Request for Background Material by Mr. William Benton

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-05597A000200020070-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 5, 1998
• Sequence Number: 70
• Publication Date: October 21, 1955
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 2000/08/29 : CIA-RDP78-0 Aft 7 480P J00020'~~6A
21 October 19SS
ME) O .NDW TOE: Director of Central tat.Utgence
FROM
m 9a
SUBJECCT: Xogmost for Ilackgremed Material by
q 25X1A5a1
1 2S October 115k2& arse of a disernssiem on certain regnire-
mantas and its European Satellites, sacked whether CIA
hick Oiler h a d asked t o t Xd b* his pr.Jscted trip to
could au JAfm*tth backSrouad material for an article he will write later
this fall
The subject of this article is the e#feetirreaasa saeeta and
indoct;rtnation to the Soviet Ua oa sad the Satellites. was
particularly interested in obtaining any already.werked-ep data of s %m-
classift*d a ature that the Agency has as the following activities is each of
the countries in questions Press, Movies. Sports, E" acattos-. Religion,
and the Arts. To illustrate what he wants. be cited the following data
pertaintag to the Press number of newspapers. circulation. and content
of a typical issue of Pravda. 13o also cited, as illustrative, the material
in a recent speech J 5 t on the eat*nt Of the training Oaf engineers and
other epecislists in the Soviet Union. Generally. he seeme to ore *t aSgre-
Sative data on number o institutions of leading types In each of the fields
mentioned (newspapers. periodicals, movie theaters, churches. schools. etc.).
agSregateve data ou numbers of people reached by the various aarredta or aase-
cised with the various activities (circzilattona or readership of various papers
and periodicals, mavle attendance, membership in churches, etc.), and
particulars on the fnettonixag of a typical unit (what an average newspaper
or peri;adical looks like. what s typical church rervice or session of school
is like. how a sports club is run, etc. ).
25X1A5a1 25X1A5a1
25X1145 asked that this material be in the hands of
,tnrdsy. 22 October 1955.
Or, it this proved possible, that it be sent when ready to Mr. Robert
Slak* ad 25a1
d. U
Its*c e m
25X1A9a
said he wreru1dt make the rest edtictally to the DCI.
are taking no further action.
25X1A9a
Approved For Release 2000/08/29 : CIA-RDP78-05597A000200020070-6