Radio Free Europe and the Pursuit of Democracy

Description

From the 1950s to the aftermath of communist rule, two American-funded international broadcasting organizations—Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty—engaged in a prolonged battle of ideas: with remarkable persistence, the Radios fought against the spread of communist ideology. This book is a unique, personal account of Cold War combat over the airwaves, of psychological battles that succeeded in eroding the international appeal of the Soviet system and ultimately in helping to bring about the implosion of the Soviet empire. A leading expert on East and Central European and Soviet affairs, George R. Urban offers an insider's perspective on the history of Radio Free Europe by drawing on his service during the 1960s and his term as overall director in the 1980s. In vivid detail Urban describes how the Radios promoted the cause of liberal democracy and the free market economy for more than four decades and stood up against the Soviet system, with its clandestine offshoots and fifth columns in all the countries of the West. Urban contends that a second opponent was less visible but more powerful: influential members of the American and West European Left who believed the Soviet superpower should not be thwarted. The author explores the often controversial strategies and tactics employed by the staff and administrators of the Radios, sheds light on their role in the tragic 1956 Hungarian Revolution, examines the ideas and convictions of key figures, and reveals how communism was intellectually unmasked in a psychological contest that also made possible reconciliation between nations and individuals. Contents Preface Introduction CHAPTER ONE. Preparations CHAPTER TWO. The Contest of Ideas CHAPTER THREE. High Communism CHAPTER FOUR. Second Conductors CHAPTER FIVE. Reluctant Americans CHAPTER SIX. The Soft Approach to Communism CHAPTER SEVEN. Before the Implosion CHAPTER EIGHT. The National Interest CHAPTER NINE. Jealousies in the Region CHAPTER TEN. Draining the Poison out of the System CHAPTER ELEVEN. Misapprehensions CHAPTER TWELVE. Dialogues CHAPTER THIRTEEN. Companions CHAPTER FOURTEEN. 1956 Reconsidered Appendix A. STASI and the Carlos Group Appendix B. A Selection of Policy Guidances, 1984–1985 Appendix C. Excerpts from a Radio Free Europe Review, 1956 Notes Index