Evening star., 1962-09-30

Mr.. Shefmon returned recently from
q long swing through Latin America.
fully incapable Of shouldering
those responsibilities.
The resulting ambivalence
shows up with striking clarity
in the public information pro-
gram Of the Alliance. No other
area has been so disastrously
handled. In Latin America,
| propaganda for Alliance aims
is all but non-existent; in
! North America the need has
been almost totally overlooked.
Comparison with the Mar
shall Plan Immediately springs
to mind. In four years-between
1g4s and 1852 - the United
States Congress specifically set
aside 500 million in counter
part funds to promote Marshall
Plan aims through newspapers,
television. discussion groups,
and labor unions in Western
Europe.
No Funds for Publicity
To date the Kennedy admin
istration has not requested nor
has Congress appropriated one
penny for the same type of
program in Latin America. The
Agency for International De-
velopment is prohibited by law
from carrying on information
activities. That is now the bail
iwick Of the USIA, but its bud
get has not been substantially
increased to handle Alliance
for Progress information.
The result is overworked pub
lie information officials. AID
officials religiously churn out
press releases on various ap-
proved aid projects with no
confidence they viii ever see
the light Of day in Latin Amer
lea. Public information attaches
in United States embassies
lobby local newspapers which
carrying on myriad other ac-
tivities-including distribution
of comic books on the horrors
Of Castro Cuba.
But the main responsibility
for propagandizfng the Alliance
in Latin America falls to the
Organization Of American
States. The Charter Of Punta
del Este specifically places It
there. Yet the OAS Secretariat,
under Secretary General Jose
Mora, has moved at q snail's
pace.
No Money Put Aside
The budget committee Of the
OAS has not put aside any
money for q special informa-
ton program. In March-six
months after Punta del Este
the Secretary General finally
convoked O committee Of pub
lie information experts" to adj
wise on what should be done.
That meeting was paid for out
Of the $6 million Social Trust
Fund given the OAS BY the
United States last year.
After ~ days Of deliberation
here. the six Latin experts ad-
vised that National Committees
for public information should
be set up in each country.
Leading representatives were
to be drawn from every sector
of life-news media, business,
professions, universities and
labor. They were to have local
subcommittees throughout each
country. An GAS office in
each capital was to act as
clearing house for Alliance In
formation from all other coun-
tries.
The Council Of the oAs duly
approved the plan. Today
another six months later-ex-
actly one national committee,
in Ecuador, is in operation.
Two others-in Colombia and
Venezuela-are about to be set
up. Local subcommittee exist
nowhere. OAS offices are Just
beginning tn cir clearing
house" operations.
Information Chief Named
To remedy this lag, Secretary
General Mora has appointed q
new Assistant Secretary General
to coordinate information, sci
ence and education affairs. He
is Jaime Posada, a young and
dynamic Colombian who was
minister Of education under
former Colombian President
Lleras Camargo.
Mr.. Posada has promised tc
speed up organization Of the
national committees and tc