p Western Europe, already in Washington’s military and political harness, is in for more of the same. Like the rest of the world, it is a target of the brainwashing campaign launched by Reagan and aimed first and foremost against Eastern Europe. One of the campaign’s objectives is to reconcile public opinion in Western Europe with the idea that the arms race and military preparations are necessary and inevitable.

p Europe regards this “crusade” as another attempt by certain circles in the United States to find a pseudo-ideological justification for the US policy of global and total expansion.

p This course has led to intensified US propaganda in Western Europe. USIA, the principal US propaganda agency, promptly responded by leaping into activity on the Continent. After an interval of almost 30 years the Voice of America resumed its broadcasts for listeners in Western Europe. The reasons for the extensive brainwashing in Western Europe lie in the resolute resistance shown there to the US plans to militarize the Continent.

p US propagandists painstakingly attempt to persuade the peoples of Western Europe that the deployment of Pershing-2 and cruise missiles has made their lives more secure. Nothing could be further from the truth. Over a hundred American missiles which have been deployed within the space of one year in Western Europe, apart from undermining the Geneva talks, led to appropriate military counter-measures by Eastern 152 Europe in its determination to preserve parity on the Continent. Responsibility for the growth in tension lies not only with the USA but also with those West European politicians who had placed their countries’ territories at the disposal of the transatlantic warmongers. Having submitted to Washington’s pressure, they have made their countries hostages of US nuclear strategy.

p The Soviet Union does not, and never has, demanded unilateral disarmament from any state. Without a single exception, all Soviet initiatives on arms reduction and limitation have been based on considerations for equality and mutual security. Eastern Europe persists in advocating the complete elimination of medium-range and tactical nuclear weapons in Europe.

p Since the early postwar period, when the USA monopolized the Western mass media, it persistently resorted to a propaganda offensive against its NATO allies. As soon as big business in the United States was ready for another leap and the US claims for world domination were becoming more persistent, Washington invariably attempted to force its concept of the free flow of information upon the rest of the world.^^1^^

p One of the instruments of the US struggle for ideological and political domination in the West became the USIA, which was designed for penetration abroad. "Its goal is to influence and/or manipulate events in foreign countries along lines favourable to US corporate and government foreign policy objectives. Concretely, those objectives translate to economic rape by US multinational corporations for many third world countries...”^^2^^ The Voice of America has the same objectives.

p All USIA activities in the country of residence must support objectives outlined in a document called the "Country Plan", which lists US objectives for the country or the area; identifies psychological objectives (attitudes to be created or strengthened which will advance particular US objectives) and groups to be influenced; details the specific programmes which will attain these objectives. Country Plans as a rule specify measures to be taken to counter the influence of French or British broadcasting in the country, the British Council (the British foreign propaganda agency) in particular.

p The activities of the US propaganda machine in Western Europe reached their climax in the early 1970s, when the US Information Agency reported to the Administration and Congress its concern about the growing anti-American sentiments in Western Europe and the growing tendency shown by the West European mass media to make an “unfriendly” and even “hostile” presentation of information about the USA. The 153 then Director of the USIA, James Keogh, explained the antiAmericanism in the propaganda of other Western countries by the fact that there had been an "erosion of old [US] relationships with some of our allies, based on changing perceptions of economic, political and security problems.”^^3^^ The expanding propaganda activities of West European countries, which pursued objectives incompatible with US interests, made Keogh apprehensive. This statement of the USIA Director was made during the energy crisis when US actions which caused the price of oil to rise aroused indignation throughout the world.

p The clash between the USA and West Germany in 1978, when Washington demanded that the 209 kHz frequency, allegedly belonging to the USA under a mutual agreement, be handed over to it, should be regarded in this context of conflicting interests. In this connection the US Communications Consultant, Paul R. Bartlett, stated:

p “Unfortunately, as I have said, 209 kHz is not in fact ’registered in the FRG’ for our use, and while no one denies the United States ownership of the Munich based megawatt transmitter, our own Embassy people told me in Bonn last month that the Germans consider the 209 frequency to be theirs. Knowledgeable officials in Germany are aware that our government can now forcefully assert its right to use this 209 frequency under our 1952 agreement.”^^4^^

p Such actions by the United States naturally arouse antiAmerican sentiment in Europe, and US propaganda even now encourages such sentiment. The French Culture Minister, Jack Lang, an active campaigner against the preponderance of American films, music and TV programmes, got .a warm reception at a conference in Mexico where he called for a "crusade against financial and intellectual imperialism, ...against a certain invasion and subversion by images fabricated abroad and standardized music.”^^5^^

p The West is expanding the network of its broadcasting stations in the Third World. New broadcasting stations which belong to, for example, the Voice of America and which have been set up in Africa and Asia will enjoy the same exterritorial rights as US military bases abroad. These new broadcasting stations will help Washington in its propaganda campaign against the progressive developing countries of Asia, Africa and the Persian Gulf area. Another reason for these countries’ deep concern lies in the fact that the Voice of America transmitters and other equipment will be used not only for propaganda but also for military purposes. Under the agreement, the Americans have been allowed to install modern 154 electronic equipment for long-range communications and the guidance of US warships in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

p Today the former colonies remain, in effect, dominions of the US and other Western countries’ mass media. The young states have to see the world with their former masters’ eyes. As far back as 1966, in Latin America alone 700 radio stations were broadcasting 11,000 hours a week taped Voice of America programmes.^^6^^

p Analysis of the news items which Western radio stations and news agencies send to the developing countries today shows that 65 per cent of the information is related to the USA and only 8-10 per cent is devoted to the young states. The information about these states is, moreover, of a sensational and even scandalous nature. More often than not, information of this kind is prejudicial to the developing countries. At the same time, one can hardly find anything relating to the economic and social problems and achievements of the developing countries or to the problems of the national liberation struggle.

p Thus, it is only natural that the developing countries, along with democratizing their own mass media, are striving for fairness not only in the world economic order and political structure, but also in the international information exchange. Introduction of modern equipment is in the interests of Western countries and reflects their striving to exercise firm control over the radio and press of developing states and, eventually, over their policies, since information today is an integral part in the development of any state and has become a policy-making instrument. Western powers, especially the USA, are imposing an alien ideology upon the Third World states, confining their role to that of passive recipients of information they cannot control.

p The aftereffects of such domination in the sphere of information for the developing countries are very serious: low educational level, predominance of the Western “consumer” psychology and way of life over national traditional values, and as a result—an actual "cultural genocide". The much-vaunted " unrestricted flow of information" turns out to be a one-way road from the West. Western powers present the just struggle of the developing countries for a new approach to the information exchange as a deadly threat to the Western way of life. The most active opponent of any developing country’s establishing control over the flow of information is the United States.

p At times the struggle of the developing countries against neo-colonialism in the information exchange is of a 155 spontaneous nature. In December 1983 college students occupied and held for a few hours the United States Information Service (USIS) office in Delhi. Among the organized forms of the struggle against neo-colonialism in the information exchange is the information pool established by non-aligned countries as well as resistance to US, British and West German attempts to redistribute radio frequencies in their own favour.

p A negative attitude towards the activities of the major Western broadcasting stations is gaining strength in Western Europe as well. This is a reaction to their policy of hampering good-neighbourly relations on the Continent and intruding into the everyday life of citizens of different countries. The European community, tired of the cold war, vehemently protested against broadcasts made by the United States’ most malevolent stations on West German territory. Prominent Socialist International leaders were among the protesters.

p Heinrich Junker, former West German Minister of the Interior, a person who is not in the slightest pro-communist, as far back as in 1963 denounced Radio Free Europe for its links with the US secret services. Junker said that all attempts to put a stop to the activities of political underground organizations and secret services in Munich and Bavaria were obstructed by relations with the Western allies. The supplementary agreement to the Treaty on the Status of Occupational Forces in West Germany contained certain regulations concerning foreigners. These regulations bore fully on the Munich-based RFE station.

p Back in 1970 Willy Brandt, the then West German Federal Chancellor, pointed out the absurdity of a situation when, 25 years after the Second World War, foreign transmitters based in the Federal Republic of Germany were still broadcasting propaganda to third countries.

p “The situation should not be dramatized, but the matter is that a broadcasting station which is exterritorial to a certain extent is operating from West German territory, its many activities being totally beyond the control of this sovereign state. The station is financed and exploited by the CIA which pursues its own ’Eastern policy’ without regard for the Federal government’s political concepts.”^^7^^

p In 1971 the US government negotiated with the French government about the transfer of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty to France. The Pompidou government refused the request. Moreover, the French government dissociated itself from these cold war instruments, and announced that 37 emigres who had in 1971 received asylum in France and were 156 employed by RFE were told to return to France at peril of losing the right of asylum.^^8^^

p On March 22, 1972, eight Bundestag deputies sent a message to Chancellor Brandt and US President Nixon, demanding termination of the activities of RFE and RL.

p “It is a question of principle whether the activities of these two radio stations on German soil in the year of 1972 correspond to the spirit of the time. The operation of foreign radio stations, unaccountable to the West German government in their programming and the choice of personnel, contradicts the sovereignty of the Federal Republic. It should be taken into account that under certain circumstances these stations’ broadcasts may be directed against the Federal government’s own policy, which is impermissible.”^^9^^

p A special principle having a direct bearing on the mass media is the principle proclaimed in UN General Assembly resolution 110 (II) in 1947, which condemns all forms of propaganda which is either designed or likely to provoke or encourage any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression.

p The 1978 UNESCO Declaration states that "the mass media have an important contribution to make to the strengthening of peace and international understanding and in countering racialism, apartheid and incitement to war" (Article III).^^10^^

p Unfortunately, the US mass media, including radio stations that conduct subversive propaganda against Eastern Europe and certain developing states, do not observe this principle. Official Washington tries to justify its policy by referring to the Bill of Rights.

p The present US Administration is laying particular emphasis on the mass media not only because they are a perfect instrument of political struggle against East European countries but also because the work of the mass media paves the way for future aggression and a nuclear attack on socialist states.

p Despite Western politologists’ contentions, East-West cooperation in the field of informatics, including broadcasting, is possible, provided propaganda is limited to purely ideological disputes instead of the "psychological warfare" which Washington and military-political circles in NATO are at present gambling on. The critical nature of socio-political propaganda is compatible with friendly relations among countries and has nothing in common with the false, defamatory and 157 malicious information spread by the Western radio stations for subversive purposes.

p The United States and some other Western countries are careful to block any attempts to establish, in accordance with the norms and principles of the existing international law, control over the flow of information. Their policy is designed to create the necessary prerequisites for subversion by using the mass media.

p The Warsaw Treaty member states in their Prague Political Declaration (1983) have spoken in favour of expanding international cooperation, in particular in the field of information exchange, in favour of mutual cultural enrichment of the peoples. An atmosphere of mutual confidence in East-West relations is one of the most important factors aimed at reducing the threat of war. The provisions for creating this atmosphere are the dissemination of accurate information only, along with abandoning the advocation of violence and militarism and desisting from preaching to other nations as to how they should live. Robert Dallek wrote in his above-mentioned book that the pathological anti-communism of Ronald Reagan and his associates, and their policy of militant anti-Sovietism may lead the United States and the rest of the world to disaster.^^11^^

Stepping up the arms race and simultaneously whipping up enmity, hatred and militarism, imposing psychological warfare upon the peoples, the aggressive circles in NATO are openly pushing the world from a “cold” to a “hot” war. The complex of subversive propaganda measures taken by the United States at present is aimed at reconciling public opinion to the possibility of a nuclear war. That is the essence of all the Reagan Administration’s attempts to expand and intensify psychological warfare. An analysis of the war’s goals, forms and methods, of its bearing on Washington’s decision-making both militarily and politically reveals that it is conducted not only for the purpose of rendering support to the United States’ hegemonistic foreign policy, but also for creating tension necessary for preparations for a nuclear war. Though Eastern Europe is the principal target of psychological warfare and of its essential component, subversive radio propaganda, this warfare presents a danger for the world as a whole, and consequently it should be given special attention by the peoples and countries of the world. Radio broadcasting should serve peace and mutual understanding among nations. Subversive radio centres must be outlawed.