had, and :for
me, I wouhMaiirWlIfiow about
it
? If criticisms come along, they!
,are referred to the 'Radio Free?4
Europe organization for an-i
.sWev,s, and the answers 'aro.?
pat.
One routine defense, for ex-1
ample, is that Radio ? Free 1.
Europe broadcasts must be. ef-
fective, or the Russians would I
not be spending millions of doll
lars a year in efforts to "jam" ?
them. On first glance, this I
.seems reasonable. .On second it 1
;is ho-wash.
'7TIllirFIRST place there is I
no evidence that the Russians'.!
are spending "millions of dol-
lars" to that end and no pos. ?.!
sible way to prove it.
In the second, it assumes that .1.
'anything that the Russians cldn't
like is good, which .is ridiculous.
The very objection' to R.F.E. ?
Is that its propaganda line is,.to
*wean the people behind the Ion
Curtain away from Moscow.
Communism b y persuading
them to establish their own na-
tional brand of Communism, the
folly of which is demonstrated
by the history of Poland, Hun-
gary and Yugoslavia.
. ? Obviously,':' this thesis is riot
,to the liking of the Kremlin, any:
.more than propaganda material ?
toward complete ifideppndence
and freedom would be. . What
'Jamming' is done is therefore i,..-One'f(iPtiigii4tona-l-iniiesiti;-;
entirely understandable. ,eaterieliaetiff4VieNV&I'liter-
It does not prove, however, ;:tally thousands' of Iron Curtain
that the policy line of the Free escapees and perseo,cees,
iEurope broadcasts ? are what ' formsthat be has, nsked.,ev-, -
they should he, nor., that they. iboL 'Free.;
are, anything but what they are :Europe.?and less than one. per : ?
accused ..of being-:--in favor of cent of them ilaN.i"?cfljerd it,
national Communism. kor heard of it: Most. 'of' these
The fact is, there is no rea. f didriVeare: The."-o- thers reported
,son to. believe that the Free that they had no way to. get it,
'Europe - broadcasts are beIngl and wouldn't take ?the risk,- any.
,heard behind the Iron Curtain way,
eig-i For , .these. .results, Free
to any appreciable extent...,Th
;transmitters are all short-wave,:: Europe is spending an estimated:
iand shoit`Wiiiie'rWeTiWriii-Sate a_year in
lellite countries are very scarce.' and Crusade for
THE ONLY RADIO sets avail- 1'li'reeddir-'4:_. collecting ? the
!able for purchase are standard1t"xthopoilars" to support it.'
'People's Sets;" capable of pick-t.; If I were a director, I'd want
?ing up the frequencies of the''
.to know what is' going 'on, ?and
:1
:Communist governmentstationsfor my money, 'I'm doing my
:on the regular broadcast band.'i friends a favor. e6!-4.0,4i,.
'Mese are useless for. short ,ict) 1957, by iiing'realure's Synd..
?
Declassified and Approved For Release @ 50-Yr 2013/10/29: CIA-RDP74-00297R000900090052-0