TRANSCRIPT OF BROADCAST BY FULTON LEWIS, JR.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP63T00245R000100220160-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 19, 2004
• Sequence Number: 160
• Publication Date: January 1, 1958
• Content Type: TRANS

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TRANSCRIPT OF BROADCAST
by
Fulton Lewis, Jr.
Station WGMS at ?-?1:5 P. M.
1 January 1958
The story of Radio Free Europe and its affiliates-and
the so-called Crusade for Freedom, which is the-fund-collect-
ing organization which supports it. What I have said thus
far is reporting by me--the fact is I have seen them and
found them out. Tonight, I think it would be helpful to you
to know something about the reaction that has been forthcoming
and what otheir people in a position to `add intimate first-hand
knowledge of the facts and even first-hand experience have to
Say on this subject.
In the first place, in all the tremendous mountain of mail
that I have received, and tremendous it is, I have yet to find
the first letter that challenges or disputes anything that I
have said over this microphone. The Crusade for Freedom, to
be sure, has compiled a self -justifying statement, attempting
to answer the facts that I have presented and attempting to
deny the charges that I have made. This is to be expected.
The paid money-raisers in that organization naturally want
to protect their ,jobs because they never had it sa good. Thcjr
are living high indeed on the- hog. Some of -these self=,justify-
ing statements I already have answered over this microphone
as I did one of them last night. The others I will answer ~,nd
debunk for you in the future, and I am compiling a complete
answer to all of them, which I shall send to every individual
member and officer of the board of directoxs of the Crusade
for Freedom and the Free Europe Committee in the faint hape at
least that they will re-examine themselves in the light of lead-
ing their names to the sponsorship of these operations,
In the meantime, I have turned over to the Federal Bureau
of Investigation my entire file of information on the te~o~ or-
ganizations, with one lone proviso that, in a handful c-f cases
in which individuals have asked that I protect the source of
information, the names are being withheld by me. I might add
that in no case of this kind has the information been unduly
important or essential.
This mail,'by the way, has not come from the United States
ale~ne. I have letters from South America and from Europe, as
well, from people who have heard about this series and who have
written in with comments or factual contributions.
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But let''me begin with a letter-from 1~~r. John A. Butter (sic)
in Batatul~a, Brazil. ite says -the fallowing axed I queue a ?'I "my-
self protest against ~~oadca.sts to Czechoslovakia through Radio
Free Europe by Czech refugees who once collaborated with:Commu-
nists9bringing Czechoslovakia under Communist yoke and then
toa~k ~?efuge ire the i~xaited .States or other countries . 'These
people are making propaganda in behalf of their socialistic
:ideas of nationalization of industries and property of individ-
uals, and they use Radio Free Europe for such propaganda, -They
elvish to do themselves the same thing that bas been done already
by the Communists, What will the people of Czechoslovakia think
o$ the Western world if they hear such propaganda through Radio
Free Europe? Are the citizens of the United States willing to
pay for such broadcasting and keep these people among them???
Ne~y freely yours, John B~tittar '(sic) .
And here is one frcam>Dr. Joseph Geishka (sic) of Charter,
?hio, which is to me particularly important. Dear sire ?'It
ryas with great satisfaction that I was able to listen to your
recent commentaries regarding the situation existing in the
Czechoslovak division of Radio Free Europe, I was also pleased
to hear you mention Mr. Ferdinand Ferutka, against whom I was
warning the confidence officials of the Free Europe Committee
in New York d~nring the last several years--but in vaixu. I am
a political exile who left Czechoslovakia after the Communist
coup d?etat in February of 1948. With Mr. Feruutka, I am well
acquainted pers+~nally a.s well as politically. ylr. Ferutka and
I were bath members of several exile organizations until Decem-
ber of 1956, when I resigned all posts in the Council of Free
Czectnoslovakia.1?
Loet me interject he~?e that N!r? Ferdinand Fera~lrka, is head
of the Cz?chos lovakian desk of Radi? Free Ern~?ope . Corot inning
with the. letter. ?YBeing a Christian Democrat, I never agreed
with Mr. Ferutka?s socialistic views, neithe~? did 'I approve of
his benevolent attitude to~+ard the Communists in Czechoslovakia
before 1948. In part"icular, I do re~eci; the idea that the
Communist tyranny can be cr~nshed in any country behixud the
iron curtaian by replacing it with socialism, cif which idea Nir.
Fercutka is the rnos,t ferven.$ protagonist. Therefmre, I feel
that it is my duty to saapport you, my.dear sir, i~u your
courageoaus fight against agcy tendexnc~r which would misrepresent
the political views of my people in the eyes of American fighters
against Comm~xnism. As former president of the Slovak Liber'3~y
party, I express my sincere thanks to you on behalf of all my
political friends here ire exile as ,well as on behaliE of those
who are suffering the Communist persecution in Czechoslovakia."
Sincerely yours, Dr. Joseph Geishka (sic).
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And here is one from the editor of a foreign-language
raewapaper on Long Island, named Forma. ''Your recent articles
regarding the pinkos in Radio Free grope deserve the attention
of anyone holding a. responsible position in the American-prop=
agenda agency. We, the refugees from behind the iron 'curtain,
'have been calling to their attention many times the infiltra-
tion of these agencies by fellow travelers, but our voice was
suppressed and ignored by them. We have been treated in a
way which resembles the treatment we received by-the Communists
at home. We have the impression that these agencies are caperated
by people who are determined to persecute any expression of
genuine anti-Communism. Your disclosure about the situation
in the Czechoslovakian desk of Radio Free Europe may be referred
to as a pattern for the rest of the nationality divisions of
that agency. I am enclosing a few articles published in the
organ of the Bulgarian national front in the USA and Canada,,
which you will find supports your thesis."
And this from the Council for the Liberation of Southern
Hungary. -Biro "We heard your comments concerning the Free
Europe committee or~.toda.y's radio program with great satisfac-
tion. Finally you leave given a true picture about this or-
ganization to the American public. This organization supported
from the very beginning only those political groups and leaders
of the European emigration which had cooperated with the Com-
munists after 1945 and thereby assisted in the gradual com-
munization of their countries and, at the same time, saved
face for the Communist party and enabled them finally to get
total control."
These are the people who know-what they are talking about
because they9ve had first-hand contact with the Radio Free
Europe operation. This is their appraisal without any solicita-
tion from me whether that free Europe operation is a legitimate
private enterprise :project, as advertised, to extend the message
of freedom behind the iron curtain or not. And they say, ladies
and gentlemen, that it is not:
~~ ,
In addition to having turned my material an Radio Free
Europe and Crusade far Freedom over to the FBI, ladies and
gentlemen, as I told you, I also have contacted Chairman
James Eastman of the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee,
suggesting that he undertake an immediate investigation of the
entire operation, everyone involved in it, everyone involved in
the original organization,.and a.ll corporations and other or-
ganizations contributing to the support of it. Senator.Williarn
Jenner of Indiana, a member of the committee,has informed me
that he wants to go over the materi~.l with me as soon as he re-
turns to Washington this week end. Senator Stiles Bridges,
chariman of the Republican Policy Committee in the Senate, has
indicated the same interest on his part. I will of course keep
you fully informed on all developments in this connection.-
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