20. Memorandum of conversation, October 23, among Kennedy, President Paz, and U.S. and Bolivian officials1

Part II (of 4)
[Facsimile Page 1]

SUBJECT

  • Meeting between President Kennedy and President Paz of Bolivia: Communist Propaganda

PARTICIPANTS

  • Bolivia

    • President Victor Paz Estenssoro
    • Minister of Foreign Relations José Fellman Velarde
    • Minister of National Economy Alfonso Gumucio Reyes
    • Ambassador Enrique Sanchez de Lozada
    • Dr. Carlos Serrate Reich, Private Secretary to President Paz
    • Under Secretary for Foreign Relations Luis Alberto Alipaz
    • Mr. Jorge Paz, President Paz’ uncle
    • Mr. José Paz, President of Bolivian Oil Enterprise (YPFB)
    • Mr. Raul Vivado (Interpreter)
  • United States

    • President Kennedy
    • Under Secretary George W. Ball
    • Mr. Ralph A. Dungan, Special Assistant to the President
    • Assistant Secretary Edwin M. Martin
    • Ambassador Ben S. Stephansky
    • Ambassador-designate Douglas Henderson
    • Mr. Teodoro Moscoso, Coordinator for the Alliance for Progress
    • Mr. Ragnar Arnesen, Acting Director, Office of West Coast Affairs, AID
    • Mr. Herbert B. Thompson, Acting Director, Office of West Coast Affairs, Department of State
    • Mr. Fernando A. Van Reigersberg (Interpreter)
    • Mr. Donald F. Barnes (Interpreter)
[Facsimile Page 2] [Typeset Page 53]

President Paz remarked that, interestingly enough, a significant amount of communist propaganda reaches Bolivia via United States universities. President Paz agreed that this material was being sent by student groups rather than by the universities themselves. He could not identify the groups sending the material but said it reached Bolivian universities, where communists are quite strong, as second-class mail.

President Kennedy said we would want to look into the matter, and President Paz agreed to furnish more specific information about U.S. sources. President Kennedy inquired whether Bolivia receives substantial quantities of propaganda from the Soviet Union and Cuba. President Paz said the volume of such propaganda was large but that it did not reach its addressees. He said the Government had a problem akin to that of the United States with its agricultural surpluses in trying to handle this propaganda material. President Kennedy inquired about the effectiveness of USIS and the Voice of America. President Paz said local radio programs produced by USIS in Bolivia, such as the very useful “Cronica”, were more effective in Bolivia than the Voice.

  1. Communist propaganda. Confidential. 2 pp. DOS, President’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 66 D 149.