104 10170 10064

104-10170-10064 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

DISPATCH SECRET

TO: Deputy Chief, WH/SA FROM: Chief of Station, JMWAVE/C INFO: SUBJECT: TYPIC/ANSPELL/Operational AMSPELL Tour of Latin America ACTION REQUIRED REFERENCES: REFS: A. WAVE 1448 B. HLBA 6911 C. BOGO 4332 D. QUIT 5867 E. HEGA 2900 F. SAGO 6577 G. SAGO 6595 H. LAPA 5550 I. HVCA 11,393

  1. SUMMARY. The Reference A. AMSPELL exhibit toured six Latin American countries during a five-month period, February-June
  2. With the exception of Guayaquil and La Paz -- where excel- lent results were achieved the tour was only moderately success- ful, and must be classified a failure in Quito, Santiago and Montevideo. According to AMSPELL, the total number of persons who viewed the exhibit was 6,720. Another 2,792 persons reportedly attended conferences at which the AMSPELL team gave talks on the Reference A. exhibit and the dangers and weaknesses of Castro- Communism. Publicity was given the exhibit by 34 newspapers (47 items), 30 radio stations, and six television stations. AMSPELL estimated the TV audience at 1,300,000. Sample clippings are enclosed under separate cover. Reports from WH stations and the WAVE debriefing of the AMSPELL team lead us to conclude that the tour was a moderate success that could have been much better if if had been better organized and if the AMSPELL team had had more experience. (On balance) we believe the tour was well worth the approximately $12,000.00 KUBARK paid out. We do not, however, believe it should be repeated in the foreseeable future in view of the relative inexperience shown by the AMSPELL team on the recent tour and the many difficulties encountered in trying to organize the exhibit in the various cities.

Attachments: U/SC A. AMSPELL Statistical Report B. Misc. Press Clippings DISTRIBUTION: 3 DC/WH/SA, w/attachs, u/sc

CS COPY 19-124-26/3 DATE TYPED: 23 July 64 DATE DISPATCHED: 24 1964 UFGA-16,980

19-124-26-/3 RETURN TO CIA Background Use Only Do Not Reproduce

CONTINUATION OF DISPATCH SECRET UFGA 16,980

  1. COLOMBIA.

a. Bogota, The AMSPELL team arrived in Bogota on 12 February 1964. but were unable to make contact with the local AUSPELL/AMBARB contact until the next day. They were unable to get adequate advance publicity and had trouble finding space for the exhibit. About 200. persons attended the exhibit, and AMSPELL conferences were attended by approximately 485 persons. HLBA-6911reported GISNEAKER-9's observations on the local reaction to the tour, which he judged to be indifferent. The AMSPELL team freely admitted to WAVE that the Bogota operation was something less than successful, but blamed the lack of advance prepara- tions and the existence of an unfriendly press for their failure. should also be noted that the AMSPELL team was not on the best of terms with some of the local Cubans, and this fact probably had a good deal to do with the poor showing.

b. Medellin. The showing in Medellin was better than in Bogota. The press was lukewarm but the director of the Caracol radio station gave them considerable publicity, and they were able to hold the exhibit in a central spot in the city. About 400 persons visited the exhibit over a period of three days, and 850 persons attended con- ferences given by the team.

c. Cali. The team received good advance press play in Cali, which was perhaps one reason for the fact that the local Communist party was also well prepared for their arrival. On the very first morning of the exhibit, a large crowd of Communists tried to enter the exhibit with the obvious intention of starting trouble. and when they were locked out began to throw rocks and "stinkbombs" into the exhibit hall. The incident provided considerable publicity for AMSPELL, as reported in BOGO 4332. A total of 100 persons attended the exhibit. The AMSPELL team claimed that the Communists were very strong in Cali and that work- ing there was like swimming upstream.

  1. ECUADOR.

a. Quito. The team arrived in Quito on 25 March, after spend- ing several days in an unsuccessful attempt to obtain visas for Peru. QUIT 5867 reported the AMSPELL team's personality clashes with the local AMBARBs and the consequent poor performance by the AMSPELL team, who complained of the absence of police protection, adequate facilities for the exhibit, etc., and departed just two days later on the 27th. One member remained in Bogota to hold conferences, attended by 325. persons. While not accepting the blame for this fiasco, the AMSPELL team generally corroborated the above story in their debriefing by WAVE. After such incidents as reported in QUIT 5867, we are reluctant to recommend any future tours.

b. Guayaquil. The AMSPELL team considered Guayaquil their most successful operation, an opinion seconded by Guayaquil base who termed it a "resounding success." (See QUIT 5867 and HEGA 2900). The exhibit received front page coverage in "El Universo" and "El Telegrafo"! and they were given a half hour on a major TV station. An estimated total of 1,200 persons visited the exhibit, and the team spoke before 40 members of a local group, Frente de Defensa Nacional.

  1. Santiago, Chile.

The AMSPELL team arrived in Santiago on 5 March to coincide with the opening of the Latin American Youth Congress (LAYC). The Santiago operation was a complete loss because Chilean customs authori- ties would not release the exhibit during the congress and the AMSPELL team was unable to obtain space of any kind to hold conferences due to competition from the congress for space. (See SAGO 6577). The AMSPELL team had been counting on a contact in the Catholic University, Fernando SANHUESA, to facilitate their activities but SANHUESA told them that the LAYC was a failure from the Communist side and that the AMSPELL team could contribute more by remaining quiet than by actively propagandizing

CONTINUATION OF DISPATCH SECRET UFGA 16,980

against (and thereby calling attention to) the congress. was that the AMSPELL team did nothing. An amateurish plan to kidnap a The end result Cuban delegate to the LAYC as hostage for political prisoners in Cuba was quickly scotched by the Station. (Sec SAGO 6595).

  1. La Paz, Bolivia.

The AMSPELL team arrived in La Paz on 17 March, and after somė difficulty in obtaining space were finally able to open the exhibit in Club La Paz on 21 March. ferences were held in various locations in the city, with the closing As noted in LAPA 5550, exhibits and con- performance on 25 March at the Scala Theater hosted by the Venezuelan ambassador. The exhibit received excellent coverage in all four of the leading La Paz newspapers and the three largest radio stations carried AMSPELL conferences. Despite the excellent publicity, a total of only 600 persons visited the exhibit in La Paz. According to AMSPELL, this was due to Bolivian preoccupation with such things as a national day to demand a passage to the sea for Bolivia which stopped all traffic and communication.

  1. Argentina.

a. Buenos Aires. The AMSPELL team arrived in Buenos Aires on 27 March during Holy Week. In addition to the delay caused by Holy Week celebrations, the team had difficulty finding space for the oxhibit. With the help of the Chamber of Commerce, the exhibit finally opened on 6 April in Chamber of Commerce offices on Leandro Allem street. An estimated 1,200 persons visited the exhibit during a four-day period, and good publicity was also obtained in the La Prensa and La Razon newspapers. The AMSPELL group also obtained 10 minutes on Panorama Mundial, Channel 7 TV, as part of a 30-minute program on Cuba and the overthrow of Goulart in Brazil. According to AMSPELL, the Panorama program is rated as having 500,000 viewers. The AMSPELL team also held. four conferences before small groups of Rotarians and university students which were attended by a total of 100 persons.

b. Rosario. The AMSPELL team arrived in Rosario on 11 April and opened the exhibit on 15 April, after the customary difficulties of finding a site due to the lack of advance preparations. chamber of commerce finally came through with an excellent site, the The local "Galeria Libertad", in the center of town. A total of 2,000 persons visited the exhibit during the three days it was open. papers (La Cronica, La Tribuna, La Capital) gave good publicity to the Local news- tour. The local radio stations gave spot announcements of the exhibit but did not give any additional publicity.

c. Cordoba. where they were able to show the exhibit to an estimated 600 persons The AMSPELL team made a hurried trip to Cordoba, during a three-day stay, 20-23 April. was again very helpful in arranging for space for the exhibit and obtain- The local chamber of commerce ing local press publicity. Good press coverage was obtained in Los Principios and Cordoba.

  1. Montevideo, Uruguay. was the worst performance of the entire tour, with only twenty persons The AMSPELL team reported that Montevideo attending the exhibit. They arrived on 26 April and after unsuccess- fully attempting to obtain a site in a central location, felt obliged to accept space in the Catholic Club, considered a center of reaction by many Uruguayans and remote from the main thoroughfares. Despite the poor reception and the lack of good local contacts, a fair amount of publicity was obtained in the local press and the AMSPELL team had a one-hour show on the local TV channel 10.

/ CONTINUED /

CONTINUATION OF DISPATCH SECRET UFGA 16,980

  1. Caracas, Venezuela. The AMSPELL team arrived in Caracas on

  2. May, having cut ut Brazil from the tour because of visa problems. Their early arrival caught their local contacts unprepared and it was not until 16 May that the exhibit opened. Excellent support was provided by station assets and widespread publicity was given to the event. However, the exhibit was located in a relatively remote spot and only 300 persons attended the exhibit, according to AMSPELL. (The Station estimate was 400-500). Another 140 persons attonded ANSPELL con- forences. The station report (HVCA-11393) which has been corroborated by the WAVE debriefing of the AMSPELL team, describes the typical experience of the AMSPELL team throughout the tour with the exception that local support was not always as effective as in Caracas.

  3. Enclosed under separate cover is an AMSPELL statistical summary of the tour and press clippings from the countrios visited.

Bruce P. Vedder ANDREW K. REUTEMAN

CS COPY