FOREIGN BROADCAST INFORMATION SERVICE NEWSLETTER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP05-01430R000100030003-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 4, 2012
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: May 1, 1985
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/04: CIA-RDP05-0143OR000100030003-4
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/a/u 1\11
\t\III11
FBIS
Foreign Broadcast
Information Service
1 May 1985
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NOTICE
FJ etd Bunea" cute n.em-.nded that co pia o ~ th is
Neu etta .ohou d be dattwyed. a6ten. )Leading
by U.S. S ;a6{y emp.2oyees. Thi,6 Newztette'L tis
not be to ne tcu.ned in {-,e.ed buAeaws.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/04: CIA-RDP05-0143OR000100030003-4
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/04: CIA-RDP05-0143OR000100030003-4
JLL1tE 1
NEWSLETTER 1 May 1985
'FIVE CITIES' TV PROJECT
FBIS initiated the "Five Cities" foreign television reporting project
on 19 March when the first tapes were sent to headquarters from the bureaus.
The project is targeted at major world capitals designated by the DDI, with
FBIS taping major television newscasts and special events each day for
transmission to headquarters by commercial courier service. The process
has been working well with tapes being received in times varying from 30 to
48 hours, with OCR making them available to DI analysts. r 7
SOVIET SUCCESSION
FBIS coverage of the death and succession of Soviet leaders was handled
in what has now become almost habitual fashion. Abnormal Soviet media
behavior normally identified with the death of a Soviet leader was first
noted by the bureaus on 10 March when Moscow radio replaced regular
programming with somber classical music. For 12 hours classical music
dominated Moscow programming. The Wire sent regular comprehensive media
reports to its consumers, many of whom requested phone alerts to new Soviet
media behavior. The first CRITIC was issued at 0848 GMT on the 11th when
Paris AFP quoted an "unimpeachable source" as stating that the CPSU Central
Committee had announced Chernenko's death. The next CRITIC was issued
following the official 1100 GMT Moscow announcement of Chernenko's death.
FBIS later learned that President Reagan was informed of the official
announcement of the death from an FBIS report.)
A 5-minute videotape of the Chernenko lying-in-state ceremony was relayed
to Washington by London Bureau via satellite on 11 March to provide consumers
with the first public appearance of the Soviet leadership line-up following
Gorbachev's election as the new CPSU general secretary. The satellite feed
was relayed to Pyramid Video at the National Press Club building by Visnews/
Brightstar 4 hours after the clip was carried by Moscow television. Copies
were made and delivered within ,an hour of receipt to AG, SOYA, and OCR.
AG produced a political profile of Gorbachev based on an examination of
his public statements over the past 1S years. The report was disseminated
on the night of 11 March to Wire and overseas recipients, including Vice
President Bush's party, and was used by PDB briefers the following morning.
ANTWERP PRESS UNIT
The press monitoring unit in Antwerp officially opened for operations
on 1 April. The chief is currently involved in recruiting contract
translators and establishing routines. The unit, which is located in the
consulate, will concentrate on scientific and technical collection, and
reports to the Chief., Production Group. F-1
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JtLKt, l
OTHER SUPPORT TO HIGH LEVEL CONSUMERS
WHITE On 14 April the White House Situation Room relayed to the Wire
HOUSE a request from Vice Admiral John Poindexter, deputy assistant
to the President traveling aboard "Air Force One," for the text
of a PRAVDA commentary that day on President Reagan's planned visit to the
FRG cemetary at Bitburg for German soldiers killed in World War II. London
Bureau processed the commentary in time for it to be available to the
Situation Room before the President's plane touched down at Andrews. Another
White House Situation Room request during that week, on behalf of the
executive secretary of the NSC, asked FBIS to provide the text of a 12 April
BBC television report which cited an alleged secret NSC paper entitled
"A Strategy for Central ica" and a document on last year's "Big Pine III"
exercises in Honduras.:
USIA The Director, FBIS visited USIA on 19 March and at Director Wick's
invitation participated in a USIA staff meeting. Director Wick was
interested in Soviet media expansion and activities in terms of helping to
make the case for better Congressional funding of USIA activities. D/FBIS
also briefed Director Wick and his staff on aspects of the FBIS Modernization
Program and how this program will benefit USIA. Since then, USIA has requested
support from FBIS in several areas, including information on satellite TV
monitoring and subscriptions to publications.
who became head of
the BBC Monitoring Service in 1980,
is being moved to the position of
Comptroller, the number three
position in the BBC External Service.
was named interim
general manager. (U)
Abidjan Btvt.eau ed.i toil monito' ng the N.ige'z Lan news agency
NAN have tong noted that . eity-Lce mes4aga between NAN 4tietd
o44-.cetts and NAN headquaxtei geneitcfly tack the decanum o4
exchanges between FBIS { ieZd bunea.u s and Headquan teu .
Howeve&, one J&ust't.ated NAN {ie.td o66-Lce appeared to set a
new mcvda colt, cando't, with the 4ottowing message to NAN head-
quaAte/us : "Lagos: 111ba t wrong with you peop.te up there?
You atLe aPt Chazy."
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NEWS FROM THE BUREAUS
NICOSIA, JORDAN BUREAU RELOCATIONS
The Archbishop of Cyprus has approved the draft lease on Nicosia
Bureau's new site; the lease will be signed once clear title to the land
is obtained and registered. The site, a four-acre plot of land on the
western fringe of Nicosia, near the old airport, will be leased for 99 years.
Meanwhile, plans for the new bureau supplied by headquarters have been ed
to local architects/engineers, who are to supply initial cost figures.
A State Department site selection team visited Amman in March and, jointly
with the Embassy, narrowed a list of potential sites for the relocation of
the Embassy, which includes Jordan Bureau. The.leading candidate is a tract
in Abdun, in the southeast section of Amman. Initial checks in Abdun
indicate that the new site may result in improved reception generally. F-1
FBIS efforts to obtain the approval of the Thai Government for installa-
tion of a satellite monitoring (ROSET) antenna in Thailand have achieved a
breakthrough. The Ministry of Communications has sent a letter to the Depart-
ment of Aviation (which controls. the Bang Ping antenna field) approving the
ROSET facility. There will be an amendment to the FBIS-Thai agreement of
1971, which provided for FBIS sharing, the Bang Ping field with the Aviation
Department, to provide for the satellite monitoring. An en ering team is
visiting Bangkok to prepare for installation of the ROSET.
Panama Bureau continues to utilize its new ROSET installation to improve
FBIS capabilities against television broadcasts in Latin America. A survey
of Colombian television was completed in mid-April and selected newscasts of
Colombian, Mexican and Venezuelan television are now being monitored regularly.
An earlier success was coverage of Venezuelan President Lusinchi's live
address to the National Congress. This was the first scheduled major event
to be covered by the bureau from regular satellite television transmission
and filled a coverage as normal radio reception in Panama from Venezuela
is very spotty.
The ambassador in Abidjan on 22 February formally approved increasing
the bureau T/0 by one editorial position and two foreign national positions.
The additional staffing will enable the bureau to expand its weekend
operations.
AFRICAN BUREAU CHIEFS MEETING
The Abidjan and Swaziland bureau chiefs participated in Nairobi with BBC
25X1
25X1
25X1
Monitoring Service General Manager and the BBC East African 25X1
Unit chief in a 26-27 February discussion of African regional coverage. The
exchanges provided a good opportunity to become familiar with the uniq
operations at each location and to examine coverage overlaps and gaps. 25X1
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JLLIVL 1
PRODUCTION GROUP NEWS
The JPRS automation project, started in the USSR Section, has now been
expanded to the ELAA and NEA sections. Numerous ICs from all three sections
are now submitting their copy on diskettes.
Five OSWR analysts have received passwords and the user manual for the
CTS ACTS system. They will now be able to access the ACTS system directly
to check for translated articles and publications. This is the be of the planned expansion of access to ACTS for Agency analysts.
In February samples of UD materials awaiting translation by JPRS were
sent to the DO to be run experimentally on their machine translation
system. It is hoped that the system might be used to help allir to the
current JPRS backlog of Russian technical book translations.
Production Group received approximately 8,000 pages of unclassified
Italian documents.on the results of the investigation of the assassination
attempt against Pope John Paul II. In cooperation with other Agency
components, officers will scan this material and approximately 13,000
additional pages not yet received to determine portions of intelligence value
which require full lations. The translations will be done by JPRS
contract personnel.
On 22 March FLASC handled a priority translation of a Guatemalan
intelligence report on drugs and arms trafficking which had been sent to
Senator Orrin Hatch from Guatemalan Chief of State General Oscar Mejia-
Victores. The Senate Committee on Intelligence had requested the
translation.
JPRS began in March a new WORLDWIDE REPORT: ARMS CONTROL. It contains
Soviet, European, and other foreign media reporting and commentary on arms
control issues, negotiations, agreements, and treaties. To date consumers
have requested some 250 copies of each issue.
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NEAD prepared two major publications during February: a JIANGXI
AGRICULTURAL GEOGRAPHY, the latest in a series of selected material from
Chinese provincial agricultural geographies; and a full translation of
a May 1983 directory of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
ANALYSIS GROUP ACTIVITIES
An AG analysis of.a broadcast Khomeyni speech on 21 March attracted
considerable attention and was apparently the basis of a statement by
Secretary Shultz to the Boston.Globe. The analysis noted that Khomeyni was
apparently attempting to prepare the Iranian nation to understand that
victory over Iraq may not be possible.
The U.S. Embassy in Damascus. cabled a commendation to FBIS for AG's
analysis of Iranian support for the Muslims of Lebanon and asked authoriza-
tion, which was granted, to pass the analysis to the Syrian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. 7 7
At the request of the U.S. Embassy in Amman, AG provided an analysis of
the evolution in content of the public statements by senior PLO officials,
both Arafat followers and opponents, on the 11 February Jordan-PLO accord. F
The Embassy in Cairo has asked AG for a new study of Egyptian press
treatment of Israel, updating an in-depth research paper on the subject
prepared for the Embassy last year. The current request was prompted by
the lodging of a formal Israeli complaint to the Egyptians alleging a
recent increase in anti-Israel material in the Cairo press--a perennial
sore point with the. Israelis.
For the Senate Armed Services Committee, AG developed from its media
files a list of all Soviet proposals for moratoriums made public in the
media during t asto years. All of the proposals were in the arms
control area.
Herb Levin, Staff Director of the House Subcommittee on Asian and
Pacific Affairs, asked AG for a memo on usual inineraries for distinguished
visitors to North Korea. The research was done for Congressman Solarz,
who has been invited by the DPRK to visit.
Mn. Geonge C. Caney, J&., a to t& ed deputy di tecton ob the
Agency, died teceny in Uyndon, Man.ytand, at age 85. Mn
Caney wa!s ditecton o6 the OI Lce o6 Ope'wati,ori , which among
otheXs Lnc2uded FBID (FBIS) and FDD (Fone,ign Document
Divi Lon) , now the FBIS Ptcoduc tLon Gnoup. He was
Lnsttcumentae dutc i.ng the 1950'4 in expandt.n FBIS opeAAtion
around the woad, .,nc2udt.ng Indochina.
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