What is Radio Liberty?

We normally use this page to tell you about leisure activities to do in Costa Brava. But today we are going one step further to explain what Radio Liberty is – or rather, was. Radio Liberty was a radio station sponsored by the United States during the cold war, broadcasting from the beach of Pals all the way to the communist countries.

The story of Radio Liberty

In 1955 -nearly 70 years ago- the heads of the organisation American Committee for Liberation from Bolshevism (AMCOMLIB) saw in the beaches of Pals a deserted place, with little vegetation, few obstacles and the ideal orientation to build what was to be called Radio Liberty.

Before deciding on our neighbouring beaches, they had inspected other areas in Spain and the north of Africa, but Pals came out on top.

It is worth mentioning that the agreement of the US with Franco’s dictatorship was possible thanks to Howland Sargeant, the then-president of Radio Liberty, who had helped Franco to get Spain into the UNESCO, thus returning the favour.

“One of the most powerful stations in the world”

Also known as the station from Pals, Radio Liberty was financed by the CIA, and became one of the most powerful stations in the world, with transmitters that broadcast up to 3,000 kilometres away. In its heyday, the station employed over 200 workers who looked after the facilities.

Fun facts: The first broadcast by Radio Liberty was on 23 March 1959 at 03:05 a.m., and the last on 25 May 2001 at 10:00 a.m. You can still enjoy over 40 years of radio virtually at https://www.radioliberty.org/ . We hope we can soon enjoy them physically, too.