John Foster Dulles was Secretary of State in the United States during the beginning of the Cold War. He thought people were better off using words rather than weapons. Dulles saw the Cold War primarily as a clash of ideologies. According to him, 'The Free Word' was the answer to communism. Therefore, radio station Radio Free Europe was founded in Berlin in 1950. A few American companies like The Readers Digest and the intelligence agency CIA paid for it. The aim was clear: to spread information from American thought in Eastern Bloc countries. Radio Free Europe was also to support refugees, propagating 'prefer politics to war'. Later, radio campaigns aimed at the Middle East and Central Asia were added. The radio station started broadcasting in 28 languages. They broadcast in countries such as the Soviet Union/Russian Republics, the Baltic countries, Iran and Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and China.

From 1950 to 1995, Radio Free Europe's headquarters were in Munich, later in Prague. The radio station did not only use radio waves. Between 1951 and 1956, many weather balloons were launched on its eastern borders. These were filled with information packets, satire on Eastern Bloc leaders and useful instructions for people who opposed their government. In 1972, the CIA officially withdrew as a sponsor of Radio Free Europe.

Meanwhile, Radio Liberty was also active. This radio station served the same purpose and broadcast from Germany, Spain, Portugal and Taiwan. In 1997, the different parts were merged. US President Ronald Reagan provided more money for the radio station. Radio Liberty had a successful time: contact with Eastern Bloc countries such as Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Poland, the rise of Glasnost during the Gorbachev-Yeltsyn period and the opening of a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Moscow (Russia). After the disappearance of the Iron Curtain and the fall of the Berlin Wall, it became clear that the radio station played an important role in the lives of millions of oppressed people for many years.

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