FBIS COVERAE OF SOUTH ASIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00714R000100040007-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 20, 2009
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: September 26, 1998
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Release 2009/04/20: CIA-RDP83-00714R000100040007-5
TAB
NSC review completed.
Approved For Release 2009/04/20: CIA-RDP83-00714R000100040007-5
 c/l?:16i.L~: Lj !C)-I?J-Z:;= I rn.10
Approved For Release 2009/04/20: CIA-RDP83-00714R000100040007-5
C:G:?: DE.~?TZhL--GDS i___
r:ovember 14, 3-973
2=~ t?`OR3`.Dlii?I FOB
T E DIR CTO OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
SUBJECT: t3IS Coverage of South Asia.
In exam ning C C _ e? =_ = .ice reporting on south Asia ard.
-
Central Asia c : _.en s ruck by the thinness of coverage
of the political J iTrele of radio and press fro_>
this part of the ,:orld._ _ ~nders and that 'B.IS som^ time
ago developed a ? ~~ -o' a south Asian bureau which could -
help remedy this c-ap -c-::,- ng on the Indian subcontinent,
Afghanistan and IYan anE c. S o v iet Central As .z._ But I am
told that FBTS's p-, _ans h - been pos tponed until FY 1.93? at
.:he earliest- This sea-+s to me to be a r%-i stake_
Tne current crisis in Iran confronts us with the need to do
everything we _-s~ g_:_ into what is happening
i nythis 1-711 o3 e ,.= e-'- -- Z ic ex;D loita tion o.% locaJ.-
language broad cas s an fl -_ yap rs in Soviet Central Asia
-night. provide a better ide3`ofy Soviet. capabilities and
intentions toward !;in -1_--3 -fhanistan, e_g- Rather than put
off expansion of FB?'S capabilities . in this critical region,
s.'e should accelerate Planning, find personnel with the
needed language and analytical skills and shift funds, if
necessary, to enable serious field surveys to begin imrnedi---
ately_ The total cost for this kind of effort is small
compared to the invest;::e. t required for more sensitive-
technical collection capabilities---Please reviecr plans for development of this aspect of overt.
collection and advise me by 30 November.-how they can be
accelerated- -
~O`?~ IDS::TIAL
kN_.1111,
Z'biCgnie_w Brzez_ins'.-ci
X11 :: i
Approved For Release 2009/04/20: CIA-RDP83-00714R000100040007-5 '- ~-
 i Approved For Release 2009/04/20: CIA-RDP83-00714R000100040007-5
'#A W
Nfti
T"T#
THE 1/ I:.: HOU !-
Apr.i 1. 2, 1979
SU1.33l:,CT: Augmenting i'!u l_:i r s South Asian
Capabilities (U)
I have note your meinorandu::i of 2.1 March 1979 on this
subject. While proposing an FBIS bureau in Pakistan is
undesirable when we are pursuing the possibility of a
fallback position for the lost Iranian sites, it does not
seem to me that the two operations necessarily conflict. If
the Pakistanis should prove cooperative on hi_ h1.y Live
technical capabilities, I should think there might also be a
fair chance that they right also agiee to Wn much less
politically sensitive establish ent of overt monitoring
capabilities. I recommend ' this possibility
you at least keep this pGss ..il~:~li iry
Open. (S)
Meanwhile, I urge you to take at least temporary moasures to
improve monitoring from the whole South and Coat ] Asian
area. The. '
value of having this overtly obt.::.Litab1c # ].e.{) i'iI ot.'i on
.as rapidly as possible is even more obvious than it. was when
I sent you "by memorandum of 14 November 1978- Instability
and political ___._-: ent have-meanwhile increased thruaghout.-
r~ -r '
the -whole area, notably l_n F~-~fi7i.3I".l _lst:arl and also in
Pakistan and in, respect to the Kurdish issue which =,y come
to affect countries such as Turkey and Iraq. We a :'o continue
to need more tKely coverage of broadcasts from ty a Soviet
Caucasus and Central Asia and from the Soviet.--Chineso. border.
area. (S)
Please report by 1. May 1979 all measures you are able to
take to improve FEIS c.ovetage of all these targets. (W
Zbigniew Brzeezinski
cc : Sec of State
SECRET
Review on 26 March 1983
Approved For Release 2009/04/20: CIA-RDP83-00714R000100040007-5
 Approved For Release 2009/04/20: CIA-RDP83-00714R000100040007-5
SECRET
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 2, 1979
SUBJECT: Augmenting FBIS's South Asian
Capabilities (U)
I have noted your memorandum of 21 March 1979 on this
subject. While proposing an FBIS bureau in Pakistan is
undesirable when we are pursuing the possibility of a
fallback position for the lost Iranian sites, it does not
seem to me that the two operations necessarily conflict. If
the Pakistanis should prove cooperative on highly sensitive
technical capabilities, I should think there might also be a
fair chance that they might also agree to the much less
politically sensitive establishment of overt monitoring
capabilities. I recommend you at least keep this possibility
open. (S)
Meanwhile, I urge you to take at least temporary measures to
improve monitoring from the whole South and Central Asian
,area. The value of having this overtly obtainable information
as rapidly as possible is even more obvious than it was when
I sent you my memorandum of 1.4 November 1978. Instability
and political ferment have meanwhile increased throughout
the whole area, notably in Afghanistan and Iran, but also in
Pakistan and in respect to the Kurdish issue which may come
to affect countries such as Turkey and Iraq. We also continue
to need more timely co'Verage of broadcasts from the Soviet
Caucasus and Central Asia and from the Soviet-Chinese border
area. (S)
Please report by 1. May 1979 all measures you are able to
take to improve FBIS coverage of all these targets. (C)
Zbigniew Brzezinski
cc: Sec of State
SECRET
Review on 26 March 1983
Approved For Release 2009/04/20: CIA-RDP83-00714R000100040007-5
 J D-UU/I'frCUUUIUUU'+UUU/-O U . Lt.IITGI
u r r
^ rNCLA Approveca t-or KeI dSe "'"'ROUTING LUUtJ/U'f/LU. L,IHAND-I CRECORD SHEET
SUBJECT: (Optional)
Discussion Item
25X1
',.
FROM:
t
d
EXTENSION
NO.
cas
Director, Foreign Broa
Information Service
DATE 25X1
6 April 1979
TO: (Officer designation, room number, and
buildin
)
DATE
ICER'S
COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whom
g
RECEIVED
D
I IALS
to whom. Draw a line cross column after each comment.)
1. Deputy Director for
Science & Technology
I a rters
m 6E6 0