Skip to content

2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992 446 NO-173-65

Chief, Contact Division Att'n: Nonsov Bloc Area

Chief, New Orleans Office

5 May 1965

Ref. : NO-152-65, Support Branch (Richardson) memo of 20 April 1965, 110-161-65 S43 A-135263

  1. The Information Council of the Americas (INCA) of 620 Gravier Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, was recently opened as a source of foreign intelligence information on the radio broadcasting industry in Latin America. The current program of INCA is primarily concerned with the dissemination of taped record- ings of anti-Communist material, called Truth Tapes, to certain radio broad- casting stations in Latin America and North America for use as a weapon against Communist penetration in the Americas. Its headquarters are located at 620 Gravier Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130. You will find the names of its officers, directors, and consultants given on the enclosed letterhead of the. organization. A121.440

  2. We have been in recent contact with Edward Scannell Butler, Executive Vice President and Staff Director, and have received his assurances of whole- hearted cooperation in our agency's mission. Yesterday we examined all of the files of correspondence between Mr. Butler and personnel of various radio stations in 16 Latin American countries. In order to build up a market for the Truth Tapes program in Latin America, Mr. Butler first obtained from the appropriate consul in New Orleans a list of the radio stations in operation in his country. He next wrote the administrative personnel of these stations about the anti-Communist purpose of INCA and offered to supply each station with Truth Tapes. Those stations requesting them were then provided with a series of the tapes. One or two years later, Mr. Butler sent the participating station a questionnaire designed to elicit information about audience response to the Truth Tapes program. Copies of the first questionnaire and of a revised one are attached for your information. Judging by the responses we read, the INCA correspondence files will provide a limited amount of information, dated 1964 and 1965, on the identification of radio stations in Latin America which are broadcasting Truth Tapes, their addresses, the names of key personnel, the identification of stations not responding to the INCA offer, sizes of audiences, and their responses. In the case of Uruguay, the exchange of correspondence between Mr. Butler and Dr. Martin Migueo-Narancio Contained information about the political orientation of key radio personnel in Montevideo/110-106717. This example, however, is an exception, since the files contain virtually no detailed political information of significance.

Copy Fl# 5093 FULL TEXT COPY - DO NOT RELEASE

08743

RETURN TO CIA Background Use Only Do Not Reproduce

Chief, Contact Division Att'n: Nonsov Bloc Area i NO-178-65 5 May 1965

  1. Mr. Butler mentioned yesterday that, inasmuch as he was again revising the questionnaire, he would welcome our sugestions about additional topics. We suggested questions designed to elicit technical information about the station and its equipment, such as descriptions (manufacturer, type, model) of trans- mitter, receiver, antenna type and power, frequencies and frequency range, reli- ability of equipment, normal and emergency power sources, remote pick-up arrange- ments, etc. We stressed of course that none of these topics should be introduced into the questionnaire unless Mr. Butler was convinced of their suitability for his immediate purpose as well as for the long-term propaganda aim of his organi- zation. He stated that our suggestions were entirely proper and, in his opinion, were reasonable requests that would not arouse the station manager's curiosity. We pointed out to Mr. Butler that, while information about key personnel and their political orientation, about the station's administrative policies, etc., was of prime importance to us, these subjects obviously could not be introduced into the questionnaire. He agreed that it would be better to elicit such infor- mation in another manner, as he had done with Dr. Miqueo-Narancio, but because of his very heavy responsibilities, he did not have time to develop similar sources of information in each of the other 15 countries.

  2. It occurs to us that you or a possible consumer could assist us by suggesting other appropriate topics for Mr. Butler's consideration in the revision of the questionnaire. We shall appreciate whatever help you can give us in this regard.

  3. In the meantime, as soon as all of Mr. Butler's current correspondence has been properly filed, we expect to extract the appropriate information from the folders and to present the material in a series of 00-B reports.

DABrandao/gn

Enclosures cc: Services Branch

LLOYD A. RAY