PROGRAM
Wednesday, October 13
  Arrival of participants
Informal reception at 6 p.m., Stanford Terrace Inn
Thursday, October 14
  All conference sessions in Stauffer Auditorium, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
8:00 A.M. Continental breakfast, Hatfield Court
8:30 A.M. Welcome
 
Opening Remarks: The Honorable George P. Shultz, Hoover Institution
Welcome: John Raisian, Director, Hoover Institution; Elena Danielson, Associate Director, Hoover Institution; Christian Ostermann, Director, Cold War International History Project, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
 
Special Welcome: President Václav Havel (recorded)
 
Conference Program Overview: A. Ross Johnson, Hoover Institution
9:00 A.M. Panel 1
 
Roundtable—Goals and Content of Western Broadcasts; Testimony of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Officials
Moderator: Norman Naimark, Stanford University and Hoover Institution
 
Participants: Paul Henze, former RFE and U.S. official; J. F. Brown, former RFE Director; Gene Sosin, former RL official Commentator: István Rev, Open Society Archives, Budapest
 
Discussion
10:30 A.M. Break
11:00 A.M. Panel 2
 
Roundtable—Goals and Content of Western Broadcasts—VOA, BBC, RIAS; Testimony of Officials and Experts
Moderator: Chip Blacker, Stanford University
 
Participants: Alan Heil, former VOA official; Eugeniusz Smolar, former BBC official; Christian Ostermann, Cold War International History Project Commentator: Mark Pomar, IREX, former broadcast official
 
Discussion
12:30 P.M. Luncheon, Hatfield Court
1:30 P.M. Panel 3
 
Impact of the Broadcasts: Jamming and Audiences
Moderator: John Dunlop, Hoover Institution
 
Paper: Jamming and Counterjamming–George Woodard, former RFE/RL and International Broadcasting Bureau Chief Engineer
Paper: RFE/RL Estimates of Audiences–Gene Parta, RFE/RL
Paper: Soviet Measurements of Audiences–Elena Bashkirova, Romir, Moscow
Paper: Polish Measurements of Audiences–Leszek Gawlikowski, RFE/RL
Discussant: Sharon Wolchik, Elliot School, George Washington University
 
Discussion

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, April 29, 2026
chinaiStock-683984956.jpg
China's "AI Commons": Three Layers Of Open-Weight Diffusion
The Hoover Institution's Project on Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Region hosts China's "AI Commons": Three Layers of Open-Weight Diffusion on Wednesday… Herbert Hoover Memorial Building, Room 160
Thursday, April 30, 2026 12:00 PM Pacific Time
Hoover’s “Photographic Albums Revealed”: Looking Back and Ahead
Hoover’s “Photographic Albums Revealed”: Looking Back And Ahead
In conjunction with Eastern Europe and Beyond: Photographic Albums Revealed, the Hoover Institution Library & Archives invites you to a webinar… Zoom
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
MilitaryGettyImages-157602568.jpg
Understanding The Civilian-Military Relationship In American Democracy
The Hoover Institution's Center for Revitalizing American Institutions invites you to join us for an engaging conversation on Understanding the… Hoover Institution, Stanford University
overlay image