MONTHLY REPORT--KEY WEST BUREAU--MARCH 1986

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP87-01104R000100070009-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 22, 2012
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: April 5, 1986
• Content Type: MEMO

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/22 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100070009-6
"gin\"
"Ii'.,
FBIS
FOREIGN BROADCAST INFORMATION SERVICE
KEY WEST BUREAU
NAVAL AIR STATION
MAIN P.O. BOX 1056 TRUMAN ANNEX BLDG. 1355
KEY WEST, FLORIDA 33041-1056 OFFICE: [phone]
[phone]
[phone]
TELEX: 803046
MFL-6009
5 April 1986
MEMORANDUM TO: Director, Foreign Broadcast Information Service
THROUGH: Chief, Operations Group
SUBJECT: Monthly Report--Key West Bureau--March 1986
If life in Key West could be compared to an orchestration,
the musical expressions "andante" and "poco a poco" would be.
most appropriate.
The local NAS housing project officer remains optimistic
that the contractor will meet his 19 May completion schedule,
but more realistic views look toward the end of June. After
over 5 months of work only one unit has a roof on it and
interior work has yet to begin. The contractor estimates that
the project is about 60 percent finished and blames delays on
materials, delivery problems and lack of adequate skilled
labor. He noted that of 58 laborers on his Key West payroll, on
average only 31 show up on any given day fit for work.
Extension of the existing seawall is being studied by
Southdiv/NAVFAC in Charleston and as yet there is no firm cost
estimate. As a sidelight to the housing issue, the State of
Florida recently released an updated cost of living survey which
shows that Monroe County continues to have the highest cost of
living in the state, 9.47 percent above the median.
Also indicative of the local "manana" attitude, after
piddling around for several weeks work on repairing the damaged
roof section over the main operations room, work finally began
in earnest on 31 March and should be complete 0/A 8 April. The
weather was very cooperative and thus our open-air "solarium"
did not cause undue discomfort. Our new CAC
condensing/compressor unit was delivered on 26 March and
installed on 2 April, working beautifully.
As for our various antenna projects, we are still awaiting
completion of the "H"-frame mountings for our new TV "Yagi"
arrays to be mounted on the new tower. We received an official
go-ahead on 17 March for an experimental 2,700-ft longwire at
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/22 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100070009-6
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/22 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100070009-6
Boca Chica. Dynalectron is currently erecting the antenna which
we hope to have operational on 7 April for a cruising survey.
The Hermes shortwave array is last on the list of priorities.
Recruiting for new monitors suffered a severe setback with
notification that three candidates failed to get through the
screening process. Two more applicants visited Key West for
interviews and testing in March. Both were offered positions
but each has strong reservations about working and living
conditions in Key West and thus do not look promising.
A. Monitorial/Editorial
March was a very subdued month operationally, probably
due to a combination of spring fever and the fact that
Fidel Castro was off island a good part of the month
attending the Soviet party congress in Moscow, followed by
a state visit to the DPRK. Cuban media was not observed to
carry live or recorded reports on Fidel's two main domestic
appearances, a closing speech to a meeting on the national
health system and a 22 March question-and-answer session
with journalists attending a Havana meeting of nonaligned
countries' press services.
Elsewhere in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic's
main political party, the PRD, finally settled a
longstanding quarrel over who would get the party's nod for
the presidential nomination.
In Jamaica, a 3-day strike by physicians did little to
alleviate the economic woes of Prime Minister Seaga, who
continues to tread stormy political waters.
Politics remain heated in the wake of the end of the
Duvalier regime in Haiti. Colonel Namphy reorganized the
National Governing Council to assuage concerns by the
populace over followers of the former regime retaining
positions of power in the new government. Except for one
major military-civilian confrontation which resulted in
several deaths, the situation remains calm, at least on the
surface.
In Mexico economic problems caused by severe depression
of world oil prices highlighted reporting for the month.
B. Communications
DCA is dragging its feet on approving our request for a
software change on the NAS Naval Communications Unit's new
Mode I computer which would restore pinkie-coding for MIDAS
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/22 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100070009-6
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/22 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100070009-6
copy. Our plan to reroute our commo circuits to Boca
Chica via J-6/COMUSFORCARIB is still under local review,
and latest word is that this change may also require DCA
approval. It is extremely doubtful any change could be
effected prior to the start of the local rainy season in
June when existing cable paths suffer from flooding.
C. Cruising
Voice coverage of the Dominican Republic suffered a
setback in mid-March when VOA/Radio Marti began to sign on
1 hour earlier with the onset of Cuban summer time, wiping
out reception of two stations on or near Radio Marti's
frequency. The transition from winter to spring radio
propagation conditions has also adversely affected
reception of newscasts from Jamaica.
Observation of Haitian radio behavior continued ~~.
throughout the month, but generally poor reception and
interference from Radio Marti on Radio Soleil's frequency
precluded satisfactory recordings of news material for
possible phone patching.
Preparations were made for an upcoming survey in early
April at Boca Chica NAS once the temporary longwire is
erected. The bureau will outfit a rented van with all
necessary radio and recording equipment ("Mobile
Monitoring Unit--MMU").
Upon written receipt of a letter from NAS Commanding
Officer Capt. Ray Sullivan on 17 March, plans were
finalized for installation of a temporary longwire at Boca
Chica. The antenna should be ready by 7 April.
Next project on the list is installation of the Hermes
shortwave antenna. The eight supporting loops have
already been staked out with an azimuth of 221 degrees on
the antenna field to the east of the operations building.
At this angle the array's beam pattern will be focussed on
Belize with enough leeway to bring in Mexico City on the
one end, and Manugua on the other.
who has been on LWOP since 27 August
while awaiting full-time employment with another
component, returned to duty on WAE status on 1 April.
STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/22 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100070009-6
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/22 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100070009-6
A PHS file onl I applicant for PT
teletypist, was forwarded for processing on 21 March.
B. Building and Grounds
A new Dunham-Bush condensing/compressor unit with
corrosion resitant copper fins was delivered on 27 March.
It is scheduled for installation on 2 April and will
replace the badly corroded original unit -- on line for
only 3 years -- which has been at the root of much of the
bureau's troubles with the CAC unit.
Nonexpendable property received during the month
includes: 1 Dunham-Bush condening unit, Mdl. RCU-010T,
unit cost: $8,472.00; 5 Delta Electronics multicouplers,
Mdl. SRMC-lxlO-LFB-50, SN: 1470, 1472, 1477, 1478 and 1479,
unit cost: $1,550.00.
1. I (visited bureau 4 March for interview for
part-time teletypist position.
2. D/D0 Clair George visited bureau 6 March for
orientation and briefing on operatons.
3. Monitor applicant) (visited bureau
19-20 March for interview and further evaluation.
4. Former FBIS engineer
visited bureau 20 March.
5. Reservists CDR D.K. Pierce, Air Force LTC R.M. Scott,
Air Force MAJ Steven Irish, and Air Force CAPT Stevan Gelfand
visited buerau 21 March for orientation and briefing.
6. Monitor Applicant
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
Chief, FBIS Key West Bureau
Attachment:
Production Report
STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/22 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100070009-6
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/22 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100070009-6
1. TOTALS FROM ALL SOURCES:
TOTAL PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MONTH: 98,940
TOTAL NON-PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MONTH : 19,530
TOTAL NUMBER OF PUBLISHABLE ITEMS FILED DURING MONTH : 426
BROADCAST PRESS AGENCIES PUBLICATIONS
II. INPUT OF REGULAR COVERAGE: 2,575 14,700 21
(PUBLISHABLE WORDS PER WEEK MIN MIN ISSUES
III. OUTPUT FROM ALL SOURCES:
(PUBLISHABLE WORDS PER MONTH)
BAHAMAS
Nassau Domestic Service
in English
Nassau THE TRIBUNE
in English
BARBADOS
Bridgetown CANA
in English
Bridgetown ADVOCATE in English
Bridgetown SUNDAY ADVOCATE
in English
BELIZE
Belize City Domestic Service
in English
CUBA
Havana Radio Progreso Network 7,080
in Spanish
Havana Radio Reloj Network 10,210
in Spanish
Havana Radio Rebelde Network 1,500
in Spanish
Havana Radio Periodico Del Aire
in Spanish
470
41,030
120
-0-
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/22 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100070009-6
CUBA
Havana Tele-Rebelde Network
in Spanish
Havana Television Cubana Network 4.990
in Spanish
Havana Television Service 7.830_
in Spanish
Havana Domestic Service 1,480
in Spanish
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Santo Domingo Cadena Brea Pena
in Spanish
Santo Domingo LISTIN DIARIO
in Spanish
JAMAICA
Kingston Domestic Service
in English
Kingston DAILY GLEANER
in English
Kingston SUNDAY GLEANER
in English
MEXICO
Mexico City NOTIMEX _ 12,160
in Spanish
NETHERLANDS ANTILLES
Bonaire Trans World Radio
in English
3,610
THE NETHERLANDS
Hilversum International
in English
SURINAME
Paramaribo International Service
in English
2,490
530
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/22 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100070009-6