Psywar on Cuba: The Declassified History of U.S. Anti-Castro PropagandaJon Elliston Newly declassified CIA and U.S. Government documents are reproduced here for the first time, exposing a 40-year campaign by Washington to use psychological warfare and propaganda to destabilize Cuba and undermine its revolution. The Cuban people have been the target for one of the largest psychological warfare campaigns ever waged by one country against another. This book details the U.S. psywar efforts, overt and covert, which have included rumor campaigns, posters, newspapers, books, comics, newsreels, leaflet drops, and radio and TV broadcasts from airplanes, blimps, boats, submarines, secluded islands and the U.S. mainland. As a comprehensive record of the political, legal and strategic aspects of this four-decade long, multi-million dollar propaganda barrage, the book will serve as a valuable case study and reference for teachers and students of political science, Cold War history, media studies and international communication. Hundreds of pages of previously secret documents are included in this unique and stunning contribution to the literature on U.S. foreign policy and anti-Castro covert operations. "An excellent overview of the whole sad story of U.S. efforts to use radio broadcasting and now TV against the Castro government -- efforts which are simply part of a deceitful and utterly counterproductive policy," Wayne S. Smith, former US diplomat in Havana. |
Contents
Index of Documents | 1 |
Counterrevolution and Invasion | 14 |
Operation Mongoose | 66 |
The Missile Crisis Propaganda Blitz | 128 |
Continued Operations | 152 |
Radio Martí | 214 |
TV Martí | 240 |
Cuba Broadcasting Controversies | 270 |
Source Notes | 315 |
Common terms and phrases
aircraft anti-Castro April Audience Research balloon base Bay of Pigs Bonachea Brig broadcasting to Cuba campaign Canosa Castro regime CIA's Communist Cuba Broadcasting Cuba's Cuban American Cuban audience Cuban exile Cuban Revolutionary Council Document Donald Wilson Edward Lansdale Fidel Castro Florida force frequency Gusano Libre Havana interview invasion jamming Jorge Juffer Latin America leaflets Martí Marti broadcasts medium wave memo Memorandum Miami military MPLA Murrow National Security October Office of Cuba Operation Mongoose Patchell political President Kennedy propaganda psywar Radio and TV Radio Marti radio station Radio Swan Reagan reception Rivera sabotage Schlesinger short wave signal Soviet Spanish story stratovision target transmitter TV Marti U.S. Government U.S. Interest Section United USIA USIA Deputy Director USIA Director USIA Office USIA Research USIA's viewership Voice of America Washington White House