FOREIGN BROADCAST LISTENING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00047R000400420003-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 23, 2013
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: May 10, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

410".
Declassified in Part-Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/04/23 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000400420003-7
R-011
WC=
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
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COUNTRY Poland
SUBJECT Foreign Broadcast Listening
PLACE
ACQUIRED
50X1
DATE
ACQUIRED BY SOURCE
DATE OF INFORMATION
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TOTS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION FFFFFF INC INK NA DEFENSE
OP URN UNITES TTTTTTT WITHIN THE MEANINS OF TITLE IN. SECTIONS 703
AND 704, OF TOE U.S. CONE, AS AMEND'S'. ITS TTTTTTTTTTT N OP NEVI.
LOTION OV ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT, ST AN UNAUTRDEIEED 0001105 IS
PRONIIIITED OW LAW. THE REPRODUCTION OP THIS FORM IS PEOHISITTO,
SOURCE
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DATE DISTR. /0 IIIIP Sift
NO. OF PAGES 2
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT- NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFOR/40101
50X1 1. there were no restrictions of a legal nature on
listening to foreign radio broadcasts. Although no one made a pra4? -
tice of talking publicly about his habits of listening to foreign
? broadcasts, such an admission was net by itself dangerous. The 4
CommUnist regime relies on technical interference (jamming) rather than
on legal or police restrictions 141 its program of keePing news from tha
free world from the Polish people.
2. Technically, the reception of VOA and= broadcasts would be better
than that of any other foreign program (not counting Radio Moscow) if
,it Were not for jamming. The BBC signal was net quite so strong as
that of the UJ-sponsered broadcasts, but it was quite good. Although
the signal of Radio Ankara was not so strong as the afore-mentioned
stations, it was received much better on news broadcasts, which were
never jammed. Paris (Radio Diffusion Francaise) came in fairly well;
there was little jamming. Radio Madrid could be well received, as lona
as it broadcast in Hungarian. The Polish program was completely jazzed
and could net he heard with the preVsArling receivers. Vatican Radio
could be heard in_Lods? but not very well.
3. Interest in foreign broadcasts NW very Widespread, particularly in
straight newscasts. I would say that practically every owner of a
radio set capable of picking up foreign, static= listened to foreign
neve. Interest centered on RFE because it had the longest broadcast
schedule. VOA was next in line of interest. Radio Madrid had the
reputation of being the best station for information content, but it
was coPPletelY jammedl, Broadcasts from Paris were of some interest
because Polish emigre& sometimes-sent personal greetings over that
station.
CLASSIFICATION
SECRET
State
DISTRIBUTION
im,,,i,ecifiori in Part - Sanitized Com/ Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/04/23 CIA-RDP82-00047R000400420003-7
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/04/23 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000400420003-7
- 2 -
SECRET
14..;...Except for Ankara, practically all the foreign broadeast:,:.; from fre3
.countries were subject to varying degrees of jamming. I am here
'referring to short-wave 'broadcasts in the reliSh. language. The
effectiveness of jamming varied with atmospheric. conditions tInd of
course with the nature of the broadcast (a newscast of HE was more
,90Mpletely jammed than a music program from Parf.$), bl.r.,; not 30 mach
with the content of the individual broadcast. :2he ignals ry:!
and VOA were so strong that most of their broa.O.casi.:,s could be;
received in spito,,of, jamming, although net ev:ias:,r word coull.oe
clearly understood. How effective jamming coold be as showa ? the
.9f Recclio,,lviadrid. I sometimes tuned Ir.. on the. ngrin.,-alo-
graM of .that station and. received it as 31ea::ly s I could hzi,l,re
wished; the minute the Polish program coamencee.,$teL is right after
station identification, it became imr,fotgible V. un.j.erstand a siugle
sentence.
50 I estimate that in Loz1 where I was rather faAiliar with ccnditions
50X1 ,onkl out of five fnmUie .aad a receiver capable of
tacking p foreign 5roadcasts on shozt vavs. Small receivers which
are hooked up with the local station cm be, bought for as? little as
one hundred actys' but few 'people ovi tholl A few aets of Czechosiovak
mandfactUre are available for long and medium wave reception only.
ilost of the seta .that I knew could receive longs, mediums and short ,
wave 'broadcgstsi including all major' Pbrei:En stations. Of the radio '
laita Titinur actur e d'abroad, Phillips and Telefunken predominated; the
number of these sets still in good condition is steadily decreasing
because it is impossible to get tubes of US or UK or practically ,any
' other foreign manufacture. Polish and some 'German sets, .however, are
easily repaired and kept in operating condition. There are three types
Of Sets of Polish Manufacture which have a short wave band and thus
'rmit reception of foreign broadcasts. (a) The AGA sets are the best;
'113) Pioner is not of quite the same, quality, but - as an 0#nCr of a'
?Amer" Set for Tilts some time I can 'Vouch for its ability to
reCei-ve :Poreign. broadcasts; (d) MAZUr is the least desirable of these
radio receivers and presumably is no match, for intense jamming.
50X1 Source stated that the Aga radio is the most
efficient (as regards reception of foreign broadcasts), Mazur is second -
and the Pioner is third in efficiency.'
I never heard of frequency' modulation.'
. o L)
. end -
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893-3" 55-1t0(P,9).
7'53.636 551A
.55N1
SECRET
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/04/23 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000400420003-7
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