LETTER OF INSTRUCTION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00586R000300130003-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 7, 2013
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: November 20, 1956
• Content Type: MEMO

ry ? . 50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07 : CIA-R5P83-00586R000300130003-4 1:-
Nat
SECRET
20 November 1956
MEMORANDUM FOR: Chiefs, FBIS Field Bureaus
FROM: Chief, FBIS
SUBJECT: Letter of Instruction
GENERAL
1. Recent new or special services rendered by FBID:
a. At White House request, a selected "B" wire service
was initiated through the Agency watch officer to coincide with
developments in Hungary and the Middle East. 50X1
b. Special printing and distribution were made of Polish
Home Service excerpts of the speech by Gomulka and the decisions
made at the Eighth Plenum of the Polish United Workers Party
Central Committee. The Gomulka excerpts, airmailed to the
Vienna Bureau, were completed from cress versions available
there, resulting in full-text publication.
50X1
c. At the request of the DD/P, all Satellite material
from the London and Mediterranean Bureaus is now airmailed daily
to an address. 50X1
d. For a few critical days, London and Mediterranean
Bureaus filed to Vienna for an Embassy customer all material
from USSR and Hungary transmitters bearing on the Hungarian
crisis.
50X1
2. Early in the present crisis, items of top urgency were
communicated to Headquarters by transatlantic telephone from the
London Bureau. This means will continue to be utilized. Concurrently,
all bureaus Were informed that discretionary use is authorized of all
Army Signals precedence indicators described in ACP 121(C), copies of
which are now n the possessinh of field bureaus or en route.
50X1
34 Developments in Satellite countries necessitated temporary
coverage reallocation to bring full FBIS-BBC potential into play.
Mediterranean Bureau now monitors a number of Polish regionals in
support of the BBC, and Vienna Bureau .recently monitored a number of
SECRET
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300130003-4
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07 : CIA-RETP83-00586R000300130003-4
Nigar
SECRET
Hungarian regional and clandestine transmitters. A temporary
three-man team monitored from a height overlooking Vienna and
telephoned copy to the Bureau for final processing and transmission.
The Bureau was commended for this initiative.
50X1
4. Copies are attached of letters of appreciation from two
major consumers for services rendered by FpIS during the current East
European and Middle East crises. TABs 1 & 2) 50X1
5. The African Survey team is currently engaged in conducting
reception tests in Turkey. Their Tission is expected to be completed
by early December 50X1
6. Local experimentation is under way in photographic and tape
Iredording techr'ques for the monitoring of television broadcasts.
50X1
7. Following a series? of unusual delays in the forwarding of
FBIS material through ACM circuits, an experimental three-page message
limit was imposed on Kyrenia, London, and Okinawa. As resultswere
favorable, this practice has been generalized. 50X1
8. In conjunction with a study by Management Staff, letters have
been written to the London, Mediterranean, and Hokkaido Bureaus
suggesting a method of relieving reproduction pressures in headquarters
by producing the Economic Abstracts in the field. If found practicable,
this important function will be transferred to the bureaus supplying
this material. 50X1
9. A letter dated 10 October from the ADCI to the Secretary of
Defense cited FBIS requirements for continuing to fulfill its mission
at Bolo Point, Okinawa, in view of the proposed construction and
operatiun of Marine Corps air support facilities at Bolo airstrip.
The Chief, Okinawa Bureau was authorized to conduct joint tests with
the Marines oh separation requirements to eliminate reception interferrExii
10. The Chief, Tokyo Bureau is conducting negotiations with the
appropriate authorities to obtain inclusion of anti-interference devices
?1-n?a?nn-u?hnsal under construction across the street from the Bureau. 50X1
11. Construction:
a. The final phase of the Okinawa housing construction is
58% complete.
12. Authorization was given to the West Coast Bureau for
-2-
SECRET
50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300130003-4
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07 : CIA-RETP83-00586R000300130003-4
SECRET
installation of filters at a -cost of $202.33 to eliminate noise from
a power line construction near the site,
EDITORIAL COMMENT
1. General
a. Polish, Hungarian and Middle East developments
produced a "B" wire daily file averaging 43,300 words (normal
20,000) and a Daily Report averaging 364 pages (normal 300)
during the last three weehs. On 13 November, the Daily Report
reached an all-time high of 480 pages.
b. The Chief, Publications Section, Editorial Branch,
has been made responsible for coordinating reproduction of
all FBIS publications.
50X1
2. London, Mediterranean, and Austrian Bureaus
Coverage of Satellite events during the Polish and Hungarian
crises has been excellent. The coverage of regional Polish
stations by both London and Kyrenia resulted in the first hard
information about the abortive Natolin coup. The FYI's from
both Vienna and London giving a chronology of the behavior of
the various Hungarian transmitters were especially useful.
3. London Bureau
a. Insufficiently identified corrections are still being
received occasionally. Several have merely referred to the
message number and the "L" date-time group instead of
identifying the broadcast and the item being corrected.
b. Deletion of quotes should usually be accompanied by
suitable identification. "Lenin quoted--ED" serves no useful
purpose, unless the quotation is well known.
c. Arabic names should conform as closely as possible to
standard Agency transliteration.
4. German Bureau
Return to the original format of the daily press review has
speeded up preparation of the copy for publication. The
introduction to the press review should indicate clearly that
the number of newspapers scrutinized on any particular day is
only a fraction of the total number of West German daily papers.
-3-
SECRET
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300130003-4
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300130003-4
Nor Ner
? SECRET
5. East Coast Bureau
The extra effort of Bureau monitors and editors in providing
regular daily French and Italian press reviews for the Daily
Report is recognized and appreciated.
6. East and West Coast Bureaus
Daily Report consumers have requested that the original
Spanish or Portuguese names of Latin American organizations
be published along with the English translation. Please include.
these versions in copy.
7: West Coast and Far East Bureaus
a. Headquarters needs rapid FYI's characterizing Far East
Communist radios' initial treatment of outstanding international
developments, such as recent disturbances in Poland and Hungary.
Of particular interest in this regard are broadcasts beamed to
the Home Service audiences. The wire-filed program summaries
and consolidated ccamentary lists frequently are inadequate for
B-wire and Daily Report use or to provide answers to consumer
inquiries.
b. Compressed logos for briefs are sometimes misleading.
Logos from such countries as Communist China, Korea, and
Indonesia, for example, should contain, when pertinent, the
"Home" designation, with the language being implied. When
broadcasts are beamed to areas outside the country (Peking to
Taiwan, or Pyongyang to South Korea) the beam is given and again
the language is implied. If the language employed by the radio
is foreign to the country broadcasting, it should be included
in the abbreviated logograph.
c. When a Brief is, in fact, the text of an item, the
designation "(Text)" should immediately precede the logograph.
This procedure is preferable to the use of quotation marks.
8. Tokyo Bureau
a. Editors should avoid filing straight reportage on
events in which U.S. officials are participating and presumably
reporting developments to their Washington offices. .
Announcements from U.S. sources, such as those on releases of
war criminals from Sugamo prison, and reportage on activities
of the United Nations, are cases in point.
_14_
SECRET
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300130003-4
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300130003-4
No, Ner
SECRET
b. Greater condensation within items is desired.
Excessive repetition continues to characterize items dealing
with non-critical developments. material in particular 50X1
would benefit from summarizing and excerpting to rid it of
nonessential or well-known background information, duplication
of news, and purely speculative statements on future events.
c. It is urged that Briefs be reduced to the essentials.
A few lines invariably suffice. Items which cannot so be reduced
should be filed in the most appropriate form.
d. Avoid use of odd American colloquialisms such as --
"kinfolks" for "relatives," "confab" for "talks," and "repat"
shgps for "repatriation" ships. The excessive use of such
"depersonalized!" nouns as "circles," "quarters," and "sources"
should also be avoided, as should such contractions as "don't,"
"can't," and "let's." (T230815 JOAK Oct. 21, 0900 GMT,
Japanese, "Roundtable Discussion")
PROPAGANDA ANALYSIS COMENT
1. A recent item from a Moscow in Arabic broadcast included a
subslug indicating that the item was taken "from Dictation Speed
News." Moscow Radio recently added an hour to its daily Arabic-language
output and this item appeared in that program. The initiation of a
dictation speed news program in a foreign-language broadcast is the
typical kind of departure from previous practice which should be the
subject of an FYI explaining whether or not the entire program is in
dictation speed, what its general content is, whether or not the
news items differ in any way from other Moscow/Arabic-language news
bulletins, and other relevant information. 50X1
2. All bureaus are to be commended for contributing special
round-ups, FYI's and other very useful, materials in the Polish and
Hungarian crises. Many of these items were directly incorporated in
RPB publications.
50X1
3. All bureaus that prepare Soviet commentary lists are reminded
that the portion of the list setting forth unintelligible and
unproductive programs is constantly used in RPB statistics and mu e
every bit as accurate as any other part of the list. 50X1
4. During the month Radio Propaganda Reports were issued on the
Soviet-Yugoslav controversy over independent roads to socialism, on
the Soviet October Revolution slogans, on Soviet elite statements on
nuclear weapons, and on the Suet crisis. 50X1
-5-
SECRET
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300130003-4
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300130003-4
Nose
SECRET
5. At the request of the DD/I, RPB is preparing a daily report
on bloc references to Gomulka. 50X1
50X1
ADMINISTRATION
1. To date 246 FBIS employees have became members of the Career
Service.
2. Employees are again cautioned not to Approach GEHA, Inc.,
direct but to relay their questions through the Administrative Office.
Direct approach constitutes the equivalent of a security violation.
3. The following issuances have not
? - p ?
t? ?
4. Personnel Chanfl22
a. Personnel Entering on Duty Assignment
b. Transfers to FBID
SECRET
To:
Teletypist
West Coast Bureau
Clerk
Edit crial Branch
Editor
Editorial Branch
Clerk Typist
Editorial Branch
From:
Admin. Asst. DD/P
East Coast Bur..
50X1
50X1
50X1
? Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07 CIA-RDP83-00586R000300130003-4
5
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07 : CIA-RD-P83-00586R000300130003-4
%Ise Nior
SECRET
c.
Reassignments Within FBID From: To:
Chief Deputy Chief 50X1
WCB FBID
Senior Ed. Chief, FE Section
London Bur. Editorial Branch
.Prop Anal Off Senior Ed.
RPB Austrian Bur.
Admin Off Budget Off
Oki. Bur. Admin Staff
Senior Ed Senior Ed
Editorial Br.. ECB
Editor Editor
ECB Editorial Br.
Chief Chief Ed.
German-Bur. ECB
Ass't Chief Eng External
WCB Training
d.
Separations From FBID
From:
Secretary 50X1
Engineering Staff
Clerk Typist
WCB
Attachment: (2)
-7-
SECRET
OX1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07 : CIA-RDP83-00586R000300130003-4