IAPA ASKS FORD TO IDENTIFY PAPERS THAT GOT CIA MONEY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000300220004-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 21, 2004
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: October 26, 1974
• Content Type: NSPR

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Approved For Release R-OWT0h p 3 :uCiA-R 88-01315R000~3002~s&
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2 OCT1574 r
30th general assembly
- asks Ford to identify
papers that ot CIA money
The 30th general assembly of the Inter in Conception, and El Rancaguino in Ran-
American Press Association in Caracas, cagua, that such payments had been made
Venezuela, last week vigorously con- to them.
demned the reported CIA "support" of the The general assembly condemned tie
`opposition press" in Chile under the military government of Peru for its expro-
Allende regime and called on President priation of the independent press of Lima
Ford "to clarify once and for all" the and declared "that government an enemy
scope of CIA intervention by naming the of the free press." The association deplored
newspapers which accepted financial as- that some journalists and press organiza-
sistance of that nature. tions in various parts of the hemisphere
"All free newspapers of the Americas ? have approved the attitude of the Peruvian
are justly offended by this action of CIA government.
which casts doubts on the integrity of the The action was taken after reports by
h d i it d P ru
hemisphere's press and makes it possible
for the enemies of a free press to circulate
all sorts of slanders and defamations
against it," the IAPA said.
The organization requested President
Ford to "order the CIA to put a stop to
any subsidization of newspapers or jour-
nalists" and condemned, at the same time,
newspapers and journalists who accepted
such assistance.
The IAPA action came after prolonged
debate on the reports of CIA intervention
in Chile and following vigorous denials by
editors of El Mercurio in Santiago, El Sur
two IAPA members who a v s e e
prior to the assembly-Guido Fernandez,
editor of La Nacion of San Jose, Costa
Rica, and Rafael Molina, editor of El Na-
cional of Santo Domingo. They had talked
to previous owners, editors and reporters
as well as the government-appointed edi-
tors and concluded that a free dialogue no
longer exists under the "independent
Marxism," as they called the new regime.
Following three days of reports, IAPA:
? Condemned the absence of freedom of
the press and other civil rights in Chile;
? Said the tyranical regime in Haiti
i`dN
does not permit a free press;
? Protested to the government of Nica-
ragua for depriving newspaper editor Ped-
ro Joaquin Chamorro, La Prensa, of his
civil rights and denying him an exit visa
from the country because of his published
statements that his country's elections
were a fraud;
? Declared that because of censorship
there is no freedom of the press in Brazil;
s Denounced the lack of a free press
and the violation of human rights in Cuba
and asked the Organization of American
States not to lift sanctions against that
country until the Castro regime has given
proof it is ready to restore a free press
and human rights and release political
prisoners including dozens of journalists.
? Declared that the existence of govern-
ment agencies which monopolize distribu-
tion of governments' commercial advertis-
ing constitutes a threat against a free I
press;
? Noted that eight publications have
been shut down by the Argentine govern-
ment and said the recent adoption of an j
anti-subversion law throws shadows on the
people's right to information;
? Reported that after IAPA had ac-
cused the government of Ecuador of re-
fusing to authorize publication of a new
newspaper, Extra, the government had
changed its mind and expressed satisfac-
tion to the President of Ecuador for that
development.
IAPA found that in Panama the press
is owned or controlled by the government
and in Paraguay there is a state of per-
manent siege and censorship.
The association found that in Canada,
Argentina, El Salvador, the United States,
Trinidad/ Tobago, Barbados, Puerto Rico,
Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Jamaica,
Costa Rica, and Colombia there are isolat-
ed obstacles but a deep foundation to sup-
port a free press.
Venezuelan President Carlos Andres
Perez opened the TAPA meetings empha-
sizing the importance of a free press with-
in democratic systems of government.
Press freedom is indispensable to the deni
ocratic system and added the "system is
defeated and losing prestige in a large
part of Latin America... . Other ban-
ners are being raised up before our peo-
ples which promise bread and order but;
not liberty. But we must not compromise
liberty."
In a veiled complaint against the U.S.
press, the president complained that mass
media in industrialized nations are failing
to inform the public adequately on events
and issues in Latin America.
"I am aware of the fact that I am
speaking to editors who have suffered exile
and imprisonment but I am also aware
that in their countries many citizens have
been unable to express themselves because
special interests have blocked them from
doing so. This is a form of dominance ex-
ercised by the stronger over the weaker.
"The IAPA could be a powerful instru.
ment for the demonstration that freedom
of expression should not be compromised
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