VENEZUELAN TV BROADCASTS OUTRAGEOUS MONTAGE OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 000934

SIPDIS

HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
DEPARTMENT PASS TO AID/OTI (RPORTER)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/20/2024
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KDEM VE
SUBJECT: VENEZUELAN TV BROADCASTS OUTRAGEOUS MONTAGE OF
SECRETARY'S INTERVIEW

REF: CARACAS 858

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Classified By: ACTING POLITICAL COUNSELOR DARNALL STEUART,
REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) Summary: An altered "parody version" of Secretary
of State Clinton's July 7 interview with the host of
opposition oriented Globovision TV's "Hello Citizen" was
broadcast on both the internet and Venezuelan Government
television station VTV over the weekend. The doctored
broadcast falsified the voice of the interviewer and
reassembled assorted clips of the Secretary's comments with
Globovision's Leopoldo Castillo. In the "new version" of the
interview, Secretary Clinton is portrayed as advising the
opposition to receive funding from narcotraffickers,
commenting that the hunger strike of Caracas Mayor Antonio
Ledezma was "not smart," reflecting on how to best overthrow
Hugo Chavez, and opining about the benefits of using the
electric chair on owners of the free press. In what can only
be described as ham-handed agit-prop designed primarily to
appeal to Chavez's base, the airing of such an outlandish and
obviously falsified broadcast by the government's principal
TV station only would have influenced Venezuelans who did not
watch the original interview. The doctored interview,
although broadcast "with a wink" and likely not to be taken
seriously by a more educated or sophisticated audience, was
pulled from VTV's web-site on July 20 after the station let
the spot air through the weekend. End Summary.

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CLINTON INTERVIEW DOCTORED INTO DECEPTIVE PROPAGANDA
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2. (C) In one of the more outlandish stunts recently
witnessed by Post, a doctored version of Secretary of State
Clinton's interview with Globovision's Leopoldo Castillo
appeared on state run VTV over the weekend. The edited clip,
produced by Infofreniac Press-Escuacas News for the web-site
www.globoterror.com was broadcast periodically by the
Venezuelan Government television station VTV over the weekend
of July 18-19. The clip, which has simultaneously been
circulating on the internet on You Tube, does a fair job of
falsifying the voice of the interviewer and reassembling the
Secretary's response to the fictional questions.

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SEC STATE TELLS OPPOSITION TO GET MONEY FROM THUGS
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3. (U) At the beginning of the one minute 35 second
broadcast, the Secretary is allegedly asked "Where do you
think democratic organizations and the opposition should seek
future funding?" The Secretary then replies, "From
Narcotraffickers, organized crime, gangs, and militias." In
a second question Clinton is asked, "What do you think of the
hunger strike by our leader Antonio Ledezma?" In the
broadcast the Secretary allegedly replies, "That is not
smart. We would like very much for these leaders to be more
effective and help the poor."

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HOW TO OVERTHROW CHAVEZ; WHY WE LIKE THE ELECTRIC CHAIR
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4. (U) In a move clearly designed to deceive viewers who did
not see the original interview on July 7, Clinton is then
asked "What advice do you have to those who want to overthrow
Chavez in a coup?" The Secretary replies, "I think there are
many ways to do that, but it hasn't worked yet in the ways
many people had hoped. I am one who believes that we should
be very cautious how we proceed because there are always
unintended consequences." The doctored interview concludes
with the obviously fabricated question on the Secretary's
opinion regarding giving the owners of the opposition media
the electric chair. The Secretary concludes the interview by
reacting, "We surely live with that (the electric chair) in
our own country and it has worked well for us for a very long
time. I hope it can be viewed as a good ideas for others."
The interview concluded with the host thanking "your
highness" for the discussion.


5. (C) Comment: In what can only be described as poorly
produced agit-prop designed to appeal to Chavez's "true
believers," the airing of such an outlandish and obviously
falsified broadcast by the government's principal TV station
was clearly designed to influence Venezuelans who did not

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watch the original interview and most likely already hold a
biased opinion of the US government. In a country where
truth is stranger than fiction, the deceptive audacity of the
most recent broadcasts on the internet and state controlled
VTV marks a bizarre new departure. Having aired throughout
the weekend, the "with a wink" broadcast was pulled from the
VTV website on July 20. End Comment.
CAULFIELD