Battle over the Airwaves: The Use of Radio to Shape Public Opinion in the Colombo/Peruvian Conflict

Caught off guard by a surprise Peruvian attack led against the remote Colombian Amazon town of Leticia in 1933, and initially unable to counter with arms, President Enrique Olaya Herrera, in a stroke of brilliant improvisation, opted to meet Peru’s saber-rattling with the modern-day equivalent of the pen: carefully scripted ‘information’ bulletins broadcast over short wave radio.  Professional radio actors hired by the Colombian state were instructed to read in a “neutral” tone excerpts from the opinions of international treaty experts sympathetic to Colombia’s position, New York Times op-ed pieces, and touching letters of allegiance supposedly penned by Peruvian citizens who vocally endorsed Colombia’s jurisdictional claim to govern all those residing on Colombian territory, regardless of their nationality.  Scripts tailored to specific audiences – Colombians living at home and abroad, inhabitants of the United States, Peruvians across the border, and other South American inhabitants – were produced on a daily basis to shape public opinion and consolidate Colombia’s claim to being a democracy that resolved differences through diplomacy and reason rather than dictatorial military aggression.  The Colombian government’s use of radio during the Leticia Conflict proved to be a watershed in the history of state/media relations in Colombia.  From that moment forward a technology that had been lauded for its ability to entertain, inform, educate, and provide cultural uplift, acquired in the eyes of the state, a strategic significance as a nation-building tool.  This paper explores the use of radio by both the state and commercial radio operators during the Colombo/Peruvian conflict to rally public support for the war effort, shape public opinion, and promote a sense of shared national identity and destiny.