SATELLITE RADIO REACTIONS TO VOICE OF AMERICA AND BBC

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-04864A000100100005-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: R
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 11, 1999
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: December 19, 1949
• Content Type: IR

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Approved F&161b59V' 1999:/,09/
INFORMATION 0%014
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RAb1O BROADCASTS CD NO.
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGO4
Soviet Satellites
iUR LiA1j is L.DLill
SATELLITE RADIO REACTIONS TO
VOICE OF AMERICA AND?BBC
Satellite Radios
25X1A2g
MATION N rember 191i.9
DATE DIST. /7 D--=
NO. OF PAGES
November 1914.9.
SOURCE FBIB
tuber 1949
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
I N T R O D U C T I O N
During the'?,month of November 1914.9, the Voice of America and the B$C were mttackei
,by name in 21 different monitored broadcasts from Satellite radios in Eastern ::urope,
The Voice of America (VOA) was singled out in.15 of these broadcasts, :diatribu .t3d as
follows: Hungarian radio--5; Polish radio-,5;Czechoslovak radio -2; Bulgaria radio--2;
Rumanian radio--1. Of the 6 criticisms of the BBO1 -were -broadcast by- the Hun garian
radio, 2 by the Czechoslovak radio, 1 by the Polish radio, and 1 by "Free Grea,e."
The major difference between Satellite radio treatment of VOA and BBC broilcasts is
that replies to the latter are generally more or less reasoned refutations of alleged
BBC errors and distortions, whereas replies to VOA broadcasts feature most of .-ire
vituperative adjectives in the Communist vocabulary. In addition, the methods rind aims
of the VOA broadcasts are castigated whenever the station is mentioned and have been
the subject of Satell#te comment unrelated to specific VOA broadcasts,
While all of the monitored comment on the VOA makes the same general chart-es--that
it is untruthful and the mouthpiece for imperialist propaganda--there is no apparent
evidence of a concerted campaign against the VOA. Rather, each country has in genera.1
replied to VOA broadcasts when these have touched on some aspect of its interru1. affe-rs.
Practically all of the Satellite radio comments imply some degree of Satellite audience
listening to VOA broadcasts; and one commentator over the Hungarian radio admiited in
so many words that there were those who listened to the "concocted stories" of the VOA.
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 : CIA-RDP78-04864A000100100005-4
CLASSIFICATION
 25X1A2a
,Approved For Release 1999/09/01 : CIA-RDP78-04864A000100100005-4
Also of interest is the fact that the Hungarian radio references to the VOA ccncentrated
almost exclusively on the VOA's alleged stimulation of "rumor-mongering" about shortages
and devalua.ti.on--resulting in a wave of panic-buying.
REPLIES TO SPECIFIC VOA BROADCASTS
The Hungarian Radio
31 October:--Budapest issued a report on the increased consumption of white bread and
denied "enemy rumors" to the effect that the introduction of white bread had been a
propaganda stunt timed to coincide with the youth festival. (On the same day, 7OA
quoted reports from Vienna to the effect that the Hungarian Government had ove