LETTER OF INFORMATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00586R000300260010-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 21, 2013
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: March 22, 1967
• Content Type: MEMO

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22 March 1.967
MEMORANDUM FOR: Staff Personnel
SUBJECT: Letter of Information
GENERAL
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1. FDD-FBIS Merrer: The Acting Deputy Director for Intelligence announced.
28 February that "effective 1 March 1967 the Foreign Document's Divisiontless
its Acquisitions Branch, is transferred from the Office of Central Reference
to the rcreign Broadcast Information Service." The action foYioweq completion
of a feasibility study by a co:mnittee headed by ORR. The 50X1 .
merger in effect created a new FBIS with full responsibility for the
exploitation of foreign newspapers, journals, books, and other printed
documents as well as its traditional responsibility for monitoring foreign
voice broadcasts, press translations, press transmissions, and television.
L Chief, FDD, has been appointed to chair a
special -may committee /or implementation of a model overseas press
exploitation operation in London.
.Among the initial stems following the merger were: direct flagging
of messages from field bureaus to FDD; attendance by FDD pemsonnel at the
Staff conferences and morning briefing; transfer of appropriate administrative
files from OCR to FBIS with consolidation of directories; and familiarization
briefings on organization and methods. (SECRET)
2, Guam Conference: The White House situation room transmitted an
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Okinawa Bureau item from Hanoi VNA on 21 March reporting the Febroary exchange
of messages between President Johnscn and Ho Chi Minh to the President's
plane, Air Force One, while the President was en route to Washington from the
Guam Conference. On his arrival, the President said in a statement to the
press that he had in fact learned of Hanoi's release of the messages during
his flight. The item also appeared on the Wire Service ahead of the first
bulletins from Western press agencies.
Secretary Rusk, while attending the conference at Guam, requested from
FBIS the fall text of a Hanoi item quoting a DRV newspaper editorial on the
Guam Conference. (SECRET)
Group 1
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SUBJECT: Letter of Information, 22 March 1957
3. Niceriali_Situatigp.: The Nigerian political situation deteriorated
again in early Parch with renewed fears of epen warfare between the Federal
Military Government and the Eastern region, The African Bureau continued its
watch on Enugu radio, and on the nicht of 28 February-1 March filed an
Eastern Nigeria Government rejoinder to remarks said to have been made by
Supreme Commander Gowon to diplomats in Lagos. The bureau continued to be
plagued with long communications outages. (CONFIDENTIAL)
Accra has been designated a contingency site for the African Bureau
and the concurrence of the State Department has been requested. A
communications transmitting site on the Accra outskirts, soon to be Vacated,
will be earmarked for FBIS use in the event the operation at Kaduna mast be
closed down. (SECRET)
It. Bangkok Bureau Development: The Royal Thai Government was petitioned
during February concerning the entry into Thailand of F3I3 foreign nationals
to be assianed to the Bangkok Bureau. Thai officials expressed keen interest,
in the FBIS product and stated they would support the entry of FBIS third
country nationals. By the end of the month the names of five monitors who
will be transferred to Bangkok from Saigon had been presented to Thai
immigration authorities.
A major shipment of electronic equipment was received on 15 February,
The bureau's teletype equipment was inspected by a STRATCOM maintenance team,
and the bureau was authorized to employ two additional teletypists in
anticipation of full activation of its communications in late March. '
(CONFIDENTIAL)
5. Chinese Coverage: Reporting on the situation in Communist China
continued at a high volume. The Okinawa Bureau alone expanded it China file
by some 10,000 words per day. In mid-March five provincial capitals continued
to relay Peking continuously while other provincial radios carried independent
programming to various degrees. The Tokyo Bureau wan authorized to hire an
additional Chinese monitor locally to expand coverage of regional stations,
in conjunction with the Okinawa and Hokkaido bureaus, A new Chinese monitor
recruit has entered into training at Okinawa. (CONFIDENTIAL)
Effective 8 March, the Printing Services Division allocated the
Daily Report an additional 35 pages, intended primarily for Communist China
material. Following this development, the Editorial Division reported there
were no Communist China "discards" caused by publication limitations.
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SUBJECT: Letter of Information, 22 March 1967
Eleven items prepared by RPD for the FBIS Wire Service in the month
ending 10 March dealt with Chinese regional radio behavior and regional
activity of the Maoist "rebels," incorporating material supplied by the Okinawa.
Tokyo, and West Coast bureaus, and by the BBC's Hong Kong unit. Another Wire
item provided data and background on the initiation of broadcasts to China
over the USSR's "unofficial" Radio Peace and Progress. (FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY)
6. Analnis Services: A study of Hanoi claims of North Vietnamese
civilian casualties resulting from U.S. bombings since the beginning of
December 1966 was prepared by RPD in response to a State Department request.
Statements by Ho Chi Minh and Defense Minister Giap of North Vietnam on the
alleged impact of U.S. public opposition to U.S. policy on the war in Vietnam
were assembled by RPD in response to a crash request from DIA. An analysis
of current Soviet propaganda on aid to North Vietnam was prepared by RPD for
CINCPACAF. A chronology of Sino-Soviet polemics on charges of Chinese
obstruction of Soviet aid to Vietnam appears in the 2 March issue of the
Survey; the DDI Research Staff expressed special appreciation for the material.
MACV in Saigon expressed interest in receiving advance copies of the Trends
covering Hanoi and Liberation Front propaganda on the military situation in
Vietnam. (SECRET)
Recent propaganda relating to the Sino-Soviet borderlands was
reviewed in an RPD special report (CD.273 of 3 March) in resnonse to queries
from Agency and State Department consumers. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow
expressed interest in a report on Tashkent broadcasts in Uighur in the
2 February Survey, which is updated in 0.273. London Bureau is supplying
regular information on the content of Tashkent broadcasts. (CONFIDENTIAL)
7. !peels' Services: FBIS provided a coverage "package"--press agency,
press, radio, and television materials--in fulfilling an Organization
requirement for Cuban reportage and comment on the kidnaping and murder of
the Venezuelan foreign minister's brother by terrorist elements. The East
Coast and Key West bureaus provided press agency material and radio and TV-
soundtrack tapes, while the Foreign Documents Division supplied an issue of
a Cuban newspaper.
ECB also supplied three tapes of Cuban Premier Castro's lengthy
13 March speech for interested Agency and State Department consumers.
The Panama Bureau, in response to a joint State Department-Agency
request, sent a number of Havana and Moscow Quechua tapes critical of the
Bolivian Government to U.S. Ambassador Henderson in La Paz.
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SUBJECT: Letter of Information, 22 March 1967
FDD and RPD provided some 30 items to an Organization component in
answering a request for Cuban-source material over the last four months
expressing support for Colombian rebel groups.
A list of speech recordings on hand in FBIS by President Nasir of the
UAR was compiled for an Organization component.
To meet Headquarters requirements, the London Bureau made special
arrangements for coverage of Soviet Premier Kosygin's visit to Britain.
Kosygin's 8 February Guildhall luncheon speech, his press conference 9 February,
and an interview with Kenneth Harris on 10 February were processed by bureau
monitors from BBC television which was line-fed by the DBC monitoring service..
Editorial personnel, using a Bureau television receiver, directly monitored
and taped the same programs for flash coverage.
The German Bureau made special arrangements for coverage of a film
made in Canton, Communist China, by a West German television team and broadcant
over the Mainz Television Service 3 February. Captions based on the remarks
of the television commentator were affixed to 45 photographs selected for
forwarding to Headquarters. (FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY)
The Monitoring Operations Section and RPD provided material in
response to a State Department request for information on Soviet broadcasts
beamed to the CPR. MOS also fulfilled requests from the Federal Communications
Commission regarding the inauguration of two high-powered, mediumwave
transmitters in Cuba, and from the Special Surveys Branch, Bureau of the
Census, concerning information for a National Intelligence Survey on Algeria.
(SECRET)
8. Punta del Este Conferencn: The White House has requested a world
reaction report on the Punta del Este Conference to be held 12-14 April.
(FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY)
FBIS and Secret Service representatives have net to coordinate
coverage of Latin American media in regard to the President's forthcoming
visit to Punta del Este. FDD has been providing press coverage since last
August and has shifted resources from other areas to permit broader reporting
on the meeting, attitudes toward the conference, and instances of agitation
or threats of violence. (SECRET)
? 9. FDD Publication: On 20 March the FDD contractual facility published
a translation of the full text of "Revolucion en la Revolucion?" by the French
Marxist writer Regis Debray. Parts of the book had previously been broadcast
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SUBJECT: Letter of Information, 22 March 1967
by Radio Havana and attracted wide interest because Debray advances the
Castro view that guerrilla warfare is preferable to peaceful political action
as a means to power, a doctrine adopted by the Colombian ELN and Venezuelan
FLN-FALN parties. (CONFIDENTIAL)
10. Lateyal Services: The London Bureau began filing communist source
items and the special roundup on disarmament to DISARNDEL, Geneva, on 21 Februar:
when meetings of the 18-nation disarmament committee resumed.
The Tokyo Bureau has begun forwarding to the Cabinet Research Council
of the Government of Japan items from Hanoi VNA filed by the Okinawa Bureau.
The bureau is also supplying the regional correspondent of the Voice of
America a drop copy of the NCNA file.
The London Bureau transmitted the complete Nairobi Bureau file to
the Commander-in-Chief, STRIKE Command, McDill AFB, Florida for the period
16-23 March. STRIKE Command was specifically interested in material relating
to military-.political developments in French Somaliland, the Somali Republic,
and Ethiopia. (SECRET)
11. Use of FBIS Materials: The State Department forwarded a 9 March
PRAVDA article praising the Ca= revolution and criticizing the "prolonged
oppression" in Venezuela, as provided by TABS and published in the Daily
Report, to the U.S. Embassy in Caracas for the attention of the Venezuelan
Government. (CONFIDENTIAL)
12. Cammendationsr Iii a letter to the Director, FBIS, dated 25 February,
Voice of America Director John Chancellor expressed "my personal thanks for
the interest your organization has shown in helping the Voice of America
solve some of its problems in the gathering of news. On two recent occasions
a group of six or more of your staff members have visited us at the Voice
and have eagerly solicited comments or suggestions on ways to serve us better.
We know that we are only one of your 'clients' for the FBIS Wire, and we are
flattered at the attention you give to our needs."
An Organization official noted in a letter to FBIS appreciation for
the "rapid and satisfactory response" to a Pacific Air Force request for
increased receipt of material on Vietnam, Communist China, and Soviet Air
Force matters. The letter said that on 21 February PACAF had reported that
General Triantafellu was "very pleased with the increased coverage."
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SUBJECT: Letter of Information, 22 March 1967
U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Winthrop G. Brown expressed to the.
Chief, Okinawa Bureau, his appreciation for the bureau's translations of
North Korean materials filed to the Embassy in Seoul.
The deputy director of the State Department Operations Center, Mr.
Frank Meehan, told members of the Editorial Division during a recent tour
of the Center that FBIS frequently gets the texts of diplomatic notes,
including those addressed to our own government, into Washington from open
radio and press transmissions before they are received through State Department
channels. Notes delivered to embassies, it was explained, are often delayed
because of translation problems and analysis of the substance. (CONFIDENTIAL)
13. Briets and Visits:
Staff, visited the West Coast,
bureaus in February and March.
office in San Francisco on the
the Panama, Caribbean, and Key
The Director, FBIS, and the Chief, Engineering
Bangkok, Saigon, Okinawa, Tokyo, and Hokkaido
The Director, FBIS, also visited an FDD field
same trip. The Chief, Executive Staff, visited
West bureaus 14-28 January. (SECRET)
The Deputy Chief, Okinawa Bureau, spent the period 21-25 February in
Hong Kong where he conferred at the Consulate General and with the BBC
monitoring unit concerning communications problems. The Chief, Tokyo Bureau,
visited the Hokkaido Bureau 13-15 February with the Director, FBIS. The
Chief Engineer, Okinawa Bureau, tested applicants for foreign national
technician positions during a visit to Tokyo 8-9 March. (CONFIDENTIAL)
of the Office of Planning, Programming, and
Budgeting, and Mr. Robert Fuchs, 0/Finance, visited the Caribbean Bureau
24 February. (SECRET)
Among other visitors to bureaus were Chief
Engineer, BBC External Services, and head of the
BBC Tatsfield Receiving Station, at the Mediterranean Bureau 23 February;
the USIS PAO in Lagos, Nbr. William Hutchinson, and Mr. Lawrence Rogers, who
is conducting a survey of African broadcasting for OBIS, at the African
Bureau 27 February; and Lt. Gen. F. T. Unger, Commanding Ceneral, USARYIS,
at the Okinawa Bureau, 21 February. (FOR OFFICIAL USE CNLY)
14. RPD Commentators List: A supplement to the March 1959 FBIS catalog
of Soviet commentators is in preparation in RPD, covering 1966. Additional
supplements will be issued as research time is available. A complete new
catalog superseding the publication of 1959 will be issued when all data is
at hand. Al]. bureaus monitoring Moscow will receive copies of the 1966
supplement; new names and new information on names already listed will be
welcomed from all bureaus and should be addressed to Jean Hite, RPD.
(UNCLASSIFM)
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SUBJECT: Letter of Information, 22 March 1967
16. Executive Assistant: Effective 15 March 1967,
was designated Executive Assistant to the Director, FBIS.
INTERNAL USE ONLY)
(ADMINISTRATIVE--
FIELD OPE2ATIONS AND ENGINEERING
17. Broadcast Devellapments: Moscow's "Radio Peace and Progress" began
transmissions in Mandarin to China on 1 March. Disavowed by Radio Moscow as
to sponsorship, these broadcasts are carried four times daily--an original
30-minute program rebroadcast three times. The radio now transmits as well
in Portuguese, English, French, and Spanish, with transmissions totaling
46 hours, 30 minutes weekly. Tokyo Bureau is covering the new Mandarin casts.
On 16 March, Radio Tirana announced the inauguration of two half-hour,
daily transmissions in the Indonesian language. The Okinawa Bureau is
surveying the new broadcast's content. (FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY)
18. AUTODIN Communications: The West Coast Bureau entered the DCS
AUTODIN communications network on 20 February. During the first eight days
traffic from WCB to Headquarters was doublefiled, on the leased circuit and
later by AUTODIN. Doublefiling was discontinued 28 February with all traffic
now being sent via AUTODIN. Average transit time thus far has been 11 minutes
for "immediates" and 25 minutes for "priorities." (SECRET)
19. Okinawa Target System: The Okinawa Bureau has been informed that
project plans for a Firebee-Towbee Drone Target System installation on Bolo
Point have been forwarded by Arny Headquarters at Ft. Buckner to higher
authority. The bureau is attempting to make arrangements locally whereby
modifications to the construction plans would provide adequate protection
against electronic interference. (CONFIDENTIAL)
20. Man-Transportable MonitorinR Units: The fabrication of six Man-
Transportable Monitoring Units is progressing satisfactorily with the units
expected to be completed in approximately six weeks. The equipment, fitted
to normal size luggage, is designed for use in meeting emergency monitoring
situations. (FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY)
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SUBJECT: Letter of Information, 22 March 1967
21e NCNA Tate Rela: The Headquarters Engineering Staff has developed
a prototype of the necessary automatic teletype equipment to transmit NCNA
tape over DCA circuits and conform to DCA format regulations. A demonstration
of the equipment was held on 17 March. The device will permit the relay of
NCNA material transmitted in English without the need for repunching at the
field bureau. The prototype will be operationally tested at the West Coast
Bureau. (FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY)
22. Field Bureau Construction: The building contract for the Caribbean
Bureau was W-Fercent completed by the end of February. Progress on the
construction of the auxiliary building reached the point during early March
where the Chief Engineer was able to take beneficial occupancy. A decision
that two beams of substandard concrete in the neu operations building will
have to be remoVed.:andxebUilt will delay.completion-of-that building by an
estimated six weeks. It is now estimated that occupancy of the main radio
area will take place in August and that the entire installation will be ready
for full operation in November.
The Public Works Department, U,S. Naval Station, Key West, has expended
funds made available to it by FBIS for purchase of materials to improve the
Key West Bureau's seawall. The project is scheduled for completion in April.
(FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY)
ADMINISTRATION
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SUBJECT: Letter of Information, 22 March 1967
24. Travel Accountings. Bureaus are reminded that travel vouchers must
be in Headquarters by the due date shown on the travel order. If the due date
cannot be met, bureaus must request an extension from Headquarters with
justification in writing. (UNCLASSIFIED)
25. Conversion of Contract Health Insurance. Contract Health Insurance
may now be converted to an individual policy when the protected person is no
longer eligible for group coverage. As requests for conversion must be
approved by Headquarters, a memorandum should be submitted to the Insurance
Branch within the period from 30 days prior to resignation or retirement to
31 days following separation. Headquarters will notify the bureau concerned
of approval or disapproval. (ADMIN--INTERNAL USE ONLY)
26. Reimbursement of Puerto Rican Excise Tax on POVs. The Office of
General Counsel has ruled that an FBIS employee transferred laterally to
the Caribbean Bureau from an overseas bureau nay be reimbursed for the Puerto
Rican excise tax he is required to pay on his privately-owned vehicle when he
is unable to prove ownership of the vehicle prior to the issuance date of
travel orders which authorize its shipment, to Puerto Rico at government expensa.
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27. Training. Deputy Chief, Editorial Division, and 50X1
rChief, USSR/EE Branch, attended the Managerial Grid Course 50X1
13-18 ;larch. (ADMIN--INTERNAL USE ONLY)
28. Regulatory Issuances. The following regulatory issuances were
disseminated: raCRETT
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SUBJECT: Letter of Information, 22 March 1967
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PERSONNEL
Assignment
29..
New Em1oyees
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Editor, Far East Branch, Editorial Division
Editor, East Coast'BUreau.
Clerk, Support Branch, FDD
30.
Reassignments
From To
Editor Editor, Far East 'Branch
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West Coast Bureau Editorial Division
Editor Editor, Far East Branch
Tokyo Bureau Editorial Division
31.
Resignations
From
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Editor, Editorial Division
Typist, Editorial Division
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SUBJECT: Letter of Information, 22 March 1967
EDITORIAL GUIDANCE FOR FIELD BUREAUS
1. In filing FYI's field bureaus should insure that any editorial or
monitorial interpretation or speculation should be clearly indicated as
such.
2. Editors should review Editorial Handbook definitions of Summary and
Editorial Report. Filing of summaries which are in fact editorial reports,
and vice versa, is still occurring frequently.
3. Editorial reports and FYI's should include an indication of further
processing plans.
4. Editors are reminded to indicate in the subslug whether a broadcast
speech is live, recorded, or read by announcer. When this is impossible to
determine, a note to that effect should be included.
5. Attention is called to Page 1-13 of the Editorial Handbook on
editing of English-language materials from sources to whom the English language
is foreign. Editorial changes in such copy should be made primarily in the
interest of clear syntax, and not to express individual word preferences
when the original wording is acceptable. Even in the case of East European
English-language press transmissions--which frequently leave much to be
desired--changes should be limited to those necessary to make the meaning
clear.
ROGER G. SEELY
Director
Foreign Broadcast Information Service
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