THE ORIGINAL RADIO FREE ASIA - Richard Cummings
I'm delighted to welcome Mr Richard Cummings as a guest contributor to the Mount Evelyn DX Report. Mr Cummings is an expert on Cold War Broadcasting and the author of two highly regarded and researched books. His books are "Cold War Radio: The Dangerous History of American Broadcasting in Europe, 1950–1989" and "Radio Free Europe's Crusade for Freedom: Rallying Americans behind Cold War Broadcasting, 1950-1960." Mr Cummings also produces an excellent blog called Cold War Radio Broadcasting and More, which can be found at: http://coldwarradios.blogspot.com
Some months ago, I came across the article below about the early history of Radio Free Asia, which I found most interesting. Initially, it appeared on Mr Cummings' blog but has since been withdrawn. He generously accepted my request to reproduce it here for our MEDXR readers.
The Original Radio Free Asia Incorporated
March 12, 1951
by Richard Cummings
On March 12, 1951 the articles of incorporation of the Committee for a Free Asia Inc. (CFA), were filed with the California Office of Secretary of State. Brayton Wilbur, an import-export executive, was the first chairman of Committee for a Free Asia In announcing the creation of the Committee for a Free Asia, Wilbur said, “The people of Asia must have more of the facts about the suffering that follows Communist aggression. They must also be shown alternative to communism.”
Radio Free Asia (RFA), in reality, was a short-lived third and unsuccessful Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)“covert action project,” that will be examined in detail below.
A 1990 Secret Central Intelligence Agency report gave some insight into RFA’s establishment as a “private body”:
“The Committee for a Free Asia” in 1951, sanctioned by the National Security Council and with the knowledge of Congressional Oversight Committees, supported by covert indirect CIA funding, the Committee had been created to help find ways to contain and expand private U.S. contact and communication with people of Asia following the establishment of Communist regimes in China and North Korea. The emphasis was on a private instrumentality that would be privately governed and would have the freedom and flexibility to do things the government would like to see done but which it chose not to do or could not do directly as well.
The symbol chosen for RFA was a replica of a wooden Asian bell with the slogan “Let Freedom Ring.”
In the forward to CFA’s “Prospectus” issued in May 1951, Brayton Wilbur wrote, “The purpose of this Committee is to establish channels of direct communication between the people of Asia and the people of the free world everywhere. Through those channels an exchange of thoughts, the hopes and the inspirations of the people of Asia with the people of America and Europe can weld a union of free men which will roll back the dark forces of Soviet imperialism.” The Statement of Purposes in the “Prospectus” included the following:
- To promote, aid and assist the cause of individual and national freedom in Asia, as opposed to Communist and other totalitarian doctrines.
- To initiate, assist and conduct, directly or indirectly, investigations and studies relating to such cause, and to obtain, collect, analyze, publish, broadcast, disseminate and distribute information relating thereto through any and all media of communication.
- To assist non-Communist and nontotalitarian elements in the countries of Asia in realizing and maintaining the ideals of individual and national freedom.
- To assist non-Communist and nontotalitarian travelers, refugees and exiles from the countries of Asia in maintaining contact with their fellow citizens for the purpose of keeping alive and promoting the ideals of individual and national freedom; and to make available facilities whereby these travelers, refugees and exiles can contribute to the cause of the maintenance of freedom under law.
- To solicit and receive funds for the objects and purposes herein set forth and to administer and use such funds for the promotion of such objects and purposes; or to grant, allocate and appropriate such funds, or any part thereof, to any other organization or organizations for the promotion of such objects and purposes.
Similar to the original incorporation articles of National Committee for a Free Europe, the Committee for a Free Asia would not “engage in carrying or propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation.” Offices for the CFA were set up in San Francisco and New York.
Although it is patterned generally after the National Committee for a Free Europe, there are substantial differences because of the more complex pattern of national viewpoints across the Pacific, and because of the different pattern of Red Aggression in Asia. For one thing, CFA is not only engaged in fighting Communism where it has already seized control, but is also waging a preventive battle to keep Kremlin doctrine from spreading to other Eastern nations.
On May 2, 1951, General Lucius D. Clay, National Chairman of the Crusade for Freedom, announced two goals for the second annual Crusade campaign: enrollment of 25 million Americans and public contributions of $3,500,00 to build two more “freedom” stations in Europe and begin the construction of Radio Free Asia.
A goal of 1,000,000 signatures of Californians in support of Radio Free Asia, to be enshrined in a future RFA transmitter site, was announced by California Southern Chapter chairman C.B. Tibbets: “Like the scrolls set in place last year with the opening of Radio Free Europe, the 1951 freedom pledges —signed, sealed and delivered – will serve as propaganda springboards from which American truths will hurdle the Communist curtain.” It is not known what happened to these signatures.
On August 2, 1951, Brayton Wilbur, chairman of the Committee £or a Free Asia, announced a committee gift to the Korean government of 1,000 tons of newsprint, to make possible the replacement of public school textbooks destroyed by communists in their invasion of Korea.
John W. Elwood, the first director of Radio Free Asia, told the press, “Asians in those areas dominated by Communists had had no access to the truth even about occurrences in their own homelands, let alone truthful reports of worlds news events.” Elwood was quoted by Time magazine on September 17, 1951, as saying “Because we have no government ties, we can say anything we damn please.” Time told its readers, “Like its sister organization, Radio Free Europe, R.F.A. was founded by a group of private U.S. citizens who feel that the Voice of America, though effective in its way, is sometimes hampered because of "good & sufficient reasons of national policy.”
CFA chairman, Brayton Wilbur, told the press, “The fundamental purpose of the broadcasting efforts of Radio Free Asia will be to pierce the Iron Curtain of Communism in Asia with factual, accurate and truthful news.” He added, “Eventually Radio Free Asia will beam towards the various parts of Asia programs on agriculture, health and other topics designed to assist the people of Asia and to maintain their courage and will to resist Communism.”
On September 4, 1951, at 6:30 a.m. local time, the original Radio Free Asia began live, weekly broadcasting from a rented studio in the commercial radio station KNBC, downtown San Francisco (it was 10:30 p.m. in China). After the sound of a bronze gong being struck three times and music from Mahler’s “Song of the Earth,” the first broadcast began with these words in Mandarin Chinese, “This is Radio Free Asia ... the voice of free men speaking to the people of Asia.”
The programs were sent to Manila, Philippines via a “leased wire”, and relayed to China on the 49-meter shortwave broadcast band (6110 kHz).
On April 15, 1953, Brayton Wilbur told the press that beginning April 30, 1953, Radio Free Asia broadcasts were to be replaced with, “other means of communicating with Asian peoples. The committee feels that short-wave broadcasting is not longer as effective as other committee activities have been developed. The Committee planned to concentrate on assisting national radio stations in Far East Countries rather than doing the broadcasting from San Francisco.” Wilbur added, “The committee’s operations in the Far East include opening anti-Communist bookstores, producing films, books and magazines, establishing youth centers and helping Oriental youths to get education.”
Note:
The original Radio Free Asia has no connection to the current U.S. government supported Radio Free Asia, which began broadcasting on September 29, 1996, into China in Mandarin. Today, funded with a grant from the U.S. Congress to conduct surrogate broadcasting, the second Radio Free Asia continues to broadcast to China, Tibet, North Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Burma as “a private, nonprofit corporation that broadcasts news and information to listeners in Asian countries where full, accurate, and timely news reports are unavailable.” For more information, visit http://www.rfa.org/english/
- Richard H. Cummings
(My sincere thanks to Richard for this article. You can find further information on his two books at his website: http://coldwarradios.blogspot.com)
73 and good DX to you all,
Rob Wagner VK3BVW
Subscribe!!
Follow @robvk3bvw
Comments
Post a Comment
Comments are moderated and may not appear immediately. If your comment isn’t visible right away, it has been received and will be published shortly.