[1]14-0000
[3]n :
[4]104-10170-10064 . [2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992 |
[6].
[7], ,
[9]fe
[12]DISPATCH
[15]Deputy Chief, WH/SA Soc
[16]Chief of Station, JMWAVE /14,C NE SSS i
[17]"SUBJECT IC/AMSPELL/Operationat . Te j
[19]by 42
[21]OO AMSPELL Tour of Latin America
[22]JP ACTION REQUIRED - REFERENCES
[23]REFS;
[27]_ WAVE 1448
[28]HLBA 6911
[29]BOGO 4332 ©
[30]QUIT 5867
[31]HEGA 2900
[32]SAGO 6577 : :
[33]SAGO 6595 : an °
[34]LAPA 5550
[35]HVCA 11,393
[37]oe ee
[39]SOM MO Oa
[41]1. SUMMARY. The Reference A. ANSPELL exhibit toured six
[42]Latin American countries during a five-month period, February-June
[43]1964. With the exception of Guayaquil and La Paz -- where excel-
[44]lent resultS were achieved -- the tour was only moderately success-
[45]ful, and must be classified a failure in Quito, Santiago and
[46]Montevideo. According to ANSPELL, the total number of persons who
[47]viewed the exhibit was 6,720, Another 2,792 persons reportedly
[48]attended conferences at which the AMSPELL team gave talks on the
[49]Reference A. exhibit and the: dangers..and..weaknesses..of-Castro-.
[50]Communism. .Publicity was given the exhibit: by 34 newspapers (47
[51]items), 30 radio stations, and six television stations. AMSPELL
[52]estimated the TV audience ‘at 1,300,000. Sample clippings are
[53]enclesed under separate cover. Reports from WH stations and the
[54]WAVE debriefing of the AMSPELL team lead us to conclude that the
[55]tour was a moderate success that could have been much better if
[56]if had been better organized and if the ANSPELL team had had more ‘ ,
[57]experience. (On balance) we believe the tour was well worth the ~ vee,
[59]approximately $12,000.00 KUBARK paid out. We do not, however, :
[61]! believe it should be repeatéd in the foreseeable future in view
[62]of the relative inexperience shown by the AMSPELL team on the
[63]‘recent tour and the many difficulties encountered in trying to
[64]organize the exhibit in the various cities.
[66]. / CONTINUED /
[68]Attachments: U/SC — OP ;
[69]A. AMSPELL Statistical Repo —— = , ,
[70]B. Misc. Press Clippings i (Geir. 4/8
[72]a a Care TYPED pare osparcheo ||
[73]DISTRIBUTION: 7 : . ,
[74]3 ~ DC/WH/SA, w/attachs, u/sc ; 23 July 64 ; ;
[76]UFGA-16,980
[78]HEADQUARTERS MLE NUMBER
[80]g 19-124-26-/3
[83]14-0000
[85]a na
[87].
[89]~ DISPSATOR £74800 AND NUMOER
[91]CONTINUA non OF GUXSSIFICASION
[93]DISPATCS s E CRET | ces 16,950 a
[95].w.
[97]2. COLONBIA.
[99]- ceca, Bogotit The AMSPELL team arrived in Bozata on 12 February
[100]1964. but were unable to make contact with the local ANSPELL/AMDARB
[101]contact until the next day. They were unable to get adequate advance
[102]publicity and had trouble finding space for the exhibit. About 200,
[103]‘persons attended .the exhibit, and AMSPELL conferences vere attended by
[104]approximatelr 485° persons, fiunA=G911reported{ 1g -9's observations
[105]on the local reaction to the tour, which he judged’ to be indifferent.
[106]The ANSPELL teat freely. admitted to WAVE that the Bogota operation was
[107]something less than successful, but “blamed the lack of advance prepara=
[108]tions and the existence of an unfriendly press for their failure. It
[109]should also be noted that the AMSPELL team was not on the best of terms
[110]with some of the™local Cubans, and this fact probably had a good deal
[111]to do with the poor showing. ot .
[113]b. Medellin. The showing in Medellin was better. than in
[114]Bogota. -The press was lukewarm but the director of the Caracol radio
[115]station gave. them’ considerable publicity, and they were able to hold
[116]the exhibit in | entral spot in the city. About 400 persons visited
[117]the exhibit over “a period of three days, and 850 persons attended con=..
[119]ferences given by the team. .
[121]t a eo
[123]c. Cali, The team received yood advance press pYay in Cali,
[125]: which was perhaps one reason for the fact that the local Communist party
[126]was also well prepared for their arrival. On the very first worning
[128]of the exhibit, a large crowd of Communists tried to enter tne exhibit
[129]with the obvious intention of starting trouble, and when they were a
[130]locked out began to throw rocks and “stinkbombs" into the exhibit hall, 77
[131]The incident provided considerable publicity for. AMSPBLL, as reported
[133]in BOGO 4332, A total of 100 persons attended the exhibit. The AMSPELL
[134]team claimed tnat the Communists were very strong in Cali and that work-
[135]ing there was like swimming upstream, '
[137]3, ECUADOR.
[139]a. Quito. The team arrived in Quito on 25 March, after spend-
[140]ing several days in an unsuccessful attempt to obtain visas for Peru.
[141]QUIT 5867 reported the AMSPELL team's personality clashes with the
[142]local AMBARBs. and the consequent poor performance by the AMSPELL team,
[143]who complained of the absence of police protection, adequate facilities
[144]for the exhibit, etc., and departed just two days later on the 27th.
[146]One member remained in Bogota to hold conferences, attended by 325. .
[147]persons, Whiie not accepting the blame for this fiasco, the AMSPELL ;
[148]team generally corroborated the above story in their debriefing by WAVE.
[149]After such incidents as reported in QUIT 5867, we are reluctant to
[150]recommend any future tours, .
[152]b. Guayaquil, The AMSPELL team considered Guayaquil their
[153]most successftl operation, an opinion seconded by Guayaquil base. who
[155]termed it. a “resounding success," (See QUIT 5867 and HEGA 2900). The
[156]exhibit received front page coverage in "El Universo” and "El Telegrafo’,
[157]and they were given a half hour on a major TV station, An estimated
[158]total of 1,200 persons visited the exhibit, and the team spoke before
[159]40 members of a local group, Frente de Defensa Nacional, :
[161]4, Santiago, Chile.
[163]The AMSPELL team arrived in Santiago on 5 March to coincide
[164]with the opening of the Latin American Youth Congress (LAYC), The
[165]Santiago operation was a complete loss because Chilean customs authori-
[166]ties would not release the exhibit during the congress aod the AMSPELL
[167]team was unable to obtain space of any kind to hold conferences due to
[168]competition from the congress for space. (See SAGO 6577). The AMSPELL
[169]team had been counting on a contact in the Catholic trarersity, (erhando
[170]SANHUESA, |to facilitate their activities but (SANHLESA ft ld them that
[171]the LAYC was a failure from the Communist side and that°the AMSPELL teas
[172]could contribute more by remaining quiet than. by actively propagandizing
[174]. ; , CONTINUED /
[175]a CLAGSIFICATION NO
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[188]CLASSIFICATION o
[190]c : ISPATCH SYBOL AND WORETE
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[195]against {and thereby calling attention to
[196]Was that ‘the AMSPELL team did nothing,. An amateurish plan to kidnap.a
[197]Cuban delegate. to tne LAYC as hostage -for political prisoners in Cuba
[198]Was quickly ‘scotehed by the Station. (Sea SAGO 6595),
[200]) -the congress, The end result
[202]Ss. La Paz, Bolivia,
[203]; ae... The AMSPELL team arrived in La Paz on 17 March, and aftor some
[204]difficulty in obtaining space were finally able to open the exhibit
[205]in Club La Paz on 21 March, As noted in LAPA 5550, exhibits and con=
[206]ferences wore held in various locations ‘in tlie city, with the closing
[207]performance on'25 March at the Scaln Theater hosted by the Venozue lan
[208]ambassador, “The exhibit received excellent coverage in all four of the:
[209]ead ing ‘La Paz: newspapers and. the three largest radio’ stations carried
[210]AMSPELL conferences, Despite the excellent publicity, a total of only _
[211]“600 persons visited the exhibit in La Paz, According to AMSPELL, ‘this *
[212]was due to Bolivian preoccupation with such things as a national day ‘to
[213]demand a Passage to the sea for Bolivia which stopped all traffic and-
[215]communication, .
[217]6. Argentina, : : t
[219]: : LA . . 2 a
[221]: a. Buenos Aires, ' Tho AMSPELL team
[223]27 March during Holy Week, In addition to the delay caused by Holy Week
[224]celebrations, -the team had difficulty finding space for the oxhibit,
[225]With the help of the Chamber of Commerce, the. exhibit finally opened on .
[226]6 April in Chamber of Commerce offices on Leandro Allen Street. An ~
[227]estimated 1,200 persons visited the exhibit during a four-day period,
[228]and good. publicity was. also obtained in the La:Prensa and La Razon
[229]newspapers, The AMSPRLL group also obtained [0 minutes on Panorana
[230]Mundial, Channel 7 TV, as part of a 30-minute program on Cuba and the
[231]overthrow of Goulart in Brazil. According to AMSPELL, the Panorama.
[232]program is rated as lraving 500,000 viewers, The AMSPELL team also held.
[234]four conferences. before small groups of Rotarians and university student
[235]“which were attended by a total of. 400 persons,
[237]_arrived in Buenos Aires on
[239]b. Rosario, ’The -AMSPELL team arrived in Rosario on 11 April
[240]and opened the exhibit on 15 April, after the customary difficulties
[241]of finding a site due to the lack of advance preparations, The local
[242]Chamber of commerce finally came through with an excellent site, the
[243]"Galeria Libertad", in the center of town, A total of 2,000 persons
[244]visited the exhibit during the three days it was open, focal news-
[245]papers (La Cronica, La Tribuna, La Capital) Gave good publicity to the
[246]tour, The local radig.stations gave Spot announcements of the exhibit
[247]but did not give any additional publicity, .
[249]ce Cordoba, The AMSPELL team made a hurried trip to Cordoba,
[250]where they were able to show the exhibit to an estimated 600 persons
[251]during a three-day stay, 20~23 April. The local chamber of commerce
[252]was again very helpful in arranging for Space for the exhibit and obtain
[253]ing local press publicity, Good press coverage was obtained in los
[255]Principios and Cordoba,
[257]7. Montevideo, Uruguay. The AMSPELL team reported that Montevideo
[258]was the worst performance of the entire ‘tour, with only twenty persons
[259]attending the exhibit, They arrived on 26 April and after unsuccess—
[260]fully attempting to obtain a site in a central location, felt obliged
[261]to accept space in the Catholic Club, considered a center of reaction
[262]by many Uruguayans and remote from the main thoroughfares, Despite
[263]the poor reception and the lack. of good local contacts, a fair amount
[264]of publicity was obtained in the local press and the AMSPELL team had
[265]a One-hour show on the local TV channel 10,
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[277]..9:May, having cut Brazil from the tour because of visa problems. Their
[278]@arly arrival caught their local contacts unprepared and it’ was not
[279]“until 16 May that the exhibit opened. Excellent support was provided
[281]‘that local support was not always as. effoctive as in Caracas.
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[291]° — Tt 7 - 3
[293]ay. Caracas Venezuela. “The ANSPELL team arrived in Caitacas on
[295]by station assets: and widespread publicity was given to the event,
[296]However, the. exhibit was located in-a relativoly remote spot and onl
[297]300. persons attended the exhibit, according to AMSPELL. (Tho Station
[298]estimate was 400-500). Another 140 persons attonded ANSPELL con
[299]forences. The station report (HVCA-11393) which has been corroborated
[300]by the WAVE debrieting of the AMSPELL team, describes the typical
[301]experience of the AMSPELL- team throughout the. tour with the exception.
[303]. 9, Enclosed under separate cover 1s an AMSPELL statistical summary’
[304]or the tour and press clippings from: the. countrd 6s visited,
[306]Bee P Ue Ae +
[308]ANDREW K, REUTEMAN
[310]£S cory
[312]1