LETTER OF INFORMATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00586R000300230010-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 15, 2013
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: April 26, 1962
• Content Type: MEMO

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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/07/15: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300(30010-5
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S-E-C-R-E-T
26 April 1962
MEMORANDUM FOR: Bureau Chiefs
FROM : Chief, FBIS
SUBJECT : Letter of Information
GENERAL
1. An Information Report (00-F) was issued 22 MexCh describing the char-
acteristics and idiosyncracies of Persian-language performance by announcers
heard on the clandestine radio "Voice of Free Iran." 50X1
2. Radio Dat ens announcements on 28 March that the Syrian military had
dissolved parliament and sealed the borders were intercepted and filed by the
Mediterranean Bureau in time to beat the AP by one hour and a quarter. The
domestic news agency also trailed PBXS by more than a half-tour in reporting
the ousting of Argentine President Frondizi the same day. The Panama Post
supplied the initiaLlatin_American report from an intercept of the Monte-
video radio.
3. The text of Premier Fidel Castro's lengthy press statement 26 March
castigating ORI national directorate member Anibal Escalante and advocating
collective leadership of the Cuban Revolution was the subject of a 46-page
area supplement issued 29 March. 50X1
4. In response to a special request from OCI, a roundup of Cuban radio
propaganda beamed to Latin American countries has been prepared weekly by the
East Coast Burl minee 1Q mirth, and submitted through PBXS Headquarters tc50x1
'the requestor.
5. In connection with a specialized language training course being de-
veloped for the Army's Special Forces, at the request of Headquarters the
Okinawa and German Bureaus provided tape recordings of selected Peking Radio
FLA programs and Radio Volga broadcasts to Soviet forces. Dr. Katherine
Garvey, Director of the project at the Human Resources Research Office, ex-
pressed appreciation for this service. The Okinawa Bureau also provided
hellschreiber tapes of certain BONA transmissions in response to a request
from NSA, and taperecorded samples of a new Peking Radio Mandarin language
instruction series at the requestcf the Director of OTR's Language and Area
Study program. 50X1
6. At the request of the Office of the DD/I, special arrangements were
made to bring to the irmediate attention of USIA Director Edward R. Murray,
General Lansdale of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State Goodwin, all material on the Havana trial of
the 1961 Caen invasion prisoners carried by the IBIS Wire Service. 50A1
50X1
S-E-C-R-E-T
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/07/15: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300230010-5
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/07/15: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300230010-5
S-E-C-R-E-T
SUBJECT: Letter of Information
7. In support of a forthcoming NIS on Spain, Research Division/OBI was
supplied with an RPB analysis of Radio Moscow propaganda to and about Spain,
BIS statistical data on Radio Madrid broadcasting and on bloc programs in
Spanish, and a two-week sample of monitored summaries of Radio Madrid pre-
pared by the East Coast Bureau. In support of a new NIS on Korea, a review
of the general content and major themes of North Korean broadcasts, prepared
by the Okinawa Bureau, was also ?rovided to OBI along with BIS information
on North Korean broadcasting.
S. Radio Propaganda Reports issued
a. "Moscow and the Underdevelo ed Areas: Efforts to Combat
Growing Peking Influence"
b. "Symptoms of Disorder in Soviet Propaganda"
50X1
50X1
50X1
c. "CPR Propaganda Indicates Lags in Farm Mechanization, Hints
at Reduced Soviet Aid" 50X1
9. Propaganda-analysis items on the FBIS Wire:
a. "Moscow and Peking Handling or Pao-Freon
Attacking Anibal Escalante" O4 Ma-m-41 reach
b. "Communist Chin Radio Warns Against Theft of
State Secrets"
c. "National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Announces
Central Committee Members"
50X1
50X1
50X1
10. A Special Memorandum analyzing Moscow's propaganda treatment of Soviet
views on outer space law was prepared on 24-hour notice for the DCI. Copies
of the memorandum were sent to the Acting DD/I and to the General Counsel.
50X1
U. A Special Memorandum on authoritative Soviet claims since January 1960
regarding naval and particularly antisubmarine warfare capabilities was pre-
pared for the Defensive Systems Division, OSI. Copies of this collation were
sent to the DD/I and to ONE. 50X1
12. An analysis of the extent and content of communist bloc broadcasting
to Greece was prepared for forwarding by the DCI to the U.S. Ambassador in
response to a request for this information from the Ambassador.
13. Statistics on Soviet, CPR, and satellite propaganda on CIA and the
Director of Central Intelligence during 1961 were prepared for CI staff in
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S -E -C -R -E -T
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/07/15: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300230010-5
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/07/15: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300230010-5
S-E-C-R-E-T
SUBJECT: Letter of Information
support of a requirement levied by the Director.
50X1
14. Of 253 items included in the Current Intelligence Digest g ch
El (32 percent) were based solely or in part on FBI S monitoring. 50X1
15. During the month 88 percent of Daily Report pares were devatrd to
broadcast material and 12 percent to press scrutiny. 50X1
16. visited the
tcrranean, Austrian, German and London Bureaus 20 March - 20
formal IBIS -C_Cnarainatlon Coundttee Meeting was held in
April 1962.
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S-E-C-E-E-T
African, Medi-
50X1
April 1962. A
London on 17
50X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/07/15: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300230010-5
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/07/15: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300230010-5
U-N-C-L-A-S-S-I-F-I-E-D
SUBJECT: Letter of Information
EDITORIAL COMMENT
GENERAL
1. It would be helpful to Headquarters, particularly in answering questions
from consumers, if bureaus indicated in the subslugs of Soviet or other bloc
speeches the date, when known, on which the speeches were made. Confusion
arises when date of broadcast does not coincide with date of delivery of the
speech. A lengthy summary of a Polyanskly election speech of 10 March, for
exapple, was carried under a 12 Earth sourceline. In the absence of informa-
tion to the contrary, consumers would regard the item as "Polyanskiy's 12 Meath
speech."
2. Within recent months there have been occasional violations of handbook
instructions on phrasing correction messages. Field editors should always
identify substantively, and by country when necessary, any item to which a
message of correction applies; otherwise there is no assurance that it will
reach the appropriate section or desk in time -- or at all.
3. Monitors and editors Should keep in mind the distinction between
"quintal" and "centner." The former is always 100 kilograms; the latter,
loosely regarded as a "hundredweight," is actually flO.23 avoirdupois.
To avoid confusion it is advisable to employ the term "quS?tWtenever 100
kilograms is meant. If the term "centner" cannot be avoided, make clear the
distinction between an ordinary centner and a double or metric centner, which
is the same as a quintal. Incidentally, the word "administraEion" rather than
"directorate" Should be used in connection with the new Soviet agricultural
reorganization, and "lea" instead of "ley."
4. Although the historic present tense is mandatory in daily reviews and
periodic reaction reports, and is often an efficient and effective tense for
other forms of capitulation, editors Should feel free to employ other tenses,
or to shift tensest ten general nature of the composition or internal time
factors require. A survey-type roundup spanning a long period of time and
covering a miscellany of sources, for example, could not be presented
properly without flexibility in tense structure.
5. The Anniversary Calendar, started by TIU almost a year ago, has been
completed and sent with holders to domestic and overseas bureaus. New infor-
mation can be inserted in the appropriate spaces. Additional information on
forthcoming events and anniversaries made known to Headquarters will be for-
warded to bureaus for inclusion in the calendar
6. Editorial Handbook revisions have been completed and will be sent to
bureaus as soon as the new pages have been run off -- probably before the
end of May. Chapter C has been revised in its entirety, and substitute pages
will be provided for changes made in chapters A, B, DI E and the Introduction.
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U-N-C-Leik-S-S-I-F-I-E-D
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/07/15: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300230010-5
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/07/15: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300230010-5
U-N-O-L-A-S-S-I-F-I-E-D
SUBJECT: Letter of Information
LONDON BUREAU
Editors are congratulated for the manner in which the May Day slogans were
handled. The bureau's adherence to stanAing procedures made it possible for
the Daily Report and Headquarters Wire to handle the slogans with a minimum
of difficulty.
MEDITERRANEAN BUREAU
The terms "reaction" and "reactionaries" under ordinary circumstances are
preferable to "reactiosism" and "reactionists."
OKINAWA BUREAU
The bureau is to be commended for its excellent handling of the 5 - 7
April DPRK Supreme People's Assembly proceedings, budget report, and some
15 speeches. Processing and general handling were exemplary in every respect.
ENGINEERING AND FIELD OPERATIONS
1. Bureaus are reminded that priorities listed in the coverage schedule
are processing priorities. Priority one coverage must be processed and
usually as expeditiously as possible; however, with consent of Headquarters
processing of specific coverage maybe delayed.
2. To make Monthly Production Report figures more meaningful bureaus are
requested to compute their daily average words monitored in the following
manner, irrespective of the actual days per week the bureau is in operation:
total hours monitored per week divided by seven.
3. The move into the African Bureau new Operations Building near Kaduna
has been completed.
4. The Chief, Engineering Staff, visited Key West during Earth to locate
a suitable site for a coMbined voice monitoring and television video tape re-
cording operation. A site fully meeting FBIS requirements was found on the
U. S. Naval Station. Plans for the rehabilitation of an existing building
and construction of the necessary facilities has been completed, and the
project will be implemented with FY 1962 funds
5. The London Bureau elevator project has been completed.
6. The Okinawa Bureau cruising room has been moved to the northwest wing
of the Operations Building in the area formerly occupied by the electronics
Shop. The cruising console rettairu3 essentially unchanged.
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U-N-O-LeA-Z-6-I-F-I-E-D
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/07/15: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300230010-5
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/07/15: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300230010-5
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U-N-C-L-A-S-S-I-F-I-E-D
SUBJECT: Letter of Information
ADMINISTRA.TION
1. Health Insurance for Alien Employees. Alien employees can apply for
health insurance at any time as long as the application is accompanied by
health statement Form 16/6. If an employee applies for health insurance
within 60 days after EOD, no health statement is needed.
2. The following FBIS regulatory issuances were disseminated:
Notice No. Subject
Date
3. Not withstanding the effective date used by the Department of State,
revised local wage schedules mgy not be implemented by Bureaus until approval
is received from FBIS Headquarters.
Personnel
1. New Employees
2. Reese
Assignment
Electronic Specialist
East Coast Bureau
Propaganda Analysis Officer
Bloc Internal Affairs Section
Radio Propaganda Branch
From To
Broadcast Monitor
West(gAureau
Senior Editor
Tokyo Bureau
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U-N-C-L-A -S-S-I-F-I-E-D
STAT
STAT
Broadcast 140niSTAT
East bureau
Senior Editor
Wire Service Section
Editorial Branch
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/07/15: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300230010-5
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/07/15: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300230010-5
U-N-C-L-A-S-S-I-F-I-E-D
SUBJECT z Letter of Information
c pnt
Reassignments From
To
Editor
Editor
STAT
German Bureau
USSR & EE Section
Editorial Branch
Editor
Editor
West Coast Bureau
USSR & KS Section
Editorial Branch
Editor
London Bureau
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U-N-C-L-A-S-S-I-F-I-E-D
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/07/15: CIA-RDP83-00586R000300230010-5