CONGRESSMAN KERSTEN AND THE COMMITTEE ON COMMUNIST AGGRESSION.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00682R000300040065-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 2, 2006
• Sequence Number: 65
• Publication Date: August 12, 1954
• Content Type: MEMO

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DD/P 1.1862
12 August 1954
I MORANDUN FOR: Deputy Chief, 14H Division
SUBJECT: Congressman Kersten and the Committee on
Communist Aggression.
1. At a meeting in the Director's office yesterday, Congressman
Kersten, after expressing appreciation for the assistance and coopera-
tion of the Agency with his Committee during the recently-concluded
hearings in Germany, proposed to us certain additional cooperation in
other fields. (Portions of this proposal not applicable to Latin
America will be dealt with in a separate memorandum). I, inquired of
Congressman Kersten whether his Committee intended to follow up on
its interest in Central America, stating that we had read in the press
and heard in other ways that at the concludion of the European inquiry
the Committee proposed to turn its attention to Central America.
Congressman Kersten replied generally to the effect that they might
well wish to go into the matter of the Communist menace in Central
America and perhaps South America. At this point, with the Director's
approval and concurrence, I said that we would like to be kept informed
about their plans since we might be able to provide them with some
useful guidance and other forms of assistance. Congressman Kersten
expressed interest and appreciation.
2. I then said that we had a number of documents which we had
obtained in Guatemala following the downfall of the Communist-dominated
Arbenz regime, and that we would be glad to make some of these available
to him if he was interested. I explained that the documents revealed
quite clearly the nature and extent of Communist penetration in Guatemala
and that they provided very interesting reading for anyone who was
knowledgeable on the subject. Congressman Kersten welcomed this offer
and requested me to call upon him the following morning, which I did.
I provided to Congressman Kersten two declassified copies of the brochure
which contains about 23 documents, together with a brief covering (blind)
memorandum explaining something about the documents. I also showed
Congressman Kersten a representative collection of the photographs which
we had rec6ived and said that we could provide these to him if he and
his Committee were interested. Congressman Kersten, after examining the
material, said that he would like to have us send to him as soon as
possible a collection of the atrocity pictures and one or two others
such as the photograph of the labor headquarters with the Red flag
flying, etc. -- together with a brief description of each. I don't know
whether we own some of the most striking atrocity pictures, since someone
told me that these had been offered to us for purchase. This point should
be clarified with Mr. Shaffer before we actually release the photographs
for possible publication. You may have to have copies made of these
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photographs if we do not have the negatives and this should be done
quickly since Congressman Kersten would like to have -them by the end of
the week.., Moreover, he would like to receive from us additional
documents as we get them from time to time in the future and will you
please take care of this -- on a selective basis, of course.
3. Congressman Kersten requested my advice as to what use. he and
his Committee might make of this documentary material. I replied that
I could not advise him on that subject since I did not know enough
about the interests and charter of his Committee. However, if I
understood it correctly, -- that his Committee planned to interest
itself in the subject of Communist infiltration of Latin America and
to build a case about it for the benefit of the US and world public
opinion -- he could regard the materials which we were providing to
him as "bricks and mortar" for the edifice he would. constru ct.. I
also emphasized the point that these materials and others we could
get for him might save him and the Committee a lot of time and effort?
Li.. Congressman Kersten then told me of a story which had been
related to him by a nun in Germany or France, which was to the effect
that in Guatemala following the downfall of the Arbenz regime, there
had been discovered in one of the torture-chambers or jails where
anti-Communists had been imprisoned and tortured. an entire bucketful
of human eyes. He wanted to know whether we could corroborate this
story, and I said that we would put a question to the field in an
effort to do so. Will you please take care of this?
5. Congressman Kersten called me this afternoon on the telephone
and said that he had been giving further study to the documents and
was quite interested in them. He said that he would like to have our
permission to use them in connection with a speech he proposes to
make it Wisconson on or about Sunday, the 15th, which will be attended
by a representative number of middle Western businessmen. The press
will also probably be present. I told Congressman Kersten that:.we
had provided the documents to him for such purposes as he wished to
put them to and that it was all right as far as we were concerned for
him to use the documents and even to display some of the pictures which
we would try to get to him before he departs for the middle West. How-
ever, I said I wanted him to understand that we had heard that there
might be some publicity concerning these documents in Guatemala on or
about the 15th and that he should bear this in mind and not be surprised.
He said that this did not trouble him at all and that, on the contrary,
he felt it might be useful to take the wrappings off this particular part
of the story in two places at about the same time -- his thought being
that the double publicity would be mutally supporting. I had previously
Ti
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C 0 P Y
explained to Congressman Kersten that we had provided copies of the
documents to the State Department, to Ambassador Cabot Lodge at the
United N do s
__Fon-gressman
Kersten said that he thought is was wise for us to have made this
dissemination.
DD/P
cc: AC/PP for info
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