CIA FUNDING JOURNALISTIC NETWORK ABRO[ ]

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000300220003-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 21, 2004
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: January 16, 1976
• Content Type: NSPR

t
Approved For Release 2004/10/13 : CIA-RDP88-01315ROO0300220003-5
WASHINGTON POST
ByWalterPincus -"'Murcurio, an anhi : llende
wast,crroron Post Staff Writar. Santiago newspaper,
The Central Intelligence in September, 1970,
-Agency secretly created over Edwards came to WFasihington
25 years and still finances a to generate U.S. support for a
vast journalistic network plan.to halt Allende?s election.
outside the United States that
is available to carry out covert
propaganda campaigns.
Made up of journalist
agents, , subsidized
newspapers, radio stations
and international wire and
news services, the network is
one of the less-publicized tools
in theagency's covert arsenal.
Its purpose, according to a
former top CIA official, "is to
disseminate data about the
foreign world, particularly the
Soviet Union, that is being
suppressed . ? . and to do it in
a way favorable to U.S.
strategic interests."
A glimpse of how the CIA
network operates was con-
tained in a recent report of the
Senate intelligence com-
mittee.
r..On Sept. 14, 1970, according
t' according
to the Senate report. the
"Forty Committee" of the
National Security Council
authorized a covert CIA
propaganda operation to focus
attention on "the damage that
would befall Chile under an
Allende government."
Salvador Allende, a leftist,
was then a candidate for
president of Chile.
Less than one week later, an
Inter-American Press
Association news release was
issued in Washington charging
that freedom of the press was
-being jeopardized in Chile by
"the Communists and their
Marxist allies."
The release, according to
On Sept. 15, the day after the
Forty Committee.approval.of
the propaganda campaign,
Edwards met with then CIA
Director Richard 1I. Helms.
On Sept. 22, Edwards' El
Mercurio carried an editorial
arguing that "retention of
individual freedom" was the
most important matter facing.
the Chilean people.
Twelve days after the Forty
Committee action, the Spanish
government-owned -wire
service. EFE, carried a report
throughout Latin America
from Santiago on an anti.
Allende rally by a right-wing
group called Patria yLibertat:
which was described in the
story as "a growing.
movement."
The same day, a Santiago
radio station carried a
political commentary on the
Patria rally. The com-
mentator mentioned the rally
favorably while criticizing the
Christian Democratic- party
which that clay had offered to
? make an agreement with
Allende.
According to the Senate
committee report, Patria y
Libertad and its rally received
some money in an "indirect
subsidy" from the CIA. The
radio station in Santiago and
the commentator also
received CIA funds.
EFF, which transmits in
Spanish, at the time received
a CIA subsidy for its Latin'
American newswire
.
product "through its covert operations, according to a
action resources." r former intelligence offi at.
Jim Canel, - executive Within a month of the Forty
secretary of the association Committee decision, 18
journalists from outside Chile
who usually writes such under direct or indirect
releases, said recently he first agency control had art ived in
learned of the release when he Santiago. Some were paid CIA
was called about it by the agents working for
Associated Press. newspapers in other Coun-
Canel at the time tries: a few were a;;ti-Allende
"assumed" the release was and had received their
bassy in 1968 at the time of the
Soviet invasion of
Czechoslovakia. A riot took
place. It was then.covered by
a CIA-subsidized wire service
which carried the story
around the world.
After 1969, a CIA agent at El
Mercurio "exerted substantial
control over the content of that
paper's international news
section," according to the
Senate committee report.
News "harmfui? to the
United States, particularly
about Vietnam" was "sup-
pressed," the report says,
while other CIA-paid jour-
nalists "wrote articles or
editorials favorable to U.S.
interests in the world."
Former CIA top officials say
similar activities were un
dertaken in countries
throughout the world.
Justifying such operations,
one former official said
recently, "if we give up this
program, we lose a network of
agents of influence."
;publisher aA(kft}"69bdfF & F k 1 ase 2004/10/13 : CIA- M2 f 003-5
Others were jour
had been ordered
their bosses s
described by L.
committee report
level (CIA) ages
managerial capac
media field."
One interview v
was written by a
dent of Latin, in
Spanish-language
vice. Latin purpi
established and ru
of 13 Latin
newspapers whic
the British ne
Reuters to in
operation.
According to a
telligence agent, l
CIA subsidized L
intermediaries i;
same manner
money to El Mt
Francisco Ba
general mama ei
Buenos Aires
telephone inter
was "absolutely
11
mil?
rc
(` /. U
US'%-/Ai
Ile- lk"_5 pl_e4i
sO c ca i. l R ~'~' ,~
his service w__ .
subsidized by the CIA.
A spokesman for Reuters in
Washington said he had never
heard it alleged that CIA
money had gone into Latin.
Reuters, he said, had con-
tracted to manage the
Spanish-language service, but
had nothing to do with its
financing. -
Despite CIA's covert action
and propaganda efforts,
:Allende was elected president
of Chile ~n Qctober. 1970.
According to the Senate
committee report, the CIA
claimed its six-week
propaganda blitz resulted in
"726 articles, broadcasts,
editorials and similar items"
in Latin American and
European media.
After Allende took office,
the CIA covert propaganda
operation continued. Some
S1.5 million went directly.toEl
? Mercurio.
Mali vial was developed and
phi red in ali newspapers that
opposed Aiiendeand radio and
television stations as well.
the Senate report
was a CIA
'A I