Radio Free Research Articles

“This is Radio Free Asia”: The Story of a Failed CIA Radio Operation to Disseminate Anti-Communist Propaganda into Communist China During the Korean War

ABSTRACT Radio Free Asia (RFA) was a CIA initiative established in September 1951 to disseminate anti-communist propaganda into China during the Korean War. However, RFA failed in its intended mission in 1953. Archival resources and recent declassified CIA documents reveal that the failure was primarily the result of the State Department-CIA rivalry over RFA. Indeed, this article argues that the fledgling CIA created RFA partly by capitalizing on popular convictions about the purported power of radio to propel societal changes to build its legitimacy in a foreign policy territory dominated by the well-established State Department and its Voice of America (VOA).

Radio Free Europe’s Polish Broadcasting Service vis-à-vis the Millennium and Church - State Relations (1965-1966)

This article presents an analysis of selected broadcasts by Radio Free Europe’s Polish Broadcasting Service on the 1966 celebration of the Millennium of the Christianisation of Poland, against the background of the relationship between the Church and state. The source material consists of programmes available online on the Radio Liberty website and articles published in the monthly magazine Na Antenie/On Air from 1965 to 1966. The author's intention is to show the role and meaning of radio broadcasts vis-à-vis the Millennium Poloniae celebrations, which were of a religious and political nature. The radio station, under the direction of Jan Nowak-Jeziorański, defended the authority of Primate Stefan Wyszyński against communist propaganda, while serving as the only source of information for audiences in the country with respect to the Novena initiated in 1956, which culminated in the Millennium. Aside from RFE’s political objectives, the broadcasts served to counter the propaganda and the campaign against the Church and to break the media monopoly in the People’s Republic of Poland. Having a formative and integrative character, they also contributed to the preservation of the listeners’ religious identity.

John Paul II's pontificate in the broadcasts of Radio Free Europe’s Polish Broadcasting Station

John Paul II's pontificate in the broadcasts of Radio Free Europe’s Polish Broadcasting Station

‘A New Prague Spring, but from Below?’ Socialist Dissent in the Last Soviet Generation and the Emergence of Solidarność in Poland, 1980–1981

This article examines the Young Socialists, a left-wing dissident circle of intellectuals from the last Soviet generation, and focuses on their contacts with Solidarność during 1980–81. These dissidents, located in Moscow and Minsk, interpreted the Polish strikes as the possible beginnings of a wider move to socialist reform in the Eastern Bloc. Using oral history and samizdat materials from the Russian and Polish archives and the former archives of Radio Free Europe, the article demonstrates how the Young Socialists’ interactions with Poland developed in the wider context of the transnational history of dissent in the Eastern Bloc at the turn of the 1980s. It argues that a combination of internationalist values and bloc-wide dissident solidarities caused socialist dissidents to view nationalist movements on the Soviet periphery and Eastern Europe as potential drivers of socialist reform on the eve of Perestroika.

Cornel Chiriac (1942-1975)

Romanian journalist, radio producer, record producer and jazz drummer, Cornel Chiriac (1942–1975) was born in Bessarabia. He graduated from the University of Bucharest's Faculty of English Language. Cornel produced for Radio România the most popular music show of the 1960s – METRONOM. After Invasion of Czechoslovakia he played a ballad which relates how five small wolves and a bigger one attacked a sheepfold. Later put on The Beatles' Back in the USSR. He was discovered by Radio Free Europe director Noel Bernard in the Traiskirchen refugee camp and continued his activity in Munich, in RFE's Romanian-language section. He re-launched Metronom and Jazz magazin, and started Jazz à la carte. On March 4, 1975, Cornel was stabbed near his car, in a Munich parking lot.

Radio Free Dixie from Cuba to the Black Belt: mapping Black nationhood through cartographies of sonic rhetoric

ABSTRACT In this essay, I follow sound across hegemonic geopolitical boundaries to map its place-making force in the emergence of new forms of nationhood. Through an analysis of Mabel and Robert F. William’s radio show, Radio Free Dixie, I argue that racialized Southern culture was respatialized and reimagined, positioning the Black Belt as a Black nation where citizenship is rooted in self-determination. This analysis demonstrates that utilizing sonic rhetorics as a mode through which to uncover Black geographies offers insight into practices of nation building that diverge from existing forms of Westphalian sovereignty that manifest as colonial and racialized domination.

Foreign contacts of the underground Toruń Region of NSZZ “Solidarność” in the years 1981–1989

The introduction of martial law on December 13, 1981 resulted in the formation of an opposition underground almost immediately throughout the country. Support from abroad was of great importance for its functioning. This article raises the issue of the activities of the underground Toruń structures of “Solidarity” in the context of aid coming from the West. Over the course of the 1980s, the Toruń underground received printing equipment, computers, parts for radio transmitters, printing ink, money, émigré publications, etc. An important aspect of foreign contacts was the creation of a specific corridor for the secret distribution of copies of the Toruń underground press to “Radio Free Europe”. Articles from this press were later read in radio broadcasts broadcast to Poland.

Interpretation of the World by Aleksander Bregman, a Far-Sighted Commentator on International Affairs in Exile, in the London-Based "Dziennik Polski i Dziennik Żołnierza"

The article presents the views and journalistic activities of the foreign-educated doctor of political science, émigré Polish journalist, correspondent, anti-communist Aleksander Bregman, a pioneer of Polish-German reconciliation, who preached the unpopular post-World War II views of German reunification, and the creation of an economic community of European states. This international relations expert was one of the few publicists in exile who managed to make a name for himself outside the circle of the Polish diaspora. Gifted with Benedictine diligence, he left behind countless articles scattered in the émigré press, English, French, Swiss and German journals, as well as many books whose contents are still relevant today. He was also a contributor to Radio Free Europe. Throughout all of his wartime and subsequent exile life in the UK, he was particularly associated with the London-based Dziennik Polski i Dziennik Żołnierza, where he served as editor-in-chief from 1959 to 1962. In Poland, the magazine was completely banned from printing until 1989. Methods used in writing the article: qualitative press content analysis, press, heuristic, historical-critical microbiography.

Political Hegemony Over the Public Intellectual in Communist Romania: Monica Lovinescu and Her Misrepresented Portrayal in the Print Press

● In the last decades of the Romanian communist regime, a few leading propaganda newspapers and publications such as Luceafărul and Săptămîna violently targeted Monica Lovinescu. This article aims to briefly explore several texts written against her by nationalist supporters of the regime between 1979 and 1989. For example, Artur Silvestri and Eugen Barbu wrote a tremendous number of articles against Monica Lovinescu, brought together in the series “Pseudo-culture on Short Waves” and “The Strategies and Tactics of Radio Free Europe”. Also, various articles from Romanian newspapers would become topics for discussion in the Parisian broadcasts of Radio Free Europe. The Communist Party paid attention to Lovinescu’s criticism of the Romanian regime in her weekly radiophonic program. Press campaigns, particularly in the 1980s, forcibly misinterpreted her journalistic and literary career, portraying her as an enemy of Romania from the West.

Cold War Radio: The Russian Broadcasts of the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty by Mark G. Pomar

<i>Cold War Radio: The Russian Broadcasts of the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty</i> by Mark G. Pomar

Failure or Reasonable Move?: Portrayal of American Pullout from Afghanistan in Russian and American International Media

This study examined competing narratives about the actions of the United States abroad through an analysis of 314 news items of the 2021 American withdrawal from Afghanistan by two media organizations: Russian Sputnik and American Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The textual analysis revealed five dominant themes in Sputnik: Americans as losers and Taliban as winners, Americans as incompetent, Americans as unreliable, insensitive, and irresponsible, Americans as duplicitous, and Americans as a threat to world peace; and four dominant themes in RFE/RL: The Taliban taking over the country quickly, Americans successfully leading the evacuations, Americans having good faith and defending the decision to pull out, and Americans as naïve and lacking good judgment. The findings are interpreted in light of the image theory and second-level agenda setting theory.

“Chcę wrócić, jak emigrant, z podróży dalekiej, / Z papieru, z martwych liter, żywy. Do twych rąk . . . ” : życie i twórczość Kazimierza Wierzyńskiego (1894–1969)

“Chcę wrócić, jak emigrant, z podróży dalekiej, / Z papieru, z martwych liter, żywy. Do twych rąk . . . ” : życie i twórczość Kazimierza Wierzyńskiego (1894–1969)

America's Media War Against the USSR

America's Media War Against the USSRMichael R. McBreartyMichael R. McBrearty1540 York Avenue 3R, New York, NY 10028, (646) 280 – 9649, [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:April 2023https://doi.org/10.1521/siso.2023.87.2.285PDFPDF PLUS ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations AboutREFERENCESBonnell Victoria E., and Freiden Gregory. 1993. “Televorot: The Influence of Television Coverage in Russia's August 1991 Coup.” Slavic Review, 52:4, 810–828. Crossref, Google ScholarBonnell Victoria E., , Cooper Ann, and Freiden Gregory. 2015. Russia At the Barricades, Eyewitness Accounts of the August 1991 Coup. Abingdon, UK: Routledge. Crossref, Google ScholarDichter Ernest. 1960. The Strategy of Desire. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company. Google ScholarEdwards Lee. 2001. Mediapolitik: How the Mass Media Have Transformed World Politics. Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press. Google ScholarEllul Jacques. 1973. Propaganda, The Formation of Men's Attitudes. New York: Vintage. Google ScholarFiges Orlando. 1995. “Communism: Two Autopsies.” New York Times Book Review, March 19. Google ScholarGates Robert. 1996. From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider's Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War. New York: Simon & Schuster. Google ScholarGerbner George. “Instant History: The Case of the Moscow Coup.” Political Communication, Vol. 10, 1993, 193–203. Crossref, Google ScholarGervasi Sean. 1991-1992. “Western Intervention in the USSR.” Covert Action, No. 39 (Winter) 4–9. Google ScholarHersh Seymour M. 1994. “The Wild East.” The Atlantic Monthly (June). Google ScholarHolt Robert T. 1958. Radio Free Europe. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. Google ScholarKind-Kovacs Friederike. 2014. Written Here, Published There: How Underground Literature Crossed the Iron Curtain. Budapest: Central European University Press. Crossref, Google ScholarKohler Foy D. 1952. “This Is the Voice of America.” Cathode Press (Summer Issue). Google ScholarKrugman H. E. 1971. “Brain Wave Measures of Media Involvement.” Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 11, No. 1, ps. 3–9. Google ScholarLisann Maury. 1975. Broadcasting to the Soviet Union: International Politics and Radio. New York: Praeger Publishers. Google ScholarMesyatsev N. 1967. “Ideological Subversion on the Airwaves of Foreign Radio Stations Broadcasting in the Russian Language.” Gostelradio Memo to CPSU Central Committee, April 14. Downloaded from Wilson Center Digital Archive, http://digitalarchive.wilsoncenterorg.document/121515on11-1-2020. Google ScholarMcLuhan Marshall. 1965. Understanding Media, Extensions of Man. New York: McGraw-Hill. Google ScholarMitrovich Gregory. 2004. Cold War Broadcasting Impact: Report on a Conference organized by the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, October 13–16. Google ScholarNites Paul. 1994. NSC-68: Forging the Strategy of Containment. Washington, DC: National Defense University Press. Google ScholarOdom William E. 2000. The Collapse of the Soviet Military. New Haven: Yale University Press. Google ScholarParenti Michael. 1997. Blackshirts and Reds. San Francisco: City Lights Books. Google ScholarParta R. Eugene. 2004. “Measuring the Audience to Western Broadcasting in the USSR.” Paper prepared for the Conference on the Cold War Broadcasting Impact, held at Stanford University, Stanford, California, October 13–15. Google ScholarUS State Department, Office of the Historian. 1969. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969-1976, Volume XII, Soviet Union. January 1969-October 1970, “106. Memorandum for the 303 Committee.” Google Scholar Previous article Next article FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 87Issue 2Apr 2023 Information© 2023 by S & S Quarterly, Inc.PDF download

Through the Eyes of a Strategist and a Diplomat: Polish-American Relations post-1918

Through the Eyes of a Strategist and a Diplomat: Polish-American Relations post-1918

Cold War Radio: The Russian Broadcasts of the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty by Mark G.Pomar. Lincoln:Potomac Books, 2022. 344 pp. $28.60. ISBN 978‐1‐6401‐2514‐8

The Russian ReviewEarly View BOOK REVIEW Cold War Radio: The Russian Broadcasts of the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty by Mark G. Pomar. Lincoln:Potomac Books, 2022. 344 pp. $28.60. ISBN 978-1-6401-2514-8 Gregory Mitrovich, Corresponding Author Gregory Mitrovich [email protected] Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author Gregory Mitrovich, Corresponding Author Gregory Mitrovich [email protected] Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author First published: 16 March 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/russ.12469Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Early ViewOnline Version of Record before inclusion in an issue RelatedInformation

Many Bodies, One Heart

Many Bodies, One Heart

MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS AS A TOOL OF PROPAGANDA STRUGGLE «FOR HEARTS AND MINDS» IN CEE REGION

The article analyses the role of media communications as a propaganda tool for influence the population of the Central and Eastern Europe region in the two most recent periods of the existence of the system of international relations, namely bipolar and post-bipolar. On the basis of international broadcasting practices at the time, it is shown that the propaganda influence on both the Soviet Union and the CEE countries during the Cold War occupied an important place in the foreign policy of the United States of America and its allies. The leading instruments of such media influence on the USSR and the socialist bloc were the American radio services Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberation (Radio Liberty). The post-bipolar period in the use of propaganda media communications is characterized and two trends are singled out. On the one hand, there was the collapse of a large number of American, British, German, etc. broadcasting services due to the disappearance of their raison d’être. On the other hand, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was activity that can be seen as an attempt to restore (preserve) a uniform media space on the territory of the former USSR. In particular, in the field of media communications, the concept of an “uniform information space of the CIS” was actively promoted, which was aimed to preserve the dominance of Russia and the Russian language in the media sphere of the post-Soviet countries. The author made an attempt to outline the prospects of preserving Central and Eastern Europe in the focus of attention of international broadcasting practices of leading actors of international relations. In particular, the opinion is substantiated that the possibility of Russia maintaining its media influence within the borders of the CIS is unlikely, given both the obvious drift of several Caucasian and Asian post-Soviet countries to culturally closer neighbouring countries, as well as the expansionist (including military aggression) policy of Russia in the last two decades, which apparently pushed the countries of the region to reconsider the role of Russian media products as a component of Russian Federation’s soft power and to increase attention to the protection of national information spaces. As for the prospects of keeping Central and Eastern Europe in the focus of attention of other actors of international relations, it mainly depends on current foreign policy goals, which may actualize the need to use media communications as a component of soft power.

Cold War Frequencies: CIA Clandestine Radio Broadcasting to the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe by Richard H. Cummings

<i>Cold War Frequencies: CIA Clandestine Radio Broadcasting to the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe</i> by Richard H. Cummings

“Outsider”

This paper examines the life and work of Gábor Hegedűs, whose family escaped from the Russian invasion of Hungary in 1956, and settled in Toronto, Canada. Under the stage name B.B. Gábor, he wrote and released several successful songs and albums, many of which drew on his experience as a refugee, and were broadcast around the world, as well as in Canada. His most popular songs were satiric commentaries on culture and politics, comparing life in the USSR and in Canada. These were the themes that drew the most attention from audiences and critics, and earned them international airplay, most notably on Radio Free Europe. His difficulties coping with life as a refugee and as an immigrant to Canada resulted in personal tragedy, yet his ability to express these difficulties in his songs left a lasting legacy in both Canada and his native Hungary. (VK; KK; NBN)

Burn after reading: Operation Focus and the fictional Nemzeti Ellenzéki Mozgalom in the lead-up to the 1956 Hungarian Uprising

ABSTRACT From 1954 to 1956, the Free Europe Press, sister organisation to Radio Free Europe, engaged in a covert propaganda campaign known as Operation Focus. Writing under the alias of the fictional Hungarian partisan group Nemzeti Ellenzéki Mozgalom, the campaign encouraged widespread passive resistance against the communist regime through a coordinated print and radio campaign facilitated via specially-designed weather balloons and RFE broadcasts, respectively. Under pressure from the Hungarian and US governments, the campaign came to end just days before the outbreak of the 1956 Hungarian Rising.