WIRE FACILITIES LONDON-BBC CAVERSHAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00765A000100020069-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 23, 2009
• Sequence Number: 69
• Publication Date: February 25, 1954
• Content Type: MEMO

UNCLASSIFIED ~ RESTRIC CONFIDENTIAL SECRET
~ (SENDER WILL CIRCLE C FICATION TOP AND BOTTOM)
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
APPROV
ACTION
COMMENT
CONCURRENCE
DIRECT REPLY r" v URN
PREPARATION OF REPLY ~ DI CH
SECRET CONFIDENTIAL RESTRICTED UNCLASSIFIED
 l.Cn~~, at-a`~-
Approved For Release 2009/07/23 :CIA-RDP80-00765A000100020069-7
 o01cw~.u.r na w ~
~f~ice 1VIen2orandum ? UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
To Chief, FBIS
ATTN s Field Operations Officer
axon Chief, London Bureau
1. Attached for your information is report of the Chief,
Communications Section dated 11 Februarq on the present use of the
circuit from the London Wire Room to the BBC.
2. A copy of this Memorandum has been passed to the BBC for
their reaction. Your office xill be advised of ar~p BBC comment.
 ~ - - ~ UNITID STATES GO
FOREIGN BROADCAST INFORMATION SERVICE
AMERICAN EMBASSY
LONDON, W. 7.
London Bureau
Subfect Communications
. IIse of BBC Facilities
Chief, London Buroau,
F.B.I. S.
1. During the past two months it has been noticed in the London
Wire Room that a large number of tapes are often "waiting" for trans-
mission to BBC Caversham on the duplex system which serves the BBC News
Room. Towards the end of January 1954 (from the 20th onwards) it became
commonplace to have as mph as Pour hours backlog in hand.
2. In an endeavour to eve this traffic as speedily as possible
into the BBC News Bureau we have arranged, from time to time, with the
FBIS Caversham Wire Roam to insert xis p],y paper in one of the U. S.
machines and accept copy for the BBC, which is then collected by a BBC
operator. However this causes some additional trouble for the BBC and
when the FBIS operators are working full capacity it is not always con-
venient.
3. Whereas the actual daily total wordagea do not elwe~ys appear to
be excessive, it is more often the peak periods (two or three times a
day) which oause the overload and this of course is brought about by the
difference in world tip as between London -the U.S. and the Far East.
Consequently traffic from Toro, Okinawa and similar posts will start
to flow more heavily Pram 2400 GI[P - 0300 -0600 - 0900 and again from
1330 GMf until 2200 GMC, when communications conditions are normal but,
having in mind the South Pacific radio path from Manila to Hawaii axe
Hawaii to Washington followed by the North Atlantic hop to Heidelberg
during bad radio (propagation) conditions there Can be, and is, a build
up at any or all of three ma3or rels~y stations. Consequently we then
receive a rush of traffic im-ards on two cirouita from Heidelberg but only
one channel out to BBC.
4. A survey of FBIS/BBC traffic since last Julp shows not only an
increase in daily average but an increase in the number of days in each
month when the daily total of wordage exceeded 50,000 words. Allowing
for maintenance on the equipment, outages due to line (wire) or machine
faults and delgpa due to procedures and reruns, it is reasonable to expect
 between 50,000 to 52,000 words over a simplex (one direction only) circuit.
Therefore, on this basis, anything over 50,000 words can be assumed to run
into a second circuit in time.
The following details may be of interest :-
Prior to Ju]y 1953 the daily average from Washington for BBC
had been between 29,x-35,000 words per dqy - with the maximum seldom
higher than 41 or 42 thousand.
In July 1953 the highest total was on the 8th - 50,037, Daily
averages were I~grenia 28,084.6 words, Washington 36713,5 words.
August 1953. S,yrenia 29,87+1+. words, Washington 38,825.3 words.
September 1953. $Yrenia 33,390 words, Washington 45,121.3 words.
In September the highest for any one day from Washington was on
the 15th at 63,299 words, and on six occasions daily wordage
exceeded 50,000,
October 1953. I(yrenia 32,711,6 words, Washington 41,099.3 words.
On five ooeasiona daily wordage exceeded 50,000,
November 1953, $yx~enia 36,920,6 words, Washington 7,t~,345.3 words.
On November 6th the mar~mum for at~y ono day from Washington went
up to 67,600, and while only three occasions showed the dai],y total
above 50,000 there were malty occasions close to the border line at
47-49 thousands per day.
December 1953. Kyrenia 33,723.7 words, Washington 36,760.7 words.
Here due to a decline over the holiday period (Christmas) the
averages were not so high - nevertheless on 18 December the total
from Washington was 61,210 words and oa five occasions the wordage
exceeded 50,000,
January 1954. I~yrenia 31,564.2 words, Washington 43,336,6 words.
On January 20th an alltime daily high was reached with 69,640
words Prom Washington and on NINE occasions we exceeded 50,000
words with thirteen deEys well over the 40,000 mark.
5. It will thus be seen, from pare 4 above, that there appears to be
a general expansion in coverage which increases the wordage - and this
together with the variations in propagation and world times makes it apparent
that in the Hoar future extra facilities between FBIS London and BBC News
Bureau Caveraham will be required.
 IP we are to move BBC traffic into Caversham within a short
space oP time of receiving it, we must have the Facilities to do so
under mazimum load conditions. It is therefore suggested that the BBC
consider the possibilities oP planning a second wire (one direction
on],y will suffioe~ between FBIS London Wire Room and Caversham.
LAidday in U.R.
OKINAWA GMP plus 9 9.0 pm
WASHINGTON GMr minus 5 7.0 am
x~TA GMP plus 3 3.0 pm