CONFERENCE WITH COL. WESLEY GUEST REFERENCE FBIB WASHINGTON TO LONDON COMMUNICATIONS 10:30 A. M. 27 OCTOBER 1948

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-03097A000200040192-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 10, 2008
• Sequence Number: 192
• Publication Date: October 27, 1948
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Release 2008/12/10: CIA-RDP78-03097A000200040192-9
Assistant Director for Operations 27 October 1948
Chief. PHIS
Conference with Col. Wesley Guest reference FBI8 Washington to
London communications 10130 A. 2., 27 Augitwt 1948
1. pursuant to our conversation, I have concluded my conference with
Col. Guest, reference subject communications. Col. Guest advises that he
can lease two AT&T circuits from New York to London and file the traffic from
Washington to low York via leased lines immediately, thereby by-passing the
Frankfurt cosssmnioations center altogether.
2. Theoretically, these two circuits can handle 164,000 word groups
daily. Actually, however, 100,000 word groups daily can be figured on.
They are good circuits and will be working at all times if anything else is
working.
5. The total cost of these two circuits for the remainder of Fiscal
Year 1949 is approximately $93,000.
4. The Air Forces want one complete circuit for operational purposes
and have made a firm commitment to Col. Guest to supply $50,000 of the necessary
money for the exclusive use of one complete circuit. This loaves one complete
circuit over which the State Department wants to transmit approximately 12,000
word groups daily and, in addition, there would be approximately 8,000 word
groups of miscellaneous traffic. This would leave assurance of 30,000 word
groups daily for FBIB traffic with the possibility, of course, of it being
considerably greater.
5. What we would like is approximately 35,000 word groups daily from
London to Washington and up to 20,000 from Washington to London. At the moment
we are transmitting 5,000 from Washington to London, but we may have to step
this up to meet our commitments to the BBC.
6. Col. Guest believes that there would be no difficulty at all in traffic
going from Wishiagtoaa to London. If this Is the case, then we will only be
5,000 words short of what we went from London to Washington, with a good
possibility of getting that, too. I advised Col. Guest that whatever money
we could contribute to this circuit would have to came from our savings from
western Union. and that I would recommend to you that the Agency agree to pay
not to exceed $25,000 for this circuit for the remainder of Fiscal Year 1949,
provided that:
a. we had reasonable assurance that our present exhorbitant Western
Union charges would be either eliminated or greatly reduced, and
b. that we could be reasonably assured that the traffic as outlined
above could be handled.
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 Approved For Release 2008/12/10: CIA-RDP78-03097A000200040192-9
7. Col. Guest was confident that the above conditions would be net.
8. I do not believe that it is possible to get a firm oommitaent in
writing from the Army on this score and, in view of the fact that we have
in the past and are still getting a tremendous amount of service for which
we pay nothing, I do not think that we should try to press thew for a written
oamitnent.
9. This arrangement should give us such faster service than we are now
getting. While I do not want it to be a part of this deal, if it is fast
enough it may be possible for as to eliminate some of our coverage from the
last Coast, thereby saving additional money.
10. we could also eliminate our pro rata share of the leased lines
from London to Frankfurt.
11. It would also have an added advantage of insuring the continuity
of our operation in ease of emergency in western Burope, which would put
Frankfurt out immediately.
12. Permission is requested to advise Col. Guest that CIA will furnish
not to exceed $28,000 for the remainder of Fiscal Year 1949 for the purpose
and in accordance with the plan outlined above.
COLONEL L. t. WHITS
LKW/acg Dictated but not read
Approved For Release 2008/12/10: CIA-RDP78-03097A000200040192-9
 Approved For Release 2008/12/10: CIA-RDP78-03097A000200040192-9
Approved For Release 2008/12/10: CIA-RDP78-03097A000200040192-9