LETTER TO (SANITIZED)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00765A000100010076-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 6, 2009
• Sequence Number: 76
• Publication Date: February 20, 1952
• Content Type: LETTER

TRANSMITTAL S.
BUILDING ROOM NO.
Although there is no question
that BBC is not giving Kyrenia the
consideration it deserves, which
surely can be remedied to some extent
this trouble can never be cleared up
entirely unless we make a clearcut
division of effort by country and
service. I have been saying this for
3 years, altho not making a strong
issue of it. If BBC cannot sacrifice
coverage of things it cannot guarante
year-round results on, then duplica-
tion should be at their expense, not
ours
 Approved For Release 2009/07/06 :
CIA-RDP80-00765A0.00100010076-0
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FOREIGN BROADCAST rNtO11MATION SERVICE
Post Office Box No. 1
Kyrenia, Cyprus
Chief, Foreign Broadcast Information Service
2430 E Street, N. t
Washington, D. C.
Although the coordination of coverage between Kyrenia and Cavershan
is apparently working out to the satisfaction of the BBC, BBC's method
of handling the project tends to make planned and systematic coverage at
Kyrenia difficult. During the past few months, the Kyrenia schedule has
several times been rearranged and duplication practically eliminated.
However, it has been our experience that no sooner is the schedule re-
arranged to fit the coordination scheme than we are presented with further
requests to drop programs or alter schedules. The result is an almost
constant state of confusion here.
Ch occasions the BBC has been overzealous in undertaking coverage.
In the case of certain Athens, Free Greece, and Cairo programs which the
BBC asked us to discontinue, subsequently unreliable reception forced us
to resume coverage. The inconvenience here could have been avoided had
the 33C been more certain of its ability to cover these programs before
asking us to transfer coverage to them.
In some instances, the BEC has added staff or in other ways placed
itself in a position to undertake coverage which has been a long standing
Kyrenia responsibility, and then has taken on programs and requested that
we drop them. This soma times leaves I'jrenia with only marginal material
to substitute for the dropped programs. An example is Bucharest coverage,
which we were providing adequately and the BBC 4tas unable to assume last
summer when the proposal for transfer to Caversham was first made, and which
the BBC has now undertaken. Our two trained and capable Rumanian monitors
are left with marginal material in Rumanian and Moldavian, and a few fl glish
programs. The effect upon morale, when monitors who have been providing
valuable and consistent coverage of long standing are called upon to
substitute minor unimportant material, is quite detrimental.
the impression prevails among Kyrenia editors that FBIS Tashington is
not always getting as much a:orth'~rhi.le material from productive programs
after they have been transferred to Caversham as when they were covered
at Kyrenia. Daily Reports have shown instances in which press versions
from BTA, ATA, and Agerpress have been used, when additional material in
voice programs for hone consumption which was more revealing of short-
comings, has not been used. Had the voice programs continued to be covered
at Eyrenia, such material would have been filed to 77ashington. This is
partly up to FBIS, but it is also a BBC matter in that the BBC monitoring
 technique does not allow in practice the s--.P. L:.:ucunt of editorial control
as does the FBIS method.
New short wave transmitters in Sofia and Athens have enabled the
BBC to add programs which they formerly could not hear and which were
previously definite Kyrenia commitments. The assumption of such coverage
at Caversham is undoubtedly reasonable in view of their need for spot
news service; however, it is questionable whether I{yrenia should auto-
matically drop its commitments from these places unless there is equally
good material available from other sources which can be substituted. If
not, I believe we should be justified in continuing to provide coverage,
particularly in Satellite countries and other critical areas where mutual
backstopping ability is desirable to provide coverage in emergencies.
Kyrenia has endeavored to the best of its ability to carry out the
basic coverage allocation principle as expressed in the minutes of the
Fifth BBC-FBIS Coordination Committee Irketing. However, the BBC is still
in a position to encroach upon long standing ISyrenia commitments and to
direct $ constant requests for deletions adjustments, etc., toward Kyrenia.
;Bost of these are relayed through = and I have asked him to request
the BBC to reduce the number of such requests, except in emergencies, to STAT
those which can reasonably be expected to stand for some ti rue, and to
restrict them to programs which the BBC can reasonably expect to cover
adequately and permanently. The point is being reached where split
responsibility for given stations is introducing duplicate filing in itself.
In requesting us to delete coverage, I believe too that the BBC should
consider our awn monitor situation, and not expect us to pull the props
from under our trained mcnitors unless productive substitutions can be made