U.S. CAN'T AFFORD TO LET RADIO FREE EUROPE DIE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-01601R001300110001-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 9, 2001
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: March 18, 1972
• Content Type: NSPR

LOS, IulG :LAS TIM
Approved For Release 20 IA-RDP80-01601' ATINT
1.,1.PTTERS TO THE TIMES.
U.S. Can't Afford :to Let
RFlee Europe Die
I would like to reinforce the state-
ments you made in an editorial
-(Feb. 24) on Radio Free Europe. I
am very familiar with that organiza-
tiori as in 1963 I took a two-year
leave of absence from my company
to work in 'Munich as deputy to the
director of RFE ,!id later extended
the leave two more years because of
the tremendous value of what they
,are doing.
I ani deeply shocked by the at-
tempt of Sen. J. William Fulbright
.0-Ark.) to kill both RFE and Radio
Liberty. They are indeed, as he says,
"relics of the cold war" but this im-
plies*that other relics of'the cold war
particularly the denial of basic
AFt. t ! ;f
spective on (a) what is happening in
their own country, (b) what is hap-
pening in the rest of the world.
The statement made so often that
the Voice of America and the BBC
can give them news of the world is
true. No other group, however, can
interpret internal bloc develop-
ments as quickly and responsibly as
-,can RFE. They peg the lies, distor-
tions and party fulminations as soon
as they erupt, this because over the
years they have assembled the most
extensive library on Communist
countries existing anywhere.
A letter writer to, your paper
('larch 7) de=tribes these nneratinns
as "self righteous' meddling." On
that basis we are also "meddling" in
Peking, the 'Middle East, Africa,
South America and Asia. As are the
Russians. And the Chinese. Operat-
ing in this very real world, we had
better continue to "meddle."
GORDON DAVIS
Los Angeles
If there is one thing that is likely
to reduce the threat to us in West-
ern Europe and ultimately to you
Americans it is change within the
Soviet Union and increased internal
pressure on the Russian leaders to
change their policies. Since World
War II both Radio Liberty and Ra-
dio Free Europe have been broad-
casting across the Iron Curtain with
just this aim in mind.
I understand that Radio Liberty
oslovakia, it hardly needs to be re-
peated that the peoples of Eastern
Europe do not presently enjoy this
right. RFE. provides an ersatz
domestic communications medium
for societal forces in Eastern Eu-
rope seeking evolutionary political
liberalization, national affirmation,
and in time relaxation (not abolish-
ment) of Soviet control over the area
and supersession of the artificial
partition of Europe.
Professor Neal depicts RFE as
broadcasting cold war propaganda
which has no impact on the East Eu-
ropean populations. This is to over-
look overwhelming evidence to the
contrary. Continued jamming is per-
haps the best indication that; for the
East European. Communist lead
erships, more is at stake than false
hopes of anti-Communists and.
curiosity about rock music. I know.
the Polish case best; I have yet to
meet a foreigner who has resided in
Poland-governtfient official, jour-
nalist, or student-who has not tes-
tified to the impact of RF'E in Po-
land hnd the. esteem in which its
broadcasts are generally held.
A. ROSS JOHNSON
. Santa Monica'
The writer was essictant for Po-
lish. affairs at RFE froM 1966-1969
-Ed.
1 r te.
.;0.i z' ? ;.~-- ;?sry-w
IIotalitarianistu's Little helper
freedoms to the people of Eastern
.Europe-no longer exist, And that is
patently untrue. It also implies that
these two radio groups operate with-
in cold war concepts. Also quite
untrue.
-The fact is that for many years
both organizations have had to fight
the charge of simplistic Americans
that they have "sold nut" to liberal
forces within their ranks because
they have not engaed in cold war
alone has an estimated audience of
31 million in Russia, but now- the
work that they are doing is threa-
tened with extinction.
The cost of running a radio station
Is but a small fraction of the cost of
maintaining a modern arum, but the
benefits can be much greater.
JOHN HARVEY
Swansea, England
J01
The objections to The.Times' edi-
'torial position on radio Free. Eu-
rope voiced by George Holmes and
t (L
tt
M
N
h
d W
F
e
ers,
ea
arc
arner
re
finger -pointing fI suspect most
re-
Americans are convinced this still ponare, serto he~former, lRFEaaims pre-
has ee th e rail leas 2001tG8M4 r.el-1DP80-01601 ROO1300110001-8
has been torn"
paganda spread within the regimes right (of others) to 7.ive t eir own
and give their lienens a true per- way, good or bad." Less than four ? .
narz after the Detonation of Czech-