DESPITE KHRUSHCHEV SMILES, REDS KEPT JAMMING RADIO

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000100960014-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 1, 1999
• Sequence Number: 14
• Content Type: NSPR

_ _ _ . _- 1.1;,11! n CPYRGHT
A'l' TILL CURTAIN: -At a point along the 'Iron Curtain
\'. hich separates satellite Europe from the free world, John
M. Costello, Washington Catholic lay leader, records im-
pressions for broadcast over Radio Free Europe. Mr. Cos-
tello was one of a group of 60 prominent Americans who
recently inspected the RFE facilities on behalf of its spon-
soring organization, Crusade for Freedom.
Despite Kh.rashchev Smiles,
Reds Kept Jamming Radio
By John K. C. Oh
Despite the alleged "thaw" in the cold war since the
recent Khrushchev visit here, Radio Free Europe continues
its 10-year-old "war of truth." This "war" is waged-through
the mr,dium of radio waves that defy the ever-present
sentry towers, electrified can organization omen. net-mu-
barbed wire, and anti-tank ing to Mr. Costello, guarantees
an ahhual budget of $10.000,000
fortifications of the Iron for RFE.
Curtain, which shows no it was at Tillyschantz, a small
sign of cracking anywhere. - border town between West Ger-
So said John M. Costello many and Czechoslovakia, that
of Washington, national chair- the former Congressman ob-
man of the International Rela- schrved, for the first time, the
bons Committee of the National maze of barbed wire, land mines,
Council of Catholic Men, who and other physical components
n?turned this past week from a of the "Great Wall" that. sep-
.0 lay study tour of Radio Free arates the Soviet-dominated East
l;urupe activities, which began Europe from the free world. At
in 1,950. Mr. Costello is a former this town on the armed border,
m. n;her of Congress from Call- Mr. Costello was convir "ed that
I rnia. "the Iron Curtain was as for-
Sixty Americans made the trip midable as ever."
sponsored by the Crusade for
}' re,-dorn. the non-profit Ameri-
Accuracy Emphasiznl
"A major weapon," said Mr.
Costello, "that is now penetrat-
ing the Iron Curtain is electric
waves of RFE, and the ammuni-
tion is the truth broadcasts."
RFE has grown since 1950 from
a one-transmitter station into
the world's most powerful net-
work broadcasting to the captive
countries, operating 28 trans-
mitters and carrying almost 3,000
program hours each week.
Mr. Costello declared that
RFE is "keeping the spark of
hope alive" among 76 million
people in five satellite countries.
RFE's "target countries" are
Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Po-
land, Romania, and Bulgaria.
"The hard hitting effectiveness
of RFE," said Mr. Costello, "can-
not be questioned. Its accurate
and prompt news reports often
beat the Communist newscasts
by considerable margin." For
example, Mr. Costello related,
RFl~'s report on the successful
launching of the first Soviet
moon rocket beat the Commu-
nist newscast by 45 minutes, and
reports on Stalin's death by sev-
eral hours.
Mr. Costello said that RFE's
emphasis on accuracy In its
newscasts was "amazing." RFE
has over 100,000 "fact sheets"
on Czechoslovakia alone, and
this reference file is increased
by about 1,000 new sheets each
month. RFE's scripts are checked
and double checked against the
reference material and other
sources before they are broad-
cast.
"I;FE headquarters believes
that over 85 per cent of its heavy
news coverage - 10 minutes
every hour on the hour - is
picked up by the target audi-
ence," said Mr. Costello. As with
any other radio network, RFE's
broadcasts include a variety of
prot-rams, but news is the key
to its effort+ The 'estimated
number of radio sets capable of
picking up RFE broadcasts in
the target countries is 9,000,000.
Powerful Competitor
The Communists are now oper-
ating about 2,000 "Jammers" in
200 different locations, accord-
Ing to Mr. Costello. The noise
from these jammers, intended to
prevent the captive people from
list r r ing to RFE, never stopped
eve a uurinc Khr shchev's isit.
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