ROLE OF BROADCASTS IN HUNGARIAN REVOLT IS ANALYZED

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP74-00297R000900080062-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 28, 2013
• Sequence Number: 62
• Publication Date: April 11, 1958
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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Declassified and Approved For Release @ 50-Yr 2013/10/28: CIA-RDP74-00297R000900080062-0
iter4. Mass. X Ctigt?Otii ;
RAMO FREE EUROPi
?
Role of Broadcasts in Hungarian Revolt is Analyzed
;This Is the last of three articles on the cOntrovergy be-
twat, mho commentator Fulton Lewis Jr. and the Crusade for
-.Freedom, Inc., on ,the effectiveness of Radio'Free Europe.) '
By DONALD R. LARRABEE
Standard-Times Washington Bureau
WASHIN'GTON, April 31?Radio Free Enrope, the semi-official
propaganda medium, aimed at the enslaved peoples of the Iron
Curtain conntries, has a huge payroll. Fulton Lewis Jr., who has
been lambasting the operation for more than six months because
of its propaganda line, says there
are more than 2,000 persons em-
ployed?and this is overdoing it
for an? outfit operating ?nix two
radio stations.
The facts seem to confirm this
figure. There .are 1,200 workers,
at the main shortwave station in
Munich and 400 others at the sec-
ond station in. Portugal. In addi-
tion, 200 employes are engaged
variously in New York City and
200 "elsewhere." Radio Free Eu-
rope doesn't think this is too
many persona for the job, it has
to do.
RFE explains there areifive net-
works with facilities in New
York: Munich, Holzkirchen,
Bib-
us and Schleisshenn in Germany;
Glnrida, Maxoqueria and Lisbon
In Portugal with 29 transmitters
on the air more than 2,600 hours
A week. .
?
Uses Six Languages
Radio Free Europe says It
broadcasts In six foreign lan-
guagei?Pnlish, Czech,. Slovak,
Hungarian, Rumanian and Hun-
garian; has 10 news and informa-
tion bureaus getting tips from
refugees and other sources, while
other workers do nothing but
monitor 60 Communist radio sta-
tions and news? agencies behind
the Iron Curtain.
This. RFE says, takeg announc-
ers, newswriters, producers,
translators, researchers, au'dience
analysts And political specialists,
as well as engineers, a large tech-
nical staff, security officers and
guards.
Fulton Lewis Jr. has found
much that he considers' wrong
with the Radio Free Europe op-
eration, mostly its policy line
Which allegedly encourages the
Iron Curtain countries to support
their national Communist lead-
ers, As against Soviet-directed
Communism. He has almost com-
pletely ignored a charge against
Radio Free Europe which re- ,
? ceived rather widespread atten-
tion at the time of the abortive
Hungarian revolt in 1956.
Prominent leaders', both In Eu-
rope and the United States, and
some newspaper correspondents
on the scene were openly critical
of Radio Free Europe in convinc-
ing the Hungarian people that the
'United States would them
if they revolted against Soviet
domination.
Radio Free Europe denied
that its propagandisit.. rt,-er en-
e s ouraged the people revolt, .
?
1.ut h,re is constrirrahly (-N idence
that the Hungarian, ? 1, If' Into
' ?
I Declassified and Approved For Release @50-Yr 2013/10/28: CIA-RDP74-00297R000900080062-0
studied by the West German Gov-
ernment, by the ,United Nations
study commissidn which looked
into the question of Russianinter-
ventlon In the Hungarian revolu-
tion, anclaby pews commentators.
Convinced U.S. Would Help
corded as ?pews" the speech by stated .in January 1957, that an
investigation ordered h, hitt
showed no bifSis in fact for as-
sertions that RFE had prornkNed
the Hungarians armed -assistance
from the West. However, he ad-
mitted remarks were made which
were likely to cause misinter-
pretations.
'Considered Settled'
Urr Ambassador Henry Cabot
Lodge Jr., on Nov. 2 In whilt be
recalled pledges given by .the
United States to assist the brave
Hungarian people in their slrug-
gle,for freedom. That speech was
made when it looked as if Hunga-
rian revolution. against Soviet
Communism Ilad succeeded.' ?
? 'Deny Rash Promises
Officials of RFS denied
charges that rash promises of
Western. aid-were made. The UN
committee took pains to learn
from witpeases what precise role,
if any, IIFE had "taken in the
events of October and, Novern-
ber. The UN conunittee said in
its official repart.
"The committee was told that
during the uprising, Radio Free
Europe was _ 'very encouraging'
and bliviously sympathetic. Us-
tenera had the, fling that Radio
Free Europe promised help; al-
though witnesses said clearly that
it,gave no reason for expecting
military help. Rather, the general
tone of these bmddcasts aroused
an c xpettati On .of support. -.
"It would appear that certain
broadcasts by Radio Free Europe
did create art ? impression that
support might be .forjhcoming
lot-the Hungarians, The commit-
tee 'feels ' that in 'such &cum-
apection ,are called for in inter-
national broadcasting." -
Chancellor ? Adenauer of the
Federal Republic at Germany them thoroughly.
A New York Times correspond-
ent cabled his paper from Vienna
in the Fall of 1.96 thlit many
Hungarians were convinced the
United States would help them
Against the Soviet Union. He said
he heard criticisms of U. S. broad-
casts .from Soften Tildy, former
president of-Hungary, and from
Major-General Bela Kiraly, the
revolutionary who became com-
mandant of Budapest for a few
brief days.
According to this news account,
both men said the RFE broad-
casts had been usefutin the early
days of the revolution, but harm-
ful later because they incited the
Hungarians to further revolts end
strikes, whereat the Hagan Gov-
ernment needed to have the revo-
lutionaries return to work. -
The Times correspondent said
it was his opinion, shared by-sew
fret colleagues, that the real re-
sponsibility rested with the U. S.
Government since both the Voice
of America and Radio Free Eu-
rope had quoted freely from
speeches by President Eisenhow-
er. and other top officials which,
he said, tended to build,upbopes.
of liberation.
The radio stations, he said, re-:
?
Adensuer reported, rather ob-
scurely, that discussions had tak-
en place "which resulted in per-
sonnel' chauges" following the
Hungarian incident and he add-
ed: "I believe that the matter cab
be considered settled for the
time being'.'
A Washington correspondent,
who was in Vienna at the fthie?,
said' be had no first-hand knowl-
edge of the role played by Radio
Frech,Europe although he had
heariS thet American promises of
liberating the Soviet satellites
were played to the hilt by RFE. ?
' Beyond this, he said he-had in-
terviewed scores of escapeea
from Iron Curtain eountries who
complained, more than anything,'
that the broadcasts were often
"stupidly-inaccurate." They
would, he aid, report trends and
events in a country to listeners
who needed only to look around
them to see that they did not ;tea,:
cord with the facts. This news-
paperman said he suspected
Radio Free Europe picked up
many wild items from .under'.
ground sources without checking
a