LETTER OF INFORMATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00586R000300210025-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 15, 2013
• Sequence Number: 25
• Publication Date: January 19, 1961
• Content Type: MEMO

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19 January 1961
MEMGRANDUMFOR: Bureau Chiefs
FROM: Chief, FRIS
SUBJECT: Letter of Information
GENERAL
1. African Bureau
a. A topographical survey of the operations area was completed
and a site was tentatively selected. A tentative time schedule agreed
upon by the bureau chief with the architectural and engineering con-
tractor calls for start of operations building construction in March
1961, with completion in September 1961.
b. One interim monitoring position at the temporary PBXS quarters
has been set up to permit monitoring of Radio GAROUA in the Republic
of The Cameroons. This will provide coverage of the material being
broadcast relative to the plebiscite to be held In the Northern Area
of the Trusteeship Territory of The Cameroons on 12 February. Equip-
ment for two additional positions is enroute by sea cargo.
c. A native Tb O was approved. It authorizes
of which will be monitorial.
d. Local wage schedules were established for the bureau.
e. has reported to the bureau to assume the
duties of senior editor, and to assist the bureau chief with recruit-
,
merit and trnl ni nc of nitors. The first monitor was hired on 5
January.
2. Extraordinary interest in the statement of the Moscow meeting of
world communist party leaders issued early in the month occasioned a press
run of unprecedented size for the 6 December FBIS Daily Report Supplement
which carried the text of the statement. Indicative of the great demand
for this document was State Department's request for 2,000 extra copies for
distribution to Foreign Service posts throughout the world, as well as to
every officer in the Departnent's Intelligence Bureau. Similar heavy re-
quests from other consumers pushed the total press run to approximately
3,200 copies.
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3. Interest in Laotian broadcasting intensified during late December.
Vientiane Radio, apparently damaged or destroyed during mid-December
fighting for control of the city, was not heard for about one week. The
displaced Kong Le group began broadcasts via the Pathet Lao transmitter on
18 December which, itself, increased transmission times to four hours daily.
However, no broadcasts of the Kong Le group were heard on the Pathet Lao
transmitter after 27 December.
5. During December two new recipients were added to the Wire Service
Section's special file of monitored material on space and missile activities.
This file is transmitted via military communications channels to a total of
six U.S. Government components in various parts of the country. The two new
consumers are the Washington Headquarters of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA) and the Aerospace Technical Intelligence Center
(ATIC), Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
6. Of 225 items included in the Current Intelligence Digest during
December, 77 94.2 percent) were based wholly or in part on FBIS monitoring.
7. On 14 December Was issued to report PRENSA LATINA's
appeals for popular demonstrations or protest throughout Latin America
against the Argentine Government's closing of the Agency's Buenos Aires
bureau.
PROPAGANDA ANALYSIS COMMENT
1. Radio Propaganda Reports issued (responsible analysts indicated in
parentheses):
a. "The Moscow Conference. CPSU Achieves Nominal Agreement at
Cost of Doctrinal Ambiguity"
b. "The 'Nth Country' Problem in Soviet Pro-Dards," prepared at
the request of State Department/RSB
c. "First Signs of Reaction to Mbscow Conference Statements on
Tasks of Newly Independent Countries"
d. "plbricht's eport on the Mbscow Conference of Communist
Parties"
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2. Propaganda-analysis items on the FBIS Wire
indicated in parentheses):
a. "Mbscow Commentaries on Israeli Develo
Potential Are Beamed Only to Arab Audiences"
(responsible analyst
p7ent_iofiluclear-Weapons
b. "Radio Mbscow Renews Direct Attack on Shah of Iran"
3. The eighth Index of Radio Propaganda Reports was issued on 5 January,
covering the period July through December 1960, with reports listed and
cross-referenced under subject categories.
4. The following are among Radio Propaganda Reports projected or under
consideration for publication within the next few months (responsible
analyst indicated in parentheses):
a. Contrasting Soviet and Chinese views on national liberation
movements
1-
b. Opposition in the Chinese Communis, Party to t e commune program,
in response to a standing OCI requirement
c. Latin America in Soviet and Chinese Communist propaganda, with
emphasis on treatment of Cuba
5. The Radio Propaganda Branch participated for the third successive
time in the Junior Officer Trainee course conducted by the Office of Training.
The five JOT's receiving DD/I area training were given an exercise in propa-
ganda analysis, which was subsequently reviewed with them by an RPB officer
following a briefing on RPB activities and a tour of the branch's research
facilities. The OTR officer conducting the course expressed a desire to
expand the scope of the propaganda-analysis instruction in future courses if
sufficient time can be made available.
6 TY is suawested that huresns mnnitnrina Mharn and Peking review
on procedures for
determining and handling verbatim-repeat broadcasts of those radios. In
brief, the notice provides that all such verbatim repeats should be (a)
reported on commentary lists and (b) checked monthly to determine if the
verbatim-repeat characteristic is sustained.
7. RPB has a continuing interest in samples of routine bloc comment on
such sensitive issues as the German problem and the NATO nuclear force pro-
posal, even .when comment on these issues does not depart from the general
propaganda line.
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EDITORIAL BRANCH COMET
GEMSRAL
1. IBIS has secured approval tb change the title of the blue book of
the Daily Report to "Riddle East, Africa, and West Europe." Also, items
in the area books which are subject to protection for copyright or other
reasons will hence forth be labeled "Official Use Only " Pages will not
bear the control stamp, and the warning caveat on the front of each section
will be changed accordingly. The revisions will be effected as soon as
required changes can be made in Editorial Branch procedures, and in the
printing plant. The new format should be in effect by 1 April 1961.
2. During the month 86 percent of the Daily Report pages were devoted
to broadcast material and 14 percent to press scrutiny.
3. Owing to an officially declared weather emergency in Washington,
the Daily Report was not published 12 December. However, publication of the
Daily Report will henceforth be considered an essential government service
and the Editorial Branch will function as nearly normally as possible during
weather crises.
4. A Technical Infatuation Unit spot check in recent copy filed from
the field shows a high percentage of incorrect or bracketed renderings of
names whose correct versions could have been obtained by referring to name-
lists which have been stpplied to bureaus by Headquarters. In the case of
regional Soviet leaders, the names of deputies and Central Committee members
are conveniently available in Cyrillic transliteration form on lista provided
by TIU. Editors and monitors should make every effort to check names for
accuracy.
5. Bureaus handling Economic Abstracts have sometimes found it impossi-
ble to confine to a single mat all pertinent information. In cases where
detail cannot be compressed into the mat's 20-line limitationp.or where
several items dealing with different aspects of the same subject are encoun-
tered concurrently, the lengthy abstract may continue to the next mat or
mats, with IBIS reference numbers in proper sequence. The abstract's lead-
off mat should have "Continued on Card (next reference umber)" at the
bottom, and ensuing mats should carry "Continued from..." at the top. The
logograph on the final mat would signalize the end of a multiple-mat abstract.
No substantive headings are required, nor should such series be resorted to
when condensation is possible.
6. When one bureau files corrections or amplifiCations on copy filed
by another (for instance, London submitting material from PASS English which
changes material filed by nmenia from PASS Cyrillic),the messages should be
double addressed so the originating bureau can confirm a correction, or offer
pertinent comment ('which likewise should be double addressed).
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7. Bureaus are reminded that press-type material filed by correspon-
dents of foreign news agencies and newspapers should be submitted by the
field as regular monitored copy, and not as administrative messages. "Press-
type" material means news dispatches obviously meant for public dissemination.
Correspondents' 7 ames should be given when available Erlitnm ahnill 4 review
the instructions
8. 1.tditerranean Bureau
The surveys covering National Voice of Iran and Peyk-E Iran broad-
casts during December were well-organized, concise, and well thought out.
They contained useful generalizations supported by convincing examples, and
the essential statistics were well handled. These surveys in particular
were much appreciated by RPB and the Daily Report.
ENGINEERING AND FIELD OPERATIONS
1. The CGS Laboratories of Wilton, Connecticut have loaned IBIS, for
an indefinite period, two model 9126 HF antenna amplifier/couplers for
test and evaluation. Since there is no time limit, one each will be sent
to the Mediterranean and Okinawa Bureaus where the tests will be conducted.
Wide band, low noise amplifiers of this type should be an aid in compen-
sating for signal losses experienced in relatively long coaxial cable feed
lines from rhombic antennas.
2. The Technical Material Corporation has shipped to IBIS 25 model
UMC low and medium frequency antenna multicouplers. An additional five
units will complete the contract. Shipments to field bureaus will be made
after tests on two units by the East Coast Bureau.
3. Because BIS is part of the Field Operations Staff, bureaus need
not flag messages "copy to FOS and BIS." Technical information included
in messages flagged "copy to FOS" will be relayed to BIS at Headquarters.
Normally, FOS requires only information on potential coverage.
4. Bureaus are again reminded that all coverage changes occurring
during a reporting period must be noted on coverage change reports due
in Headquarters the first and sixteenth day of each month, even though
separate messages or correspondence regarding the change had previously
taken place.
5. Editorial FYI 'a concerning anomalous behavior of transmitters on
bureau coverage should be sent "copy to FOS" and flagged for relay to BBC.
6. To standardize wordage counts reported in monthly traffic reports,
bureaus are requested to assume that twelve words constitute a line of
filed copy.
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7. The representative week to be used for Production Report statistics
is the first full week of each month which does not include a U.S. Government
holiday.
8. Initial reports of new programs which may have coverage value should
indicate What coverage action, if any, the reporting bureau plans. If bureau
plans cannot be ascertained at the time of the report, the message should
contain a statement to the effect that a report on bureau coverage plans will
be made by the Chief editor as soon as possible.
9. Okinawa Construction: Bedroom additions to four duplexes and
window replacements in the Club BOQ were 90% complete on 31 December, and
the addition to the operations building at Bolo Point was 35% complete.
Progress is expected to accelerate in January.
ADMINISTRATION
1. Bureau Chiefs are reminded to inform Headquarters immediately by
vire upon the death or serious illness of employees or their dependents.
2. Bureaus may hereafter submit only the original copy of the monthly
Financial Status Report to Headquarters.
3. The following FBIS regulatory issuances were released during the
month of December:
PERSONNEL CHANGES
1. New Employees
Assignment
Custodian
East Coast Bureau
Teletypist
Editorial Branch
Teletypist
Editorial Branch
Clerk Typist
Editorial Branch
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2. Reassignments
From To
Librarian Librarian
Editorial Branch East Coast Bureau
Librarian Librarian
East Coast Bureau Editorial Branch
Mbnitor Editor, ME, WE, LA Sect.
East Coast Bureau Editorial Branch
Chief Deputy Chief
German Bureau West Coast Bureau
Editor Editor
Editorial Branch London Bureau
Editor Senior Editor
Editorial Branch Mediterranean Bureau
Deputy Chief Deputy Chief
Okinawa Bureau Mediterranean Bureau
Editor Editor, Wire Service Sect
Mediterranean Bur. Editorial Branch
Chief Chief
Mediterranean Bur. Editorial Branch
3. Separations From
Editor
Editorial Branch
Watch Officer
West Coast Bureau
Admin. Officer
Administrative Staff
Watch Officer(Death)
Okinawa Bureau)
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