FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus008191

The White House is denying that a program by USAID to set up a "twitter-like" service in Cuba is a covert program.

At the White House daily briefing, Jay Carney said the program run by USAID was a development program designed to help foster democracy in Cuba.

He indicated that the budget for the program had been examined by the General Accounting Office and found to be within guidelines for "development" projects.

Carney says the President does support efforts to expand communications in Cuba.

AP TELEVISION

Washington 3 April 3, 2014

1. SOUNDBITE: Jay Carney, White House Press Spokesman:

"We've seen the story by the AP this morning. The program referred to by the Associated Press was a development program, run by the United States Agency for International Development. And that program was completed in 2012. As you know, USAID is a development agency, not an intelligence agency. Suggestions that this was a covert program are wrong. Congress funds democracy programming for Cuba to help empower Cubans to access more information and to strengthen civil society. This appropriations are public, unlike covert action. The money invested has been debated in Congress. In addition, GAO reviewed this program in detail in 2013 and found that it was conducted in accordance with US law and under appropriate oversight controls. In implementing programs in non-permissive environments, of course the government has taken steps to be discrete. That's how you protect the practitioners and the public. This is not unique to Cuba. More details about the program are available at USAID, and I think that veterans of this briefing room know that when I say a program like this is not covert, and then I talk about it, that's how you know it's not covert."

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee asked the U.S. Agency for International Development on Thursday to turn over all its records about the Obama administration's Twitter-like social media program it secretly built in Cuba.

The request included all copies of any messages that the U.S. government or its contractors transmitted to subscribers in Cuba, who never were told about Washington's role in the primitive, text message-based network that was meant to undermine Cuba's communist government.

Congressional hearings this week scrutinized the Obama administration's social media program, known as ZunZuneo when it publicly launched in 2010, and whether USAID should be running such an intelligence-like operation instead of spy outfits like the CIA.

"USAID programs are as of notified designed to promote open accessed information, facilitate communication," said Rajiv Shah, USAID administrator. "Any programs that have further purposes are not implemented by USAID but rather by other parts of the state department or the national endowment for democracy."

Menendez, who made the request without a committee vote, said the review will consider whether USAID's pro-democracy programs in Cuba were consistent with those run in other foreign countries, and whether USAID should operate what it has since acknowledged was a "discreet" program.

Menendez said earlier Thursday that USAID's Cuban program was not "in any way a cockamamie idea." His comments took direct aim at Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., who earlier this week criticized the USAID program in similar terms _ marking a rare departure from the Senate's staid tradition of decorum among lawmakers.

"It is dumb, dumb and even dumber to go ahead and suggest that there can be freedom, and we should seek Internet freedom globally, but somehow the people of Cuba don't deserve the same freedom," Menendez said. Leahy last week called the secret program "dumb, dumb, dumb."

AP TELEVISION

Washington - 10 April, 2014

1. Wide of hearing hall from far end

POOL

Washington - 10 April, 2014

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Chairman Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey:

"I think it is dumb, dumb, and even dumber to go ahead and suggest that there can be freedom and we should seek freedom of international access and freedom of expression globally but that somehow the people of Cuba don't deserve the same freedom."

3. Wide of people talking in the hall

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Senator Marco Rubio, R-Florida:

"The other argument I've heard is that this is a covert program but in fact this program was reviewed by the general accounting office right."

VOICE UP Rajiv Shah, USAID administrator; "Correct"

"And they made no suggestions for changes. They had no criticisms of how the money was being administered.

SOUNBITE (English) Rajiv Shah, USAID administrator:

"They actually complimented USAID on improvement management oversight of the program.

SOUNDBITE (English) Senator Marco Rubio, R-Florida:

"There was no intelligence program, there was no spying on the Cuban government used in this program"

VOICE UP Rajiv Shah, USAID administrator; "no"

AP TELEVISION

Washington - 10 April, 2014

5. Close of Shah listening

POOL

Washington - 10 April, 2014

6. SOUNBITE (English) Rajiv Shah, USAID president:

"USAID programs are as of notified designed to promote open accessed information, facilitate communication. Any programs that have further purposes are not implemented by USAID but rather by other parts of the state department or the national endowment for democracy."

AP TELEVISION

Washington - 10 April, 2014

7. Close of Senator Jeff Flake

POOL

Washington - 10 April, 2014

8. SOUNBITE (English) Senator Jeff Flake, R-Arizona:

"specifically with this one I do have issues. Not with the fact that we have programs like this going but the fact that they're conducted by USAID."

9. Wide of of people leaving hearing

Cuba said Wednesday it has launched a probe into how hundreds of thousands of customer mobile phone numbers fell into the hands of a U.S. government programme that used them to secretly set up a mobile-based, Twitter-like social network on the island.

An Associated Press investigation revealed last week that the US Agency for International Development programme (USAID) used the data to build a subscriber base for the platform, dubbed ZunZuneo, with the idea that it could be used to stir unrest.

Cuba considers such USAID programmes to be subversive attempts to topple its Communist-run government. Officials told reporters that state telecom company ETECSA had not provided the data to any international operator or entity, and the information was obtained illegally.

"ETECSA wanted to stress in the statement that its user database has not been released to any operator for privacy issues, nor to an agency or to anyone other than within the company itself," said Daniel Ramos, head of security operations for ETECSA.

He did not give details on the probe's progress or any measures that may be taken.

"We condemn the use of this database, which the company did not agree to. And of course, we do not know how this database could have fallen into the hands of the ZunZuneo platform and others already mentioned," he said.

Ramos said ETECSA detected bulk messages being sent through ZunZuneo starting in September 2009 during a mass concert by Colombian singer Juanes, and again in early 2010.

The company complained to 200 operators that had messaging agreements with ETECSA, and threatened to sever relationships if it continued.

Nonetheless ZunZuneo continued to operate until 2012 and built a base of tens of thousands of users before abruptly disappearing.

And until the recent AP investigation, ETECSA had no idea the messages were anything other than unwanted spam, ETECSA officials said.

Some lawmakers in Washington have expressed support for ZunZuneo since AP's original disclosure.

At a House Foreign Affairs hearing on Wednesday, congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican, said the network was a US-led democracy effort in Cuba which was "transparent" and "one of the most scrutinised programmes in our foreign aid portfolio."

AP TELEVISION

Havana, Cuba - Recent

1. Vehicles driving down street in Havana

2. Street scene in Havana, man looking at smart phone in the foreground

3. Various of people on their phones

AP TELEVISION

Washington, DC - Recent

4. Pan of documents relating to the ZunZuneo network, a text messaging-based social network in Cuba

POOL

Washington, DC - 9 April 2014

5. Wide shot of House Foreign Affairs Committee

6. Mid of USAID (US Agency for International Development) Administrator Rajiv Shah in front of the committee

7. Wide side shot of committee

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Republican Congresswoman, Florida:

"Contrary to what the media have reported, democracy programmes for Cuba are transparent. They are open. The Cuba Democracy programme with its 20-million-dollar price tag, in fact is one of the most scrutinised programmes in our foreign aid portfolio. The real question here is why does the press and some in our congressional family demonise these programmes?"

AP TELEVISION

Washington, DC - March 2014

9. Exterior shots of the USAID headquarters

10. Flag outside the USAID headquarters

AP TELEVISION

Havana, Cuba - 9 April 2014

11. Wide shot of news conference with managers of Cuba Communications Company

12. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Daniel Ramos, Head of Security, Cuban State Telecom ETECSA:

"ETECSA (Cuba's state-owned telecom company) wanted to stress in the statement that its user database has not been released to any operator for privacy issues, nor to an agency or to anyone other than within the company itself. We condemn the use of this database, which the company did not agree to. And of course, we do not know how this database could have fallen into the hands of the ZunZuneo platform and others already mentioned."

13. Wide of news conference

14. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Daniel Ramos, Head of Security, Cuban State Telecom ETECSA:

"the text messaging service is very cheap, insignificant. We even have agreements with operators where the text messaging service is not charged, so I do not see how that money could have been able to reach ETECSA."

15. Cutaway of cameras

16. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Daniel Ramos, Head of Security, Cuban State Telecom ETECSA:

"ETECSA continues to develop its services, but this depends on the level of investments that we make from the economic point of view. And of course, our goal is to prevent anyone from inventing a service for our users. The idea is that the company provides all the possible services to prevent these things from happening."

17. Wide of news conference ending

The White House is denying that a program by USAID to set up a "twitter-like" service in Cuba is a covert program.

At the White House daily briefing, Jay Carney said the program run by USAID was a development program designed to help foster democracy in Cuba.

He indicated that the budget for the program had been examined by the General Accounting Office and found to be within guidelines for "development" projects.

Carney also aid the President does support efforts to expand communications in Cuba.

AP TELEVISION

Washington 3 April 3, 2014

1. SOUNDBITE: Jay Carney, White House Press Spokesman:

"We've seen the story by the AP this morning. The program referred to by the Associated Press was a development program, run by the United States Agency for International Development. And that program was completed in 2012. As you know, USAID is a development agency, not an intelligence agency. Suggestions that this was a covert program are wrong. Congress funds democracy programming for Cuba to help empower Cubans to access more information and to strengthen civil society. This appropriations are public, unlike covert action. The money invested has been debated in Congress. In addition, GAO reviewed this program in detail in 2013 and found that it was conducted in accordance with US law and under appropriate oversight controls. In implementing programs in non-permissive environments, of course the government has taken steps to be discrete. That's how you protect the practitioners and the public. This is not unique to Cuba. More details about the program are available at USAID, and I think that veterans of this briefing room know that when I say a program like this is not covert, and then I talk about it, that's how you know it's not covert."

A Twitter-like Cuban social media network that the U.S. government built to stir unrest was a "cockamamie" idea doomed to discovery and failure, the chairman of a Senate panel that oversees the U.S. Agency for International Development declared Tuesday. He said the agency didn't adequately describe to Congress the program it was secretly operating.

A key question for the hearings is whether the program endangered its users by concealing that the U.S. government was behind it. The network was publicly launched shortly after the 2009 arrest in Cuba of American contractor Alan Gross. He was imprisoned there after traveling repeatedly on a separate, clandestine USAID mission to expand Cuban Internet access using sensitive technology that only governments use.

His voice rising in anger at moments, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said, "while we debate what USAID is doing in Cuba, US citizen Alan Gross remains in solitary confinement in his fifth year in capacity, solely because he was carrying out a USAID program which was dumb in its inception." He also said that from its inception, the program had "no possibility of working."

Rajiv Shah, USAID's top official, said the program, disclosed last week by The Associated Press, was part of the administration's efforts to provide new digital methods to increase the flow of information in and out of Cuba. Shah said the effort operated "discreetly" and was described in congressional budget justifications. But Leahy interrupted Shah to say he had read those budget documents.

"If you could figure out it meant this, you're doing a lot better job than most of us," Leahy said.

An Associated Press investigation last week revealed that USAID oversaw the creation of the text message-based service, dubbed ZunZuneo for the sound made by a Cuban hummingbird. USAID and its contractors went to extensive lengths to conceal Washington's ties to the project, according to interviews and documents obtained by the AP.

Shah said the AP's report had a number of critical inaccuracies, but he was not asked to describe them and did not specify his complaints. Though he could not say who came up with the idea for Zunzuneo, he said the agency operates transparently and was "absolutely not" operating a covert program.

POOL

Washington - April 8, 2014

1. Wide of Rajiv Shah, Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) entering the chambers and shaking hands with Sen. Patrick Leahy, the chairman of a Senate panel that oversees the agency

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Patrick Leahy, (D) Vermont:

"While we debate what USAID is doing in Cuba, US citizen Alan Gross remains in solitary confinement in his fifth year in capacity, solely because he was carrying out a USAID program which was dumb in its inception."

3. Wide of the Senate panel at the hearing

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rajiv Shah, USAID Administrator:

"The program was designed in 2007 and 2008, in that time frame. That said the legislation that crafts the purpose of the program -- (Sen. Leahy: No, whose idea was it for this specific program? I read the legislation. The legislation doesn't say anything about setting up a cockamamie idea in Cuba with Twitter accounts and all in something that the Cubans would be so easy to discover. Whose idea was this specific program to go to Cuba? Who? It's a simple question.) Um, sir, the program was in place before I arrived (Sen. Leahy: But do you know whose idea it was? I know it was in place before and I said that before in my opening statement before you arrived but do you know whose idea it was?) I -- well first let me say and I know this is important sir and I greatly respect your point of view but that AP story had a number of critical inaccuracies. (Sen. Leahy: I've read USAID's statement and I'll put that in the record, I'll tell you what, I'll put it in the record, both your response to the AP story and the AP story. Having said that, do you know whose idea it was?) I do not specifically, but I'll say this. Working on creating platforms to improve communication in Cuba and many other parts of the world is a core part of what USAID has done for some time and continues to do. Our administration's policy is to continue to support efforts to allow for open communications. To the extent that the AP story and any other comment creates the impression that this effort or any other goes beyond that for other ulterior purposes. That is simply inaccurate. (Sen. Leahy: Was it a covert program?) Absolutely not. It was conducted (Sen. Leahy: And was anyone at the US interests section of the Department of State or the White House aware of the facts of this program?) This program has been notified publicly in Congressional budget justifications dating back to 2008. (Sen. Leahy: I've read those and when I talk about bureaucrats, if you can figure out it mean this, you're doing a lot better job than most of us."

AP TELEVISION

Washington - 8 April 2014

5. Mid of Sen. Coats and Sen. Boozman at the hearing

POOL

Washington - 8 April 2014

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rajiv Shah, USAID Administrator:

"They don't always work and I'll be the first to admit that, but often they do. (Sen. Leahy: This one from the get go had no possibility of working. That's my problem."

7. Mid of Shah getting up after the hearing

POOL

Washington - April 8, 2014

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Patrick Leahy, (D) Vermont:

"While we debate what USAID is doing in Cuba, US citizen Alan Gross remains in solitary confinement in his fifth year in capacity, solely because he was carrying out a USAID program which was dumb in its inception."

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rajiv Shah, USAID Administrator:

"The program was designed in 2007 and 2008, in that time frame. That said the legislation that crafts the purpose of the program -- (Sen. Leahy: No, whose idea was it for this specific program? I read the legislation. The legislation doesn't say anything about setting up a cockamamie idea in Cuba with Twitter accounts and all in something that the Cubans would be so easy to discover."

AP TELEVISION

Washington - April 8, 2014

3. Mid of Sen. Coats and Sen. Boozman at the hearing

POOL

Washington - April 8, 2014

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rajiv Shah, USAID Administrator:

"Working on creating platforms to improve communication in Cuba and many other parts of the world is a core part of what USAID has done for some time and continues to do. Our administration's policy is to continue to support efforts to allow for open communications. To the extent that the AP story and any other comment creates the impression that this effort or any other goes beyond that for other ulterior purposes. That is simply inaccurate. (Sen. Leahy: Was it a covert program?) Absolutely not. It was conducted (Sen. Leahy: And was anyone at the US interests section of the Department of State or the White House aware of the facts of this program?) This program has been notified publicly in Congressional budget justifications dating back to 2008. (Sen. Leahy: I've read those and when I talk about bureaucrats, if you can figure out it mean this, you're doing a lot better job than most of us."

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus008455

A Twitter-like Cuban social media network that the U.S. government built to stir unrest was a "cockamamie" idea doomed to discovery and failure, the chairman of a Senate panel that oversees the U.S. Agency for International Development declared Tuesday. He said the agency didn't adequately describe to Congress the program it was secretly operating.

A key question for the hearings is whether the program endangered its users by concealing that the U.S. government was behind it. The network was publicly launched shortly after the 2009 arrest in Cuba of American contractor Alan Gross. He was imprisoned there after traveling repeatedly on a separate, clandestine USAID mission to expand Cuban Internet access using sensitive technology that only governments use.

His voice rising in anger at moments, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said, "while we debate what USAID is doing in Cuba, US citizen Alan Gross remains in solitary confinement in his fifth year in capacity, solely because he was carrying out a USAID program which was dumb in its inception." He also said that from its inception, the program had "no possibility of working."

Rajiv Shah, USAID's top official, said the program, disclosed last week by The Associated Press, was part of the administration's efforts to provide new digital methods to increase the flow of information in and out of Cuba. Shah said the effort operated "discreetly" and was described in congressional budget justifications. But Leahy interrupted Shah to say he had read those budget documents.

"If you could figure out it meant this, you're doing a lot better job than most of us," Leahy said.

An Associated Press investigation last week revealed that USAID oversaw the creation of the text message-based service, dubbed ZunZuneo for the sound made by a Cuban hummingbird. USAID and its contractors went to extensive lengths to conceal Washington's ties to the project, according to interviews and documents obtained by the AP.

Shah said the AP's report had a number of critical inaccuracies, but he was not asked to describe them and did not specify his complaints. Though he could not say who came up with the idea for Zunzuneo, he said the agency operates transparently and was "absolutely not" operating a covert program.

POOL

Washington - April 8, 2014

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Patrick Leahy, (D) Vermont:

"While we debate what USAID is doing in Cuba, US citizen Alan Gross remains in solitary confinement in his fifth year in capacity, solely because he was carrying out a USAID program which was dumb in its inception."

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rajiv Shah, USAID Administrator:

"The program was designed in 2007 and 2008, in that time frame. That said the legislation that crafts the purpose of the program -- (Sen. Leahy: No, whose idea was it for this specific program? I read the legislation. The legislation doesn't say anything about setting up a cockamamie idea in Cuba with Twitter accounts and all in something that the Cubans would be so easy to discover."

AP TELEVISION

Washington - April 8, 2014

3. Mid of Sen. Coats and Sen. Boozman at the hearing

POOL

Washington - April 8, 2014

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rajiv Shah, USAID Administrator:

"Working on creating platforms to improve communication in Cuba and many other parts of the world is a core part of what USAID has done for some time and continues to do. Our administration's policy is to continue to support efforts to allow for open communications. To the extent that the AP story and any other comment creates the impression that this effort or any other goes beyond that for other ulterior purposes. That is simply inaccurate. (Sen. Leahy: Was it a covert program?) Absolutely not. It was conducted (Sen. Leahy: And was anyone at the US interests section of the Department of State or the White House aware of the facts of this program?) This program has been notified publicly in Congressional budget justifications dating back to 2008. (Sen. Leahy: I've read those and when I talk about bureaucrats, if you can figure out it mean this, you're doing a lot better job than most of us."