CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE TELEVISION LINK EQUIPMENT MEMORANDUM BY THE UNITED KINGDOM DELEGATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP62-00647A000200040044-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 20, 1998
• Sequence Number: 44
• Publication Date: November 12, 1959
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved FoC.Release 1999/09/16 : CIA-RDP62=00647A000200040044e
CONFIDENTIAL
OOCOM Document No. 3758
Copy No .................55
CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE
Television Link Egizi-,.-tent
-0 04
Memorandum by the United Kingdom Delegation
References: COCOM Documents 3660, 3671, 3683, 3689 and 3721
1. The United Kingdo authorities have gone very carefully
into certain matters referred to in the Committee in the course
of discussions on the French and German requests, under the Polish
Exceptions Procedure, relating to television relay equipment
(Hertzian Links).
2. It has always been the understanding of the United Kingdom
Delegation that the exception from the embargo coverage of
I.L. 1520 introduced in the 1958 Review applies only to television
links intended for short range point-to-point (i.e. "single hop")
communications and does not apply to links for multiple relay
systems. Since, however, most television link equipment is
capable of use both for "one-hop" studio-to-transmitter purposes
and for "multi-hop" relay purposes, regard must normally be paid
to the probable end use of the equipment when deciding whether or
not it is subject to the embargo and prohibited for ex ort to the
Bloc. The proposed Warsaw-Katowice television relay like the
Berlin-Schwerin television relay to which the German Delegation
drew attention in the Committee's discussion on 8th October 1959)
accordingly represents an end-use of television link equipment which
makes the equipment in question subject to the embargo.
3. On 8th October 1959 the French Delegation asked the United
Kingdom Delegation whether, in the United Kingdom's view,
television link equipment could be exported together with non-
embargoed television studio and transmitter equipment under the
provisions of Administrative Principle No. 3. In reply,
United Kingdom Delegation would say that, prior to the exception
from I.L. 1520 introduced in the 1958 Review, their authorities
had been ready, in appropriate circumstances, to licence exports
of outside broadcast link equipments intended for use with non-
embargoed television transmitter and studio equipment where the
provisions of Administrative Principle No. 3 permitted; a practice
which it is believed has also been followed by other member
countries. However, the United Kingdom authorities have never
authorised exports of television links known to be for use in
multi-hop relay purposes; indeed, as the United Kingdom
Delegation indicated in the Committee's discussions on 8th October
1959, they have consistently refused requests from British
exporters to be allowed to supply "multi-hop" television relays
to Bloc countries, including Poland.
4. The United Kingdom Delegation are grateful to the German
Delegation for having drawn weir attention to the Berlin-Schwerin
television relay. The United Kingdom authorities have conducted
a careful investigation into this matter and wish to set out the
following facts for the information of the C,rimittee -
(a) In September, 1956, the United Kingdom authorities
licensed for export to East Germany seven KTR 1000
links and two KTR 100 links (total f.o.b. value
,$134,400) as part of an order for otherwise non-embargoed
television studio and transmitter equipment amounting
/ in all
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/16 : CIA-RDP62-00647A000200040044-9
 Approved For-Release 1999/09/16 : CIA-RDP6T-00647A000200040044-9
CONFIDENTIAL
in all to x`512,400 f.o.b. These links were intended
for use as outside broadcast equipment ancillary to the
non-embargoed television equipment supplied at the
same time, and were regarded as properly licensable
under the provisions of Administrative Principle No. 3.
(b) However, a very recent investigation by the United
Kingdom authorities hasrevealed that upon the arrival
of this equipment in East Germany early in 1957, the
East German broadcasting authorities had installed the
seven KTR 1000 links in such a way as to provide the
Berlin-Schwerin relay which commenced effective
operations earlier this year.
(c) The United Kingdom authorities do not consider that
blame can be attached to the British exporter of these
equipments as he had in any event no reason to believe
that use of the links for relay purposes might at that
time have been regarded as ineligible for exceptional
licensing. (Before 1958 I.L. 1520 applied to
"one-hop" links just as much as relays.)
United Kingdom Delegation,
November 12, 1959.
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/16 : CIA-RDP62-00647A000200040044-9