US Funding Anti-Democratic Movements in Venezuela

But other projects remain so vague as to raise concern among Chavistas, such as a $47,459 grant for a 'democratic leadership campaign,' $37,614 for citizen meetings to discuss a 'shared vision' for society, or $56,124 to analyze Venezuela's new constitution of 1999. All went to unidentified recipients.

U.S. officials call the concerns baseless. They point to U.S.-funded programs meant to bridge the divide between Chavez's backers and opponents, such as conflict resolution workshops and public service announcements urging peaceful coexistence.

Much of the spending was for 'in kind' aid _ anything from snacks to airfare, rather than cash. And every grant requires the inclusion of people from across the political spectrum.

Even some pro-Chavez groups got support, said Russell Porter, an OTI official for Latin America.

Still, USAID said revealing more of their identities would be an 'unwarranted invasion of personal privacy' that could endanger the recipients, saying some have been questioned for 12 hours at a time by the Venezuelan secret police.

'It's simply for the security of the recipient,' Porter said. 'The only thing we've held back are the names of the groups.'

U.S. officials say they simply want to promote dialogue and strengthen Venezuela's 'fragile democratic institutions.'

But at the same time, Bush has repeatedly called Chavez a threat to democracy, and Chavez sympathizers find it hard to trust the U.S. government's motives.

'It's trying to implement regime change. There's no doubt about it. I think the U.S. government tries to mask it by saying it's a noble mission,' said Eva Golinger, a Venezuelan-American lawyer who wrote 'The Chavez Code: Cracking U.S. Intervention in Venezuela,' a book that cites public documents to argue that Washington is systematically trying to overthrow Chavez.