AEGEAN was the cryptonym for the joint OPC-OSO project that began in November 1948 with support for the Lithuanian resistance group Vyriausiasis Lietuvos išlaisvinimo komitetas (VLIK)--The Supreme Committee for Liberation of Lithuania. OPC supported VLIK for both political and psychological warfare (PP) operations.
With the merging of OPC and OSO in 1952, the OPC functions under the project were given CIA’s Soviet Russia (SR) Division. The project cryptonym was then changed to CAPSTAN.
Voice of America broadcast to Lithuania for the first time on February 16, 1951.
One of the early mentions of “black radio broadcasts” to Lithuania was in the renewal of the CAPSTAN Basic Plan October 1951 to June 30, 1953: “Psychological warfare activities will be centered on the support of indigenous organizations through which black radio broadcasts, distribution of leaflets and the support of newspaper and pamphlets can be carried out.” The cryptonym of the project was changed to Project AECHAMP.
AECHAMP’S activities were listed in this report as: [B]roadcasting to Iron Curtain areas in the Lithuanian language on seven-day weekly schedules over the following short -wave facilities: “Radio Rome and Radio Vatican – 20 and 15 minutes daily respectively, 15 minutes daily over Radio Madrid. This time is available to the AECHAMPS free of charge.”
VLIK also provided the following both on demand and at their own initiative: texts, tapes, and speakers to
§ VOA (Radio Center Munich and New York)
§ RFE Munich (Polish Section)
§ RIAS (Radio in the American Sector, Berlin)
§ Radio Stuttgart (Südwest Rundfunk)
§ NWDR Hamburg
§ Deutsche Well Köln
§ AFN (Armed Forces Radio for the American military)
VLIK also maintained a monitoring station at Scherbeuts, near Lübeck, Germany, to record radio stations in Lithuania. Local news and names were then rebroadcast with comments.
Daily broadcasts to Lithuania over Radio Nacional de España began January 1, 1955:
During the past year the activities under this project with respect to radio broadcasts have expanded considerably. Under the aegis of AEPOLE/1 there are now maintained regular daily ten to twenty-minute broadcasts to the target area via Radios Rome, Vatican and Madrid…|T|hese broadcast activities are especially the new broadcasts require expansion of the AEPOLE/1 Radio Section headquarters as well as the establishment of a Radio Section office in Madrid.
The programs were identified as the “Voice of the Supreme Committee for Liberation of Lithuania.”
This was the radio schedules to Lithuania in 1955:
Radio Vatican 14:00 – 14:15 Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday
Radio Vatican 18:00 – 18:15 Monday, Wednesday, Saturday
Radio Rome 20:00 – 20:15 Daily
Radio Nacional 17:10 – 17:25 Daily
One CIA comment in 1955 read:
All the programs are identified as the Voice of the Supreme Committee for the Liberation of Lithuania. It is believed that because radio sets in the USSR are expensive, the vast majority of the audience consists of persons of relative status and importance… In general the content of the radio programs is strongly anti-Communist. Their avowed purpose is to maintain the native traditions of the Lithuanian people in the face of enforced Sovietization. No attempt is made to accommodate the propaganda to operate within the framework of Communist indoctrination. The evidence available indicates that the Soviets have so far not made appreciable progress in eradicating Lithuanian traditions and the sense of Lithuanian nationality.
One of the accomplishments of the CIA project during fiscal year 1957 was:
Direct CIA case officer contact was established with the Lithuanian program directors at Radio Nacional and Radio Rome, which were formerly supported by CIA indirectly through VLIK. They are now receiving from CIA modest monthly salaries and reimbursements for some operational expenses. In return for this assistance, they may be counted on to incorporate into their daily broadcasts propaganda material we provide or suggest. Although these Lithuanian language radio programs are still nominally supported by VLIK, they are in fact nearly completely dependent on CIA support.
Moreover,
Until a non-partisan radio center and propaganda policy group are organized by VLIK, or other elements of the Lithuanian emigration, CIA financial support and policy guidance will be given straightway to the directors of the Lithuanian radio programs at Radio Rome, and Radio Nacional. This formula is designed to prevent the disintegration of these radio assets, while the leaders of the several political factions dispute over the mantle of prestige inadvertently associated with the party appearing to control the radio programs.
CIA sponsored broadcasts over Radio Rome, Radio Vatican, and Radio Nacional de España to Lithuania ceased on October 31, 1963. The decision was based on the “very limited effectiveness of the broadcasts.” And, "Based on the results of the peripheral monitor conducted by our Communications Officer at Warsaw, Helsinki and Stockholm, we concluded that if the signal is heard it all in the target area, it is beard sporadically and with difficulty.“
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