PRESS RELEASE PERTAINING TO CIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP86B00269R000900080003-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 17, 2003
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: September 12, 1949
• Content Type: MEMO

Appr
Office
emoranaum ? UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
TO : General qa~sel, CIA
VIA : ADSO
FROM : Chief, FBT `,vkj
SUBJECT: Press Release Pertaining to CIA
DATE: 12 Septe ber g
In accordance with GAI #22, there follows a translation-of an excerpt
of an article appearing in El Siglo of Bogota, Colombia, on 14 August 1949.
".....then the assassination occurred and the storm broke loose
and caused those extraordinary and unforgettable happenings, the gravest
that have occurred in any city of the continent, Colombian liberty,
which was in imminent danger of shipwreck, was saved only at the last
minute by the admirable fidelity of the army which liberated the
country from communist tyranny and gained thereby everlasting laurels
for bravery enabling us to continue to enjoy the sacred privilege of
liberty.
"It cannot be forgotten that there followed immediately thereafter
a declaration made by another unquestionable authority, Admiral
Hillenkoetter, Chief of the Intelligence Service of the United States,
who, in an investigation of the Bogota incident conducted 'r.? the
American Senate and in which he and the Intelligence Service were
blamed for having permitted General Marshall to proceed to a city
where such occurrences could happen, justified his action by explain-
ing that he did, indeed, have information of what was going to happen
and that he had communicated such information to the proper persons
who should have intervened.
"For reasons which were beyond his (Hillenkoetter) province,
this information was not followed-up or it should have been determined
that Mister G. had served as intermediary between the Russian legation
and Dr. Jorge Eliecer Gaitan for the delivery of funds for apparent polit-
cal purposes. This is a matter of such significance that It ties in
very closely with previous occurrences which I had witnessed and have
just related. There was a time when Dr. Gaitan was ready to sabotage
the Conference. There was another time when Dr. Gaitan gave up his
earlier intentions on the recommendations of the liberal members of
the Colombian delegations and recommended that the foreign delegations
be treated with great respect. Finally, there was the as~%asstnation
which resulted in the disturbances which had been originally planned
and published in the Communist paper of Belgrade which said that agents
of imperialism would have to leave Bogota like rats......... The
declaration of Admiral Hillenkoetter bears out the facts that Gaitan
had been prepared to give up his original plan in the interests of
Colombian national pride and because of urgings from members of his
Approved For Release 2004/01/30 : CIA-RDP86B00269R000900080003-1
 Approved For Release 2004/01 P86BOO269R000900080003-1
party. In spite of this, his assassination was the signal for the
revolution which had been originally planned and resulted In a blot
on the pages of Colombian history which will never be 3rasFd even
with the passing of centuries."
The article is a reprint of a speech made by Dr. Loureano Gomez
over the Colombian radio on the night 13 4ugust 1949.
q9
Approved For Release 2004/01/30 : CIA-RDP86B00269R000900080003-1