14-00000
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104-10170-10064
2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992
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Deputy Chief, WH/SA
CLASSIFICATIONS
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Chief of Station, JMWAVE
TYPIC AMSPELL/Operational
:: AMSPELL Tour of Latin America.
ACTION REQUIRED - REFERENCES
REFS:
A. WAVE 1448
B.
HLBA 6911
C.
BOGO 4332
D.
QUIT 5867
E.
HEGA 2900
F.
SAGO 6577
G.
SAGO 6595
H. LAPA 5550
NO INTEXING REQUIRED.
ONLY QUALIF
HEADQUARTERS DESK
CAN ABDEXING
ABSTRACT
MICROSTAN
I. HVCA 11,393
sp
1. SUMMARY. The Reference A. ANSPELL exhibit toured six
Latin American countries during a five-month period, February-June
1964. With the exception of Guayaquil and La Paz -- where excel-
lent results were achieved the tour was only moderately success-
ful, and must be classified a failure in Quito, Santiago and
Montevideo. According to AMSPELL, the total number of persons who
viewed the exhibit was 6,720. Another 2,792 persons reportedly
attended conferences at which the AMSPELL team gave talks on the
Reference A. exhibit and the dangers and weaknesses of Castro-
Communism Publicity was given the exhibit by 34 newspapers (47
AMSPELL
items), 30 radio stations, and six television stations.
estimated the TV audience at 1,300,000. Sample clippings are
enclosed under separate cover. Reports from WH stations and the
WAVE debriefing of the AMSPELL team lead us to conclude that the
tour was a moderate success that could have been much better if
if had been better organized and if the AMSPELL team had had more
experience. (On balance) we believe the tour was well worth the
approximately $12,000.00 KUBARK paid out. We do not, however,
believe it should be repeated in the foreseeable future in view
of the relative inexperience shown by the AMSPELL team on the
recent tour and the many difficulties encountered in trying to
organize the exhibit in the various cities.
/ CONTINUED /
Attachments: U/SC
A.
B.
AMSPELL Statistical Report
Misc. Press Clippings
DISTRIBUTION:
3 DC/WH/SA, w/attachs, u/sc
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DOC FORWARDED 7/0 S/C
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DATE TYPED
23 July 64
26/3
DATE DISPATCHED
DISFATCH SYMBOL, AND NUMURS 24 1964
UFGA-16,980
HEADQUARTERS FILE NUMBER
19-124-26-/3
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COLOMBIA.
2.
a.
Bogota
The AMSPELL team arrived in Bogota on 12 February
1964. but were unable to make contact with the local ANSPELL/AMBARB
contact until the next day. They were unable to get adequate advance
About 200..
publicity and had trouble finding space for the exhibit
.
persons attended the exhibit, and AMSPELL conferences were attended by
approximately 485 persons. HLBA-6911reported [GINEAKER
-9's observations
on the local reaction to the tour, 
which he judged to be indifferent.
The AMSPELL team freely admitted to WAVE that the Bogota operation was
something less than successful, but blamed the lack of advance prepara-
It
tions and the existence of an unfriendly press for their failure.
should also be noted that the AMSPELL team was not on the best of terms
with some of the local Cubans, and this fact probably had a good deal
to do with the poor showing.
b. Medellin. The showing in Medellin was better than in
Bogota. The press was lukewarm but the director of the Caracol radio
station gave them considerable publicity, and they were able 
to hold
the exhibit in a central spot in the city. About 400 
persons 
visited
the exhibit over a period of three days, and 850 persons attended con-
ferences given by the team.
C. Cali. The team received good advance press play in Cali,
which was perhaps one reason for the fact that the local Communist party
On the very first morning
was also well prepared for their arrival.
of the exhibit, a large crowd of Communists tried to enter the exhibit
with the obvious intention of starting trouble. and when they were
locked out began to throw rocks and "stinkbombs" into the exhibit hall.
The incident provided considerable publicity for AMSPELL, as reported
The AMSPELL
in BOGO 4332. A total of 100 persons attended the exhibit.
team claimed that the Communists were very strong in Cali and that work-
ing there was like swimming upstream.
3. ECUADOR.
'
a. Quito. The team arrived in Quito on 25 March, after spend-
ing several days in an unsuccessful attempt to obtain visas for Peru.
QUIT 5867 reported the AMSPELL team's personality clashes with the
local AMBARBS and the consequent poor performance by the AMSPELL team,
who complained of the absence of police protection, adequate facilities
for the exhibit, etc., and departed just two days later on the 27th.
One member remained in Bogota to hold conferences, attended by 325.
persons. While not accepting the blame for this fiasco, the AMSPELL
team generally corroborated the above story in their debriefing by WAVE.
After such incidents as reported in QUIT 5867, we are reluctant to
recommend any future tours.
..
The
b. Guayaquil. The AMSPELL team considered Guayaquil their
most successful operation, an opinion seconded by Guayaquil base who
termed it a "resounding success. (See QUIT 5867 and HEGA 2900).
exhibit received front page coverage in "El Universo" and "El Telegrafo",
An estimated
and they were given a half hour on a major TV station.
total of 1,200 persons visited the exhibit, and the team spoke before
40 members of a local group, Frente de Defensa Nacional.
4.
Santiago, Chile.
The ANSPELL team arrived in Santiago on 3 March to coincide
The
with the opening of the Latin American Youth Congress (LAYC).
Santiago operation was a complete loss because Chilean customs authori-
ties would not release the exhibit during the congress and the AMSPELL
team was unable to obtain space of any kind to hold conferences due to
competition from the congress for space. (See SAGO 6577). The AMSPELL
team had been counting on a contact in the Catholic University, Fernando 04
SANHUESA, ] to facilitate their activities but [SANHUESA told them that
the LAYC was a failure from the Communist side and that the AMSPELL team
could contribute more by remaining quiet than by actively propagandizing
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against (and thereby calling attention to) the congress.
was that the AMSPELL team did nothing
. An amateurish plan to kidnap. a
The end result
Cuban delegate to the LAYC as hostage 
for political prisoners in Cuba
was quickly scotched by the Station. (See SAGO 
6595).
5. La Paz, Bolivia.
The AMSPELL team arrived in La Paz on 17 March, and after somė
difficulty 
in obtaining space were finally 
able to open the exhibit
in Club La Paz on 21 March.
ferences were held in various locations in the city, with the closing
As noted 
in LAPA 5550, exhibits and con-
performance on 25 March at the Scala 
Theater hosted by the Venezuelan
ambassador. The exhibit received 
excellent coverage in all four of the
leading La Paz newspapers and the 
three largest radio stations carried
AMSPELL conferences. Despite the excellent 
publicity, a total of only
600 persons visited the exhibit in La Paz. 
According to AMSPELL, this
was due to Bolivian preoccupation with such things as a national day to
demand a passage to the sea for 
Bolivia which stopped all traffic and-
communication.
6.
Argentina.
a. Buenos Aires.
2
An
The AMSPELL team arrived in Buenos Aires on
27 March during Holy Week. 
In 
addition to the delay caused by Holy Week
celebrations, the team had difficulty finding 
space for the exhibit.
With the help of the Chamber of 
Commerce, the exhibit finally opened on
6 April in Chamber of Commerce offices on 
Leandro Allem street.
estimated 1,200 persons 
visited the exhibit during a four-day period,
and good publicity was also obtained in 
the La Prensa and La Razon
newspapers. The AMSPELL group also 
obtained 10 minutes on Panorama
Mundial, Channel 7 TV, as part 
of a 30-minute program on Cuba and the
overthrow of Goulart in Brazil. 
According to AMSPELL, the Panorama .
program is rated as having 500,000 
viewers.
four 
conferences before small groups of Rotarians and university students
The AMSPELL team also held.
which were attended by a total of 100 
persons.
b. Rosario. 'The AMSPELL team arrived in Rosario on 11 April
and opened 
the exhibit on 15 April, 
after the customary difficulties
of finding a site due to the lack of advance 
preparations.
chamber of commerce finally 
came through with an excellent site, the
The local
"Galeria Libertad", in the center of 
town.
visited the 
exhibit during the three days it was open.
A total of 
2,000 persons
papers (La Cronica
, La Tribuna, La Capital) gave good publicity to the
"
Local news-
The local radio stations 
gave spot announcements of the exhibit.
but did 
not give any additional 
publicity.
tour.
ין
c. Cordoba. The AMSPELL team made a hurried trip to Cordoba,
where they 
were able to show the 
exhibit to an estimated 600 persons
during a three-day stay, 20-23 April
. 
The 
local chamber of commerce
was again very helpful in arranging for 
space for the exhibit and obtain
ing local press publicity. Good press 
coverage was obtained in Los
Principios and Cordoba.
7. Montevideo, Uruguay.
was the worst performance of the entire tour, with only twenty persons
attending the exhibit. They arrived on 26 
April and after unsuccess-
fully attempting to obtain a site in a 
central location, felt obliged
to accept space in the Catholic Club
, considered a center of reaction
by many Uruguayans and remote from 
the main thoroughfares.
the poor reception 
and the lack of good local contacts, a fair amount
Despite
of publicity was obtained in the local 
press and the AMSPELL team had
a one-hour show on the local TV channel 
10
.
The AMSPELL team reported that Montevideo
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8.
Caracas, Venezuela.
SECRET
UFGA 16,980
Their
The AMSPELL team arrived in Caracas on
9. May, having cut Brazil from the tour because of visa problems.
early arrival caught their local contacts unprepared and it was not
until 16 May that the exhibit opened.. Excellent support was provided
by station assets and widespread publicity was given to the event.
However,
the exhibit was located in a relatively remote spot and only
300 persons attended the exhibit, according to AMSPELL. (The Station
estimate was 400-500). Another 140 persons attonded ANSPELL con-
ferences. The station report (HVCA-11393) which has been corroborated
by the WAVE debriefing of the AMSPELL toam, describes the typical
experience of the AMSPELL team throughout the tour with the exception
that local support was not always as effective as in Caracas.
9. Enclosed under separate cover 18 an AMSPELL statistical summary
of the tour and press clippings from the countries visited.
жир. Леле
Зни
fo
ANDREW K. REUTEMAN
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