Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-05-27
Private Radio Throws
High-Powered labs
LAT Czech Leaders
By Ernie Hill
Foreign Correspondent Of The Sior end
the Chicago Dolly News

NEW YORK, May 26.-Czecho-
slovakia's Communist bosses are
described as somewhat frantic"
about a new American broadcast
ing technique stirring unrest. dis
satisfaction and suspicion in that
unhappy Soviet satellite.
The damage is being done by a
Ihigh-powered radio station in
augurated May / in Munich. Ger
many, by Radio Free Europe
whose international headquarters
are in the Empire State Building
The organizations directors in
clude Joseph C. Grew. Gen. Lu-
cius D. Clay, Gen. Eisenhower,
Cecil B: DeMllle, William j. Dono-
van. Mark Ethridge, Palmer Hoyt.
Daryl zanuck and others.
Salesmanship Used.
Supported by private funds, Ra-
do Free Europe is giving the
Czech Communist bosses the full
treatment of American salesman
ship in manner never ap-
preached by the Government
operated Voice Of America,
c. D. jackson, former publisher
of Fortune Magazine, is in charge
of the organization. Just returned
from the fringe of the Iron Cur
tain, he is enthusiastic about the
quick results.
Irked at the stir created in their
country, the Czech government
has protested officially to WASH
Iington against "war-mongering"
and "unfriendly broadcasts" from
the new station:
The State Departments re-
Spouse is that Radio Free Europe
lis a private organization over
which it has no control.
1t is doing what many experts
believe the Voice of America
should be doing but isn't.
Escaped Czechs Help.
Here on the Empire State Build
ing third floor are the psychology
cal warfare brains of the organi-
cation that may have discovered
the formula for keeping hope alive
among those behind the Iron Cur
tain.
The staff dealing with Czecho-
|slovakia includes 20 Czechs, most
Eof whom escaped after the Com
Imunists took over in February,
1913.
The Munich station bears down
ION the CZechs 1112 hours daily
with programs that recently es-
capped Czechs say will do the work.
Besides the usual news broad
casts, playing of forbidden jazz
music and programs for farms,
young people, laborers and other
groups, the station serves a very
rough propaganda dish.
mo wonder the government is
beginning to get somewhat fran
tic" says Ferdinand Peroutka,
formerly editor of Prague's lead
ing newspaper ,Lidove Novimy.
Countrymen Interviewed.
One of the most successful
broadcast techniques has been
the interviewing of recently es-
capped Czechs waiting in Germany
to win entry into free countries.
They tell how they escaped,
which of their neighbors worked
for the Russian secret police and
and what is going on in the out
side world.
A program called Message"
openly broadcasts ideas for the
underground to follow, calls out
the names of Russian informers
and gives disguised messages for
friends and relatives in the
country.
The Bob Hope of Czechland
''Kohout," is panieking his au-
'diences with political satires on
the Russian masters. The Czechs
working here gather daily to listen
to his programs which are put on
tape and flown here for audi
tioning.
Another program brings news
of Czech athletes who have
escaped the country. The tennis
victories of Jarslav Drobny, form
erly Of Prague, are never men,
toned in Czech newspapers. To
learn how their great star is do
ing, Czechs must listen to Radio
Free Europe.