REPORT OF IPI LILNK WITH CIA TERMED RIDICULOUS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP73-00475R000401250001-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 19, 2013
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: June 22, 1967
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/12/19:
CIA-RDP73-00475R000401250001-5
New Delhi, The Hindustan Times, 10 June 1967, p 8
of Li-Tr. link With
, Madras, June 9 (UNI)?Mr G. Narasimhan, Chairman
of the Board of Trustees of the Press Institute of India,
and Chairman of the Indian Committee of the International
; Press Institute, yesterday described as "ridiculous" the
suggestion that members of the IPI "are linked with CIA."
? In a statement issued here, Mr ! National seminars
Narasimhan said the Institute was "The institute has held national
founded by seven member news_ and international seminars and
workshops all over India, con-
papers "with no outside encour-
nucted refresher courses, organiz-
agement except that of the Inter- ed consultancy and internee pro-
national Press Institute." At pre_ gramme, given awards for jour-
nalistic excellence, sponsored re-
sent it had 30 members. search and issued publications.
Referring to the criticism of the More than 115 Indian newspapers
in Pakistan. Mr Narasimhan (PII's programme are open to
said the IPI had repeatedly pro- non-members as well) and 1,015
tested against the steady erosion journalists have taken part in its
of Press freedom in that country programmes.
and had tried to intercede with Among people who have parti-
the Pakistan authorities to stop cipated are Mr Jawaharlal Nehru,
muzzling the Press there and to Dr C. D. Deshmukh, Mr E. M. S.
free imprisoned journalists.
He said the trustees of the IPI
"welcome constructive criticism
about the professional body, the
criticism now being made is not
professional and has little rela-
tion to facts."
Text of statement
The following is the text of the
statement of Mr Narasimhan:
As there has been some com-
ment on the purposes and activi-
ties of the International Press In-
stitute and the Press Institute of
India and as it has been alleged
that these organizations are link-
ed with the CIA. it is necessary
for me, as Chairman of the Board
of Trustees of the Press Institute
of India and as Chairman of the
Indian Committee of the Inter-
national Press Institute, to put
forward some facts about the true
situation:
Namboodiripad, Mr V. V. Girl,
Mr S. Nijalingappa, Mr P. C. Sen,
Dr Sampurnanand, Mr Biju Pat-
naik, Gen. J. N. Chaudhuri, the
Air Chief Marshal Arjan Singh,
Vice-Admiral A. K. Chatterji, Mr
Ashoka Mehta, Mr Dinesh Singh,
Mr H. M. Patel, Mr M. Chalapathi
Rau, Mr B. Siva Rao, Dr Minn
Dastur, Mr L. Meenakshi Sunda-
ram, Mr V. K. Krishna Menon,
Dr L. M. Singhvi, Mr Frank Mo-
raes, Mr A. E. Charlton, Mr Prom
Bhatia, Mr G. K. Reddy, Mr. In-
der Malhotra, Mr T. J. S. George,
Mr K. S. Rarnachandran, Mr Kul-
dip Nayar, Mr Durga Das, Prof.
Satyen Bose, Mr Indrajit Gupta,
Mr R. K. Klaadilkar, MP, Dr N.B.
Parulekar, Mr M. C. Setalvad, Mr
Ashoka K. Sen, Mr Akshay K.
JaM, Mr Asok Mitra, Mr H. C.
Sarin, Dr S. Bhavaganatam, Mr
V. K. Narasimhan. Mr Asok Chan-
dra, Dr V. K. Narayana Menon,
(A) The IPI includes among its Mr A. R. Bhat, Mr R. R.
members The The Hindu, The States- kar, Mr Romesh Thapar, Dr S. C.
man, Ananda Bazar Patrika, The Dube, Air Marshal P. C. Lai, Mr
Arnrita Bazar Patrika, The Hin- Govind Narain and others.
dustan Times, The Times of In- "The working expenses of the
Press Institute of India have from
dia. Malayala Manorama, Mathru-
bhumi, The Tribune, The Indian the very beginning, ' been borne
Nation, Andhra Patrika, The Press exclusively by the member news-
Trust of India, The United News papers. Some unconditional grants
of India, Aj, Deccan Herald, Sam.; towards its programmes or pro-
posals for collaborative pro-
yukta Karnatak, The Hitavada, grammes have come from organi!.
Kalinga, Tej, Pradeepam, Nai Du-
nia. Vishal Sahyadri, Janma- zations like the University Grants
Commission the India Internatio-
rbhoorni, etc. etc., in fact a good
:number of the most influentiaa
Indian newspapers.
It would be ridiculous to sug-
gest that these newspapers are
linked With the CIA. The Insti-
tute was founded by the seven
member newspapers with no out-
side encouragement except that of
the International Press Institute.
There are now about 30 members.
nal Central, the Tata Iron and
Steel Co. Ltd., the Indian Law
Institute, the. Gandhian Institute
of Studies, the Government of Ra-
jasthan, etc. etc.
"One body, which contributed
towards PII's programme grants,
was the Asia Foundation. Every
.grant from the Asia 'Foun-
dation was scrutinized by the
Government of India. As soon as
it became known . that the Foun-
dation had accepted some contri-
butions from foundations and
trusts named as having transmit-
ted CIA funds, the trustees sus-
pended the relationship of the PII
with the Asia Foundation and re-
urned the grant received for 1967.
The accounts of the PH are au-
dited and are open for inspec-
tion.
(B) Among the newspapers
which have exposed the links
which the CIA has forged, two
principal ones are the New York
Times and the Washington Post.
These two papers are among the
staunchest members and support-
ers of the International Press Ins-
titute from its inception. During
th controversy about the CIA
that is now going on in many
countries, nowhere in the Free
Press has the IPI been linked with
the CIA Of the more than 1,500
members of IPI (who represent
the major papers of over 50 coun-
tries). many member-papers have
taken a leading role in voicing
concern about CIA's interference in
cultural movements, but none, so
far, has linked the IPI with CIA,
nor has any member thought it 1
necessary to resign from the organ-
ization.
Pak affairs
Apart from some uninformed
'generalization in India, the only
other country where criticism has
appeared is Pakistan. It is perhaps.:
significant that in the last three
years IPI has repeatedly protested
against the steady erosion of press
freedom in that country and has
tried to intercede with authorities
there to stop them muzzling with
the Press and to have the impri-
soned journalists realeased. Also
to be noted is the l'act that neither
of the two representative Press or-
ganizations in Pakistan?the Coun-
cil of Pakistan Newspaper Editors
and Federation of Pakistan Jour-
nalists?has made any comment
about IPI. The signatories to the
statement are all from newspapers
controlled by the Press Trust of
Pakistan which is a pliant creation
creation of President Ayub. IPI in
Pakistan, on the other hand. is re-
presented by such people as Mr
Tofazzal Hussain (chairman of the
Pakistan ? Committee of the IPI)
who has been repeatedly jailed for
his courageous independence
.-ar from having anything to
.:.ogize about, ? we take special
pride in the fact that in the short
time of four and half years, the
Indian .Press has, by providing
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/12/19:
CIA-RDP73-00475R000401250001-5
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/12/19:
IA-RDP73-00475R000401250001-5
about Rs 7 lakhs for such .an inti_r
tution, set afoot a process of pro.:
fessional self-criticism and cons-
tructive work and that, by virtue
of its efforts, the Indian Pres: has
gained considerable recognition in.
,respect in international Pre s:1 cir-
cles. ?
"The board of trustees appoint-
ed Mr Chanchal Sarkar to be
director of the institute and he has
always worked under the active
supervision of the board.
The trustees welcome construc-
tive criticism about professional
body. The criticism now being
made, is not professional and has
little relation to facts." '
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/12/19:
rIA_R nP7'.1-00475R000401250001-5