Pressenza Pressenza International Press Agency Caracas, 01/09/10 Golinger also presented reports by a high-ranking USAID executive dated January 2002, when he was asked to go to Venezuela and create a political office to support opposition groups in civil society and the mass media.

After the April 2002 coup, the main objective of these groups was to support the subsequent recall referendum, according to another memo dated October 2003.

For this purpose, USAID invested about US$750,000 in a media campaign by funneling money through nongovernmental organizations such as Ciudadania Activa, Cedice and Sumate.

The U.S. federal agency also supplied millions of dollars for strengthening anti-Chavez parties such as Acción Democrática, Copei, MAS, Primero Justicia, Proyecto Venezuela and Un Nuevo Tiempo, currently banded together in a coalition called Mesa de Unidad Democrática.