LETTER OF INSTRUCTION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00586R000300180001-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 7, 2013
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: December 9, 1959
• Content Type: MEMO

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07 : CIA-RDP83-00586R000300180001-1
50X1
50X1
fiLl
S-E-C-R-E-T
9 December 1959
MEMORANDUM FOR: Bureau Chiefs
FROM: Chief, FBIS
SUBJECT: Letter of Instruction
GENERAL
1. After DDI approval, the Project for an African Bureau was passed by
the PRC and sent to the Comptroller for determination as to availability of
funds. Preliminary sketches of an operations building and a plot plan for a
monitoring station at Kaduna, Nigeria were turned over to the Real Estate and
Construction Division on 17 November. Al]. actions will remain on an explora-
tory and tentative basis until the African project is approved. At this date it
appears that contract namimistration may best be handled by the Consulate at
Kaduna with construction by a local firm. Assistance will be sought from the
Foreign Buildings Operations, State Department. RE & CD is planning to assign
one of its construction engineers to the project, to assist FBIS.
2. During the month FBIS received a personal commendation from Vice
President Nixon praising the rapid and effective service Which was provided him
during the past several months.
3. FBIS bureaus regularly covering Far East radios were instructed to
standardize their target requirements governing materials to be wire-filed to
CMCPAC and other Honolulu addressees. This is in response to a standard list
or reouirements for HhOlulu vire recipients
following the visit of the Chief, IBIS.
50X1
50X1
50X1
4. At the request of USIA, arrangements were made to provide that agency
with Arab News Agency material received from the Mediterranean Bureau overnight
but not used by the FBIS Wire Service. The material is picked up by USIA mess-
engers each morning. USIA considers AS material invaluable in the preparation
of VOA broadcasts to the Middle East. 50X1
5. Following a conference with ORE representatives, a channel vas estab-
lished for the regular distribution to 01R of Communist Chinese economic mater-
ials not published in the Daily Report. 50X1
6. The following Daily Report supplements were issued:
a. Material from USSR Supreme Soviet Session (6/11)
b. Material on the Bulgarian Communist Party-Central
Committee riemom on COdatTTatUmi4W11)
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300180001-1
50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300180001-1
S?E?C?R?E?T
SUBJECT: Letter of Instruction
7. Of 262 items included in the OCI Daily Digest during the month, 70
(26.7 percent) were based wholly or in part on FBIS sources.
PROPAGANDA ANALYSIS CCUMED
50X1
50X1
1. Radio Propaganda Reports (responsible analyst indicated in parentheses) 50X1
a. "Debate aver Reorganization of the USSR Academy of Sciences"
b. "Recent Soviet Bloc Criticism of Nasir's Policies"
c. "Satellite Views in Areas of Sing-Soviet Divergence"
2. RPB special reports and new services included:
a. A report on Soviet Media's reaction to the Director's testimony
before the Congressional Joint Economic Committee was prepared
for the DAD/O, for forwarding to the DD/I.
b. Support to OCI in connection with its new biweekly reports for
the Director on bloc adherence to the detente associated with
Ehrunhchev's U.S. visit. Advance copies of "Survey" articles
were provided, and the Deputy Chief, General Division, OCI was
informed by telephone of significant propaganda developments.
This service will continue indefinitely.
3. Continuing RPB Services
a. The Vice President's office was kept informed of the degree of
bloc propaganda adherence to the line prevalent since Xhrunhchev's
U.S. visit. Relevant portions of the "'Prez:dB" and "Surveys" were
'marked an5.',15zrwirded:tther:Nica.Thesidt:ntss.office via CO.
b. Mbnitored references to the Antarctic were furnished the Agency
officer briefing the U.S. delegation to the Washington, D.C.
International conference on the Antarctic. RPB kept him advised
by telephone of noteworthy propaganda developments.
c. Propaganda-analysis reports continued to be sent, via OCI, to
the U.S. delegation at the Geneva nuclear test ban talks.
4. Field Support of the Radio Propaganda Branch
a. The Ibndon, Mediterranean, and German Bureaus prepared roundups
in support of two RPB special zwywiLs, for PP Staff, on the
content of communist bloc clandestine broadcasts since July.
-2-
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300180001-1
50X1
50X1
? ? ?
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300180001-1
S-E-C-R-E-T
2C3JECI: Letter of Instruction
Roundups were prepared by the Austrian, London, and German
Bureaus in support of a study of satellite propaganda on ques-
tions apparently at issue between Moscow and Peking.
b. Editors responsible for the ;reparation of commentary lists
are urged to be careful, and. to ask monitors and list compilers
to be careful, in reporting that a commentary is a repeat of a
previous item. A recent WCB c=aentary list noted a caamentary
on Taiwan as being a repeat of an item fran the previous week.
RPB ordered the later item and found that only the first sentence
of the two items were the same.
FIELD OPERATIONS C0t2IIIT
1. Broadcast Information Section completed a comprehensive report on
broadcasting in Africa south of the Sahara for USIA. This report included
current broadcasting facilities, plans for expansion, programming and languages
and other information on broadcasting and television developments in sub-Sahara
Africa.
2. The Section also prepared for internal MIS use a report on the recep-
tion potential of the Panama Post, which indicates that the Pestle coverage of
broadcasting stations in the area could be profitably expanded if funds and
facilities were available.
3. All bureaus are requested to advise headquarters upon receipt of any
requirements levied on them directly from a non-FELS source, which might necess-
itate headquarters coordination. A case in point is a recent BBC request for
texts and monitor's summaries of the National Voice of Iran, when headquarters,
unaware of this requirement, was about to instruct the bureau concerned to limit
its coverage of this station to FYI's and an occasional Editorial report.
03.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300180001-1
50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300180651-71
SUBJECT: Letter of Instruction
EDECORIAL BRANCH COMMIT
1 ranntal
a. Bureaus are encouraged to use headquarters reference facilities to
ascertain the correct translation of new or unfamiliar terns or the correct
transliteration of names which cannot be verified in the field. Items containing
bracketed elements requiring clarification should be flagged COPY TO TT; which
will make the necessary inquiries and notify the requesting bureau accordingly
b. In preparing press reviews and reaction roundups, editors Should
indicate the political affiliation of newspapers which may be unfamiliar to the
general reader.
c. The compound adjective "Sino-Indian" is in every case preferable
to "Indo-Chinese" When referring to the border between China and India owing
to the ambiguity of the latter term.
d. Editors generally are doing a good job of tightening selection
and excising marginal items from the files. However, more attention should be
paid to wringing out wordiness and redunisncy within individual items.
2. London Bureau
a. Since the press review filed daily from TABS is used only for
background information in headquarters, polished editing or time-consuming
excerpting is unnecessary.
b. Roundup writers have been doing a good job of covering voluminous
material in concise fashion. Consumers recently have pointed to the value of
statements in the roundups which indicate how extensively important items are
rebroadcast and which note any significant tailoring for individual audiences.
Efforts in this direction are appreciated and serve to increase the utility of
the roundups, but writers should make certain of the facts before including such
data. For an explanation of RPB's procedure in describing beaming patterns,
editors are referred to the inside cover of the 4 Novedber Trends and Highlights.
Specific topical headings in the roundups are preferred to broad catchall slugs
like "East-West Relations" and "Other Foreign Topics."
3. German Bureau
West German reports on routine articles carried by NEUES DEUTSCHIAND
and other East German papers as a rule need not be filed. Few items broadcast
by Freedom Station 904 warrant texting or excerpting; exceptions would be a
KPD pronouncement or items of similar significance. In general, many more items
now being filed by the bureau could be briefed.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300180001-1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300180001-1
SUBJECT; letter of Instruction
4. Austrian Bureau
a. Broadcast commentaries and biweekly radio talks by Raab,
Pitterman, and others should not be filed as separate items unless the subject
matter is of considerable significance. Most of this material can be covered
adequately in a combined Austrian press and radio revisw.
b. In selecting Austrian material for briefing, emphasis should be
placed on important political developments, Nazi and communist activities,
movements of refugees, significant industrial and financial news, and relations
with foreign countries. Many briefs now being filed, especially from the home
service, are too marginal for publication.
c. Some of the bureau's FYI's on routine communist press scrutiny
items are being converted into briefs at headquarters. This function might
better be performed in the field, and communist press scrutiny briefs made a
regular part of the bureau's file. Fuller versions can still be requested by
headquarters when necessary.
5. Austrian and German Bureaus
The following stetvlsrd form should be used When filing press scrutiny
material Which incorporates sizeable radio portions of the same item:
Sofia, RABOTUICHESKO DEL/), July 11, 1959--A/M
(Portions of this item were carried by Sofia, Bulgarian Home Service
on July 11, 1959, at 0600 GMT)
6. Mediterranean Bureau
a. Soviet regional material which is being filed for its news value
rather than as propaganda frequently may, provided BBC needs are net, be processd
as a tight summary of the facts rather than as text. Examples of such material
would include reportage on republican supreme soviet sessions and low-level
republican decrees.
b. The bureau's FYI's presenting material from such programs as
Yerevan in Armenian in concise and readable fashion have been very helpful to
the Daily Report. Greater use could be made of FYT's to round op routine and
repetitive themes in broadcasts by Middle East clandestine transmatters.
c. Brief headings tend to be too short and in many cases are mislead-
ing. It is not necessary to repeat an individual's title in a brief each time
his name is mentioned.
-5-
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300180001-1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300180001-1
U-N-C-L-A-S-S-I-F-I-E-D
SUBJECT: Letter of Instruction
ADMINISTRATION
1 former Chief, East Coast Bureau, r
as Chief, Field Operations Staff, on 30 November.
became Chief, East Coast Bureau the same day.
eal
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
2. The Dictaphone factory has now completed shipments to ECB of the magnetic
belt recording and transcribing equipment. Minor modifications based on FBIS
field experience will continue until the equipment is completely satisfactory.
3. Plans are in progress for the TM assignment to Panama of Maintenance
Engineer who will assist the Post Chief with repair and mainten?STAT
ance of all equipment, and will complete the electronic wiring at the station.
4. Several Bureaus have already taken inventories of Dictaphone memobelt
equipment parts and have transmitted such inventories both to headquarters and
to the major bureau from which they will henceforth draw parts. Arrangements
have been made for the headquarters warehouse to ship all stocks of such parts
to the Okinawa and Mediterranean Bureaus, Who will act as supply points for other
overseas bureaus.
5. Bureaus are requested to ensure that arrangements have been made for
return air freight shipments before employees depart on home leave.
6. Bureaus are requested to sOvni t Current Residence and Dependency Re-
port, Form 611 whenever a change in dependefley occurs. Bureaus should also
scrutinize the form to ascertain whether a change in the permanent address is
indicated since proper justification is required to change an employee's place
of permanent residence in the United States.
7. The following FBIS regulatory issuances were released during the month
of November.
-6-
U-N-C-L-A-S-S-I-F-I-E-D
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300180001-1
STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300180001-1
U-N-C-LrA-S-S-I-F-I-E-D
Letter of Instruction
STAT
CILANGLS
1. Lew Lmployees in FBIS
Assignment
Editor, Ed. Br.
Editor, Ed. Br.
Reassignments From
. .eparations
Asst. Chief
Eng. Staff
To
Chief Engineer
ECB
Librarian Librarian
ECB Ed. Br.
Librarian
Ed. Br.
Intel. Analyst
RPB
Watch Officer
WCB
From
rionitor
WCB
-7-
Librarian
BCD
Editor
Ed. Br.
Watch Officer
Okinawa
ROGER G. SEELY
U-N-C-LrA-S-S-I-F-I.E-D
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/08/07: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300180001-1
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT