VIRGINIA PREWETT / LADIES SHOW HOW

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000400220012-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 19, 2004
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: June 2, 1971
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release POQP/cit;'tJ : CIA-RDP88-01315R000400U0W2~~"2
N a milestone five-day meet-
ing, the fi r r t intern.alLonal
Congress of Wonaen Journal-
ists. met in \Yashinglon last
week. Pit b1is11e'raof" U.S.
ncwspoapcors that are guilty of
the enduring charge of 110g.,
lecsting Latin America should
have been observers.
More than Gil women, nearly
7 all lat'.n American s del tied
deeply into today's problems of development.
This means, above all for them, the economic
relations hetv,eenthe United States an,d Latin
America,
Today, lau,cntably,, not even our Congress
much less most of our press is delvin ~ into the
economic relationship:; that the Latin Ameri-
can women are mastering.
The meeting was organized by Mrs. Yolanda
Sanchez, the dynamic president of Mexico's
111onlen's Press Club, who is stationed in
lVasliin gton as a !'1r broadcaster 'c) Mexico.
The Titter-A'mc r ican Commission of Women
and the Pan American Itcalth Organization
added.
IJI A Y c clfh.A;ULl;
l~elegals were mostly reporters. A few
were. public information specialists for govcrn-
Iilent. Another handful were desk editors and
even full editors. All media were represented.-
The interest and tireless application ,with
which the women pursed ''very heavy work
schedule illustrates the explosion of energy
that can he released into Latin American so-
cieties as the intensely concerned female sex
fights its way into.positions of influence.
One of the very few U.S. delegates, the "Mi-
ami' herald's" Nary Anderson, told the meet-
ing; that the United States is riot using its
;worn npower to.its full potential, She called
W hh :, W
t. lfZ)
lvonia npo\ver our "rtlost wasted natural
resource."
In a. wvorld where internationa-l gatherings
abound among the dominant sex, men couuldd,
learn a lesson from the tone and tempo of the
woman journalists' meeting. 'a bee dde1eaatFs'
pat>,:rs were short, crisp and to the poin. Na-
tional.isria r.:dscd its inevitable head only rare-
ly, The delegates passed up more than one
social event, including a visit to the Whit"',
House, for longer work sessions,
J'ho tho women journalists as indiviciut M,-
proved personally well disposed to hear both
sides in discussions of U.S.-Latin American r'.
lations,-it waS distressingly evlcien.t that many
have gone far in accepting many anti-Yaanlcco
slanders that the United States has 0 lowed to
go anco;atracheted it! Latin - America for too
many years. .
For exullple, one intelligent, ripen-nlhxlc;d
~ onann editor from a Latin American country
now going lefhvnrd in government policies as-
sured me. that our Peace Corps personnel
make political reports to Iho CIA so it caii
"distort the image of Latin America among
the U.S. public."
This vivew was supported by a journalist
from a country that is not going left. When- I
assured thin that lack of balanced irifo.?nla-
tion about Latin America among our public in
general made .any such clilborate and ridicu-
lous operation unnecessary, they were ready
to hoar reasons for this. They were both
shocked to learn that their own embassies In
Washington make no perceptible effort even to
reach ti?e best-known specialists on Latin*
America who write here. Both resolved to try
to tl 'something about Latin America's csa n
notorious neglect of efforts. to inform our pub.
Approved For Release 2005/01/12 : CIA-RDP88-01315R000400220012-4