Foreign Relations, 1977–1980, Volume XXIII, Mexico, Cuba, and the Caribbean

106. Memorandum From the Acting Director of the International Communication Agency (Bray) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)¹

Washington, June 6, 1980

SUBJECT

• Publicizing the Cuban Refugee Problem (C)

I am responding to your memo of May 30.²

We continue to play the Cuban refugee issue heavily in all our media and through our posts abroad. Since April 4 our press service has provided posts with over 200 texts of policy statements, stories, interviews with refugees, background on Cuba and the like. VOA remains heavily on the case, and all of its Cuban coverage has also been placed on its correspondent feed which services over 2,500 indigenous radio stations throughout Latin America.

We are using the themes developed by the inter-agency group and are actively working with other agencies to develop supporting factual material for our media.

To assist these efforts, and to capitalize on the refugees, we are now producing a film which will tell the story of life in Cuba as the refugees themselves experienced it. We have filmed interviews with Cubans in the Florida camps. I’m told it is powerful material. The film itself will be ready for distribution by mid-June.

We have given considerable thought to your staff’s proposal that VOA produce a daily one-hour program on Cuba for broadcast simultaneously to Cuba and other countries. The question of costs aside, we conclude: (1) Cubans know more than we can tell them about Cuba; (2) both commercial radios and VOA are already getting a heavy message into Cuba about refugee reception here and their views as to why they left; (3) audiences elsewhere will quickly conclude that a packaged program on Cuba is propaganda and tune it out; (4) that our best hope of keeping Cuba in the minds of VOA audiences is to insert the story into programs to which they are drawn for other reasons.

VOA has been working with elements of the Department of Defense to assure that it is technically feasible to use DOD-furnished medium-wave transmitters to get an effective VOA signal into the eastern Caribbean. I am told that they have almost concluded their technical studies, which look like being positive. Cost estimates are being developed. If the project appears practicable (and we should know next week), the next step will be to survey the U.S. Navy base on Antigua which appears to be the only feasible site, then consult with the UK and the Antiguans.

Finally, I would like to flag one matter for NSC attention. Your staff will recall that well before the refugee issue arose, we were instructed by the NSC to develop a cultural exchange attraction to tour Cuba. Alvin Ailey’s dance troupe was selected and is currently scheduled to spend one week in Cuba in September. USICA and the Cuban Government are splitting the costs 50/50 (our share is approximately $130,000).

We will need to know by approximately July 15 whether to proceed.³

1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 14, Cuba, 6/80. Confidential. A copy was sent to Muskie. At the top of the page, Brzezinski wrote to Pastor on June 9, “RP, need your recomm.”
2. In the memorandum to Bray on May 30, Brzezinski wrote, “The President has directed the International Communication Agency to continue providing maximum publicity of the Cuban refugee issue through the Voice of America and other appropriate channels.” (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 14, Cuba, 5/80)
3. In a memorandum to Bray on June 16, Brzezinski stated he agreed that he was “not persuaded” by the request for a “daily one-hour program on Cuba.” (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, North/South, Pastor, Country, Box 16, Cuba, Broadcasting [Cuba and Caribbean], 12/79–12/80)