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SECRET Il. Til. IV. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction | Existing Programs 1. General 2. Agency for International Development Programs 3. Military Assistance Programs 4. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs f 5, Training in the Canal Zone 6. Cost of Existing Programs 7. Difficulties Encountered in Filling Available Military Quotas in the U.S.. . Groups Appropriate for Expanded Training Efforts Actions Recommended a. Security Personnel b. Personnel Concerned with Operation of Vital Facilities . c. Personnel Working with Youth SECRET Docld: 32276271 Page 121 11 12
SECRET —~ TRAINING OF LATIN AMERICANS IN THE UNITED STATES I. Introduetion The fact that 2,000 Latin Americans have recently been indoctrinated in Communist ideology and subversive techniques in Cuba is just cause for concern, and warrants - an energetic response. Our actions to frustrate this movement are already beginning to generate momentum, but it will be idle to conclude that currently programmed impediments upon the movement of people, arms and propa- ganda from Cuba, will diminish decisively the strength — of Castro-Communist inspired subversion in Latin America. While it will be important, so long as the Castro regime survives, to remove the ability of Latin Americans to | travel to Cuba, it will -be much more important to remove their desire to travel there in the first place.. The root causes of this desire are numerous, but prominent among them are the dissatisfaction of the. young. = people of Latin America, their impatient hope for better things and their curiosity about the world at large. The younger generation of Latin Americans cannot be expected to stand still. They demand rapid and revolutionary im- provement and this is what communism promises them, how- ever falsely. We are faced with the challenge, therefore, of convincing the young and restive Latin American student, farmer or labor leader that the progress he desires can best be achieved through the institutions of a free society. One of the best means of establishing thig conviction is to show him, at first hand, our own free soctety in action. This useful influence is at work now with the Latin American students who are receiving education and train- ing in the United States. This group - considerably greater in number than those who visit Cuba or the Bloe countries - are underwritten by various agencies of the United States government, private institutions, and, in many cases, defray their own expenses. On balance, these young people return to their countries with a keener un- derstanding of what makes the United States function. | While their reaction may not always be completely favor- able, it must certainly be more accurate - and thus more favorable - than any picture painted for them by the Communists at home, SECRET Docld: 32276271 Page 1232
SECRET In any case in terms of the numbers of young Latin Americans which we might reach in this endeavor, it is evident that our opportunities are not now being fully exploited, If our efforts. can be given stronger direction and intensified, there is reason to believe that we may exert a powerful influence on the most impressionable - and. most important - sector of Latin American society, the younger Beneration. That is the purpose of this study - to examine those U.S. sponsored training and education programs for Latin Americans which are already in motion, with the objective of determining what improvements can be made which would increase our capability for countering subversion. Atten- tion has been focussed particularly on subsidized training in police, military and certain other fields, selected on a basis of their special significance in the confrontation with Castro-Communist subversive activities. . It is recognized that the much broader area. of u, Ss. secondary school and college level education for Latin American students is also a most fruitful field, which requires similar examination; however, that study is viewed as being conditioned upon educational factors which are beyond the scope of this paper. Another. important field which is complementary to. training in the United States,.is the broad variety of in-country programs, now being carried out by the Department of State, Peace Corps, AID, USIA, the Armed Forces, private. and religious. institutions, and civil educational insti- ‘tutions. Through these, the Latin American is exposed at home to U.S, citizens who are interested in his welfare, in terms which provide a direct rub-off of our values. While it cannot be divorced completely from in-country training this paper does not concern itself directly with that sector. It does, however, recognize the importance of the in-country effort, and proposes to make use of the U.S. presence in-Latin American as a catalyst to attract promising young people towards training in the North, where they can see organized freedom in action and, by gaining confidence in it, become its champions in their own country. ~ SECRET , ) Docld: 32276271 Page 1273
SECRET -IT, Existing Programs . 1. General Approximately 15,000 Latin Americans, exclusive of private business trainees, are instructed. annually in the United States. Of these, about 10,000 are engaged. in undergraduate or graduate studies, including more than 1,000 individuals who receive subsidies from the United States or from their own governments, The remaining 5,000 receive specialized instruction, or are brought to the © U.S. for orientation tours, The U.S. Government provides its subsidies principally through the Military Assistance | Program, the Agency for International Development,. and the Department of State, Also the Inter-Agency Committee on: Youth Affairs is reviewing existing programs affecting Latin American youth and studying the pos sibility of. ‘leadership training courses for them, 2, Agency for International Development Programs During FY 1962, the Agency for International. Development brought 1, 504 Latin Americans to the United. States for training, in age groups as follows: Under 20 _ 25 el. 25 | ~ 160 86 - 30. 362 31 - 35 | 3928: 36 - Lo | 288 AL = 45 Oo 165 46 - 50 | 118 51 - on 7 85 Approximately 240 of these trainees matriculated at a university or school, for undergraduate or graduate degree work, The remainder engaged in on-the-job or less formal training, or attended courses apart from a degree program, for periods varying from three months to a year, Students received training in the following fields: \ SECRET Docld: 322776271 Page 1274
SECRET and on-the-job training in their special fields (commu- nications media, community welfare work, etc.). The 871 educational travel grantees, comprising approxi- mately 45 per cent of the total. number of Department of State sponsored trainees in the United States con- sisted largely of selected students and student leaders from Latin American universities, and some school teachers, who participated individually or in‘groups in short-term observation visits relating to their special fields of interest. 5. Training in the Canal Zone Additional Latin American personnel undergo training in Panama Canal Zone schools of: the Caribbean Command and at the Inter-American Police Academy, operated by the Agency for International Development. Additionally, the United States Navy and Coast Guard are establishing a facility to instruct Latin Americans in coastal patrol craft operation and surveillance. While this training does not take place in the United) States proper, the Latin American students involved are nevertheless exposed to a school environment which is based on U.S. values. During the past year, the United States Army Caribbean School trained 1,200 Latin American officers. and men, while the United States Air Force School for Latin America trained 494 students. The newly formed Inter-American Police Academy graduated 90 Latin Ameri- cans during the same period, and is expanding classes to reach a planned annual rate of 360 in FY 1964, 6. Cost of Existing Programs The FY 1963 AID, MAP and State Department pro- grams provide $21.9 million for training a total of ,165 Latin Americans in the United States, The per :_ capita eost of training under civilian programs of the United States Government ‘is approximately $5,000 for a full academic year, Military per capita direct costs average $3,200, with courses usually of less than one year's duration, It is estimated that the per capita costs for short courses (6- 16 weeks), both civilian and military, approximates Sl, 600. SECRET Docld: 322762271 Page 127
SECRET In terms of dollars alone, and apart from the many benefits received, it will be seen that training is a relatively inexpensive endeavor. Furthermore, in contemplating the cost of an intensified program, it-is significant that the enrollment in most schools and training courses can usually be increased - in some - degree - without corresponding increases in overhead. 7. Difficulties Encountered in Filling Available Military Quotas in the United States. The failure of Latin American countries to take full advantage of military quotas offered has been a persistent problem. In 1962, for example, 15 per cent of the quotas offered were unfilled. This unfavorable situation derives from many causes. During the current fiscal year 18 per cent of unfilled Army quotas have ‘been due to inability to meet course pre-requisites; 22 per cent because of lack of sufficient funds and 33 per cent because of political _upheavals. The armed forces of the average Latin American -country are small, and the avail- ability of qualified candidates who can be spared for extended periods of instruction abroad is thus limited. The short periods of obligated service and the lack of a professional non-commissioned officer corps also tends - to discourage the training of enlisted men in United States schools, since there is an understandable lack of enthusiasm for spending large sums from limited budgets to train enlisted men who will remain in service only a brief time. Another significant deterrent is the per diem rates required by law to be paid by some countries to service personnel sent outside their homeland. In Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay, the legal rates for personnel serving abroad are too high to be support- able by defense budgets, while in other countries, such as Bolivia and Paraguay, the standard rates are too low to provide a reasonable living for students III. Groups Appropriate for Expanded Training Efforts Three principal groups have. been identified as meriting special attention in our program of impeding the growth of Castro-Communist subversion, : These are: SECRET Docld: 32276221 Page 1276
SECRET a. Groups directly responsible for the security of the country. Personnel of police, paramilitary and military organizations should receive particu- lar attention, with emphasis on junior and inter- mediate level personnel involved in administrative and Supervisory. functions, De Groups responsible for the operation of vital facilities, Communications systems, public infor-: mation media, utilities, transportation and, in some countries, industrial installations are vital to the orderly functioning of a state. As a result, they are prime targets for Communist infiltration and subversion, U.S.,-oriented personnel in these occupations, especially at the lower supervisory levels, are in a good position to detect, report on and impede Communist activities. e. Groups involved in direct supervisory con- tact with the younger generation. Labor leaders, teachers, athletic instructors, farm advisors, student leaders, and technical school instructors all work directly with young people, and thus play an important role in molding their atti- tudes. IVs Actions Recommended The training actions enumerated below are recom- mended as promising a useful return in our effort to develop. a stronger base of countersubversive convic- tion among the groups identified in the preceding para- graph. In execution of these actions, priorities. should be established in terms of individual country needs. While the many variables involved render precise calculation difficult, it is estimated that a vigorous pursuit of all of the proposed actions would result in an increase of directly subsidized U.S. training by’ about 60%, or 3,600 people: at an increased expenditure of roughly $12,000,000. The financial support involved Should be provided over and above existing agency pro- grams. SECRET Docld: 322776271 Page 129
SECRET » SECRET © Docld: 32276271 Page 130 a. Security Personnel (1) Military (a) Offer expanded opportunities for Latin American junior officers and non- commissioned officers in on-the-job training programs in units of all U.S. Armed Services. “ 4} (b) Improve off-duty programs for the’ above Latin American. trainees, to provide them with a close and favorable view of life in the United States. (c) Select a liberal number of the best qualified graduates from Canal Zone service schools for further training on a higher level in U.S. military technical. schools, staff and operations courses. Advanced training should be a continuation of Canal Zone schooling, concentrating on equipment and skills required in Latin America. Quotas should be established for both Junior officers and enlisted ranks, (d) Expand or establish quotas for train-. ing of promising young Latin Americans at Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps basic. training schools, with a view to their pro- ceeding onward to further training in more advanced U.S. schools. (e) In order to enhance understanding with students, insure that an adequate num- ‘ber of bilingual personnel, fluent in speak- ing and writing both English and Spanish, or English and Portuguese, are assigned to. the faculties of Service schools which pro- ‘vide instruction to Latin Americans, (f) Inerease the number of students trained at the U.S, Air Force School for Latin America, in Panama, and expand quotas for officers.
SECRET SECRET Docld: 32276271 Page 131 (g) Expand the MAP-sponsored intelligence training conducted by the U.S. Army at Fort Holabird, Maryland, to include junior officers and NCO'ts, Inerease Latin American quotas for intelligence training by all Services. (nh) Review all FY 1964 U.S, Service school quotas for Latin America to determine if in- ereases, consistent with the capabilities of Latin American countries to absorb, can be - made. | (i) Encourage, through MAAG's and Missions, increased Latin American participation in military training programs, exercises, orien- tation tours and exchange programs, © (3) Through additional MAP funding, ab- sorb the costs for training Latin American military personnel in the U.S. and Panama, inéluding international travel costs. Con- eurrently press for elimination of home country regulations which inhibit filling of quotas, (x) In military schools engaged in teach- ing Latin Americans, indoctrinate U.S. in- structors in the broader political object- ives the U.S. is seeking to achieve through training. (1) Review curricula of military courses for Latin Americans with a view toward, empha- sizing constructive participation by their military forces in political, economic, social and civil development. (2) Police (a) Increase the police training program of the Office of Public Safety, AID, to an in-put of 1,000 for the next 18 months. (The current program calls for 450 trainees in Panama and 150 in the U.S. during this period.) Select candidates who are in posi- tions to exert maximum and immediate influence within their organizations and communities. 10