The location would be a heavily guarded secret - and Nicaragua was deliberately chosen because Árbenz’s military knew that Castillo Armas was hiding across the border in Honduras and might therefore search for the radio station there. Hunt’s descriptions of the Guatemalan crew were exaggerated and racist (Hunt’s son Saint John describes his father as a racist in his own memoir), but the ladies can be heard in many recordings of the broadcasts, including participating in a regular “Women Against Communism” segment hosted by “Silvia and Sandra.” Documents reveal that they were sisters: Sonia and Sara Orellana.įinally, in late April, the crew flew to Nicaragua, with permission from the dictator Anastasio Somoza, to set up a radio transmitter in a shack in the jungle. Howard Hunt’s memoir Undercover, after several weeks of work, the Guatemalan radio operators threatened to strike due to their “forced celibacy.” So Hunt flew out their “girlfriends” (at least one of whom was actually a wife). Only after this would they move on to what Phillips called “the big lie.”Īccording to E. The goal was to start getting Guatemalans talking about Castillo Armas and the fight against Communism. The content would start with exaggerations of the truth, opinions that would be hard to falsify, and accusations that would be difficult to disprove: Castillo Armas was building an army Árbenz was bad for Guatemala Communists were taking over the government etc. Anything that the Árbenz government could point to in order to prove that the station was not inside Guatemala, for example, could foil the plot. Initially, these broadcasts would need to establish credibility. In his memoir, Phillips recalled the objective as being “to intimidate listeners” who were Árbenz sympathizers and to “influence the mass of neutral types” - what they described as a “soap-opera audience.” Stage 3 in the CIA’s step-by-step plan to overthrow the government of Guatemala.ĭavid Phillips and his radio crew spent March and April in Florida writing and prerecording the initial broadcasts for Radio Liberación. Need to catch up? Click here to start at the beginning. You’re reading our 7-part true story about the original fake news network. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit. ![]() The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. ![]() The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 220 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. All members of Congress must reject this disgraceful attempt to undermine the will of voters.” Rather than engaging in this reckless, undemocratic behavior, lawmakers should be working to provide pandemic relief and strengthen our democracy. In America, voters choose our leaders, our leaders do not choose their voters. “In a shameful disregard for our democracy, some Republicans are attempting to change the outcome of the election and discount the votes of communities of color. WASHINGTON – LaShawn Warren, executive vice president of government affairs at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement regarding efforts by some Republicans to challenge the Electoral College results:
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