501/1–3053: Circular airgram

The Secretary of State to Certain Diplomatic Posts1

confidential

A Mi Parecer

The International Press Service is initiating this week a regional column to be transmitted, henceforth, regularly on Tuesday in the [Page 1656] Latin American Wireless Bulletin and specifically designed to project positive themes spelled out in IA Instruction PO–2, November 28, 1952, “Positive Content in IIA Programming to the Other American Republics”.2

The column, titled “A Mi Parecer” and bylined by Hugo Martin, will be transmitted in Spanish. Since other columns and stories in the bulletin supply a balancing amount of anti-communist material, the Latin American column will rarely ever deal directly with this subject but will concentrate on sections A and B of the referenced instruction.

The psychology serving as the keystone of this column can be summed up by the phrase—“The Americas are one.” In projecting this concept the column will deal with personalities, events and policies of direct interest to the Americas. The fact that the column will not be basically an anti-communist column does not mean that this theme will be ignored. It does mean that attacks on Communism will be indirect and aimed to clarifying and debunking major misconceptions about the United States and Inter-American relations which Communists throughout the Americas are exploiting. The column will be written in informal and friendly style and will avoid the “pundit” approach.

Missions are urged to make comments and suggestions to IPS after receiving the first three columns. Moreover, IPS believes firmly that the effectiveness of this column can best be maintained and strengthened on the basis of continuous suggestions from the field.

Dulles
  1. Drafted by Charles V. Hurtado of IIA, cleared by Gene Karst of IIA, sent to 13 missions in Latin America.
  2. Not found.