FBIS MUSLIM WORLD PROGRAM- -SUBSTANTIVE RESULTS AND CONSUMER REACTION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84-00868R000100070028-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 26
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 17, 2007
• Sequence Number: 28
• Publication Date: March 27, 1981
• Content Type: MEMO

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UUNhULN I IAL ( rLKRI euI4 GROUP FILE
2.7 MAR 1981
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director, Foreign Broadcast Information Service
Senior Requirements Officer
Liaison and Requirements Branch, E&PS/FBIS
SUBJECT: FBIS Muslim World Proram--Substantive Results and
Consumer Reaction
25X1
1. At your request I have conducted extensive surveys of consumers
of the production resulting from the FY 1980 Muslim World funding. At
request I have also attempted to determine the immediate
and long-term substantive payoffs of that funding. This report, therefore,
does not trace all actions taken to develop new programs and establish new
coverage but rather wraps up FBIS' new coverage and capabilities resulting
from those actions. This report is divided into three parts--the first
section on substantive payoffs of the funding, the second section on con-
sumer comments on that new production, and the third section on some impres-
sions which I formed during the course of my study as well as suggestions--
some of my own and some made consumers--on how the FBIS program and
product might be improved.
I. Substantive Payoffs - Immediate
A. Gulf Bureau: Officially established on 10 September 1979, Gulf
Bureau's initial concern was the monitoring of Iranian regional broadcasts
in Azeri and Persian. This was the first Iranian regional coverage to be
provided to consumers from either FBIS or BBC. By January 1981, ul
Bureau was monitoring some 26 hours of broadcasts daily from Afghanistan,
Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the USSR, and the United Arab
Emirates, as well as from four clandestine broadcasters--National Voice
of Iran, Free Voice of Iran, Radio Iran, and the Voice of Iraqi Islamic
Revolution. The Soviet regional coverage--Tashkent International Service
in Uzbek and Persian and Ba Domestic Service in Azeri--a ed by Gul
Bureau has never before been available to consumers. In Marc 9981 Gulf
began coverage of Islamabad International Service in Dari, programming
not now being covered by any other bureau. Programs are now being moni-
tored in eight languages--Arabic, Azeri, Dari, English, Persian, Turkish,
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Urdu, and Uzbek. Total daily filed wordage from Gulf Bureau, all of which
should be considered new publishable wordage, is averaging 5,800 words per
day, or 2,700 publishable words. Complementing these coverage increases
at Gulf Bureau, the BBC in London, at the urging of FBIS, increased its
number of Persian-language monitors to permit the processing of the increas-
ing amount of material from Persian-language"broadcasts and to enable it to
undertake round-the-clock watches of Tehran Domestic Service. Meanwhile,
the FBIS Tel Aviv and Nicosia bureaus also added Persian monitors. The
following listing demonstrates the increased coverage which resulted from
these actions and Muslim World funding. All figures are calculated for
weekly coverage. 25X1
Country
October 1979 February 1981 Changes Bureau
Afghanistan
International 3.5 hr 28 hr +24.5 hr LD/GF
Domestic - 17.5 hr +17.5 hr LD
Press Agency - 10.5 hr +10.5 hr LD
Bahrain
International - -
Domestic - 1.15 hr +1.15 hr GF
Press Agency 112 hr 73.5 hr* none JN
*Actually there is no change. In June 1980 QNA and ENA separated
from GNA, and these services are now listed under their respective
countries. Total coverage remains the same.
ILLEGIB
International in Bengali, 8 hr 9.5 hr +1.5 hr BK/NC
Persian, Urdu
NVOI 5.15 hr 8.45 hr +3.5 hr GF/TA
landestines
Free Voice of Iran - 5.15 hr +5.15 hr GF/NC
Radio Iran - 7 hr +7 hr GF/NC
Voice of Iranian Kordestan - 10.5 hr +10.5 hr JN/TA
Voice of Iraqi Kurdistan - 7 hr +7 hr JN
Voice of Lebanon - 3.5 hr +3.5 hr NC
Free Lebanon - 1 hr +1 hr NC
Voice of Iraqi Islamic Revolution - 6 hr +6 hr GF
Voice of Iraqi Revolution - 8 hr +8 hr JN
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Country
October 1979
February 1981
Changes
Bureau
Iran
International
10.5 hr
173.15 hr
+162.45 hr
GF/LD
Domestic-Tehran
41.25 hr
.99 hr
+ 57.35 hr
LD/NC
Domestic Regionals
-
16 hr
+ 16 hr
GF/JN
GF
Television
-
63 hr
+ 63 hr
GF
Press Agency
-
12 hr
+ 12 hr
LD/JN
Iraq
International
5.15 hr
21 hr
+ 15.45 hr
NC/JN
Domestic
-
9.20 hr
+ 9.20 hr
JN/GF
Press Agency
133, hr
182 hr
+ 49 hr
JN
Jordan - No change in coverage
Kuwait
Domestic
4 hrs
4.40 hrs
+35 min
LD
Press Agency
21 hrs
35 hrs
+14 hrs
LD
Lebanon
Domestic
11 hrs
28 hrs
+17 hrs
NC
Ihdin Radio of Free
United Lebanon
and
irreg
2.20 hr
+2.20 hrs
NC
Marj 'Uyun Voice of Hope irreg
3.5 hr(IRR)
+3.5 hr
NC
Libya
International
8.45 hrs
13.25 hrs
+4.40 hrs
LD
Domestic
4.40 hrs
8.45 hrs
+4.05 hrs
LD
Press Agency
105 hrs
112 hrs
+7 hrs
LD
Morocco - No change in coverage
Oman
Domestic
-
3.5 hr (IRR)
+3.5 hr
Pakistan International
9.55 hrs
5.15 hrs
-4.40 hr
LD/BK
Domestic
7 hrs
6.25 hrs
-35 min
BK
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UUNHUMI1PtL
Country
October 1979
February 1981
Changes
Qatar
Domestic
3.20 hrs
+3.20 hrs
GF
Press Agency
21 hrs*
none
JN
*There is no increase in coverage of QNA. Formerly QNA
shared transmission time with GNA and was counted in
that total.
Saudi Arabia
Domestic
16.55 hrs
+35 min
LD
Television
4.40 hrs
+4.40 hrs
GF
Press Agency
140 hrs
-
LD
Sudan
Domestic
3.5 hrs
5.15 hrs
+1.45 hrs
EA
Press Agency
49 hrs
49 hrs
-
JN/LD
Syria
Domestic
14.35 hrs
14.35 hrs
-
JN
Press Agency
24 hrs
56 hrs
+32 hrs
JN
Tunisia - No change in coverage
Turkey
International
2.55 hrs
2.55 hrs
-
LD
Domestic
24.5 hrs
18.40 hrs
-5.50 hrs
TA
Press Agency/English/French/
Turkish
24.5 hrs
35 hrs
+10.30 hrs
TA/LD
Press Agency/Turkish
28 hrs
7 hrs
-21 hrs
TA
USSR
Dari to Afghanistan
Pashto to Afghanistan
2.5 hrs
3.5 hrs
Persian to Iran
14 hrs,
14 hrs
-
GF/NC
Urdu to Pakistan
3.5 hrs
3.5 hrs
-
BK
Tashkent in Uighur
7 hrs (IRR)
7 hrs (IRR)
-
GF/NC
Tashkent IS.in Uzbek
7.5 hrs
+7.5 hrs
GF
Tashkent IS in Persian
1 hr
+l hr
GF
Baku Domestic in Azeri
2.5 hrs
+2.5 hr
GF
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Country
?
October 1979 February 1981 Changes Bureau
UAE
Domestic - 5 hrs +5 hrs GF
Press Agency 38.5 hrs 19.15 hrs* none JN
*No loss of coverage. Hours of coverage were readjusted when
ENA was split from GNA.
Yemen (PDRY)
Voice of PFLO 5.15 hrs 5.15 hrs - EA
Domestic 3.5 hrs 3.5 hrs EA
Press Agency - 7 hrs +7 hrs LD
Yemen (YAR)
Domestic 7 hrs 8.45 hrs +1.45 hrs JN
Total New Coverage: 599 hours weekly
B. Islamabad Monitoring Unit: The Islamabad monitoring unit began to
record Soviet regional broadcasts on 2 November 1980, and a direct telephone
line was established with London on 22 November. Islamabad is currently
monitoring 30 Russian-language broadcasts five days a` week- rf o`m Alma-Ata
(8 programs) , Dus an e 5 programs), Frunze (7 programs), Ashkhabad (5 pro-
grams), and Tashkent (5 programs). All of these regional stations were
being recorded by the BBC operation in ehran. ter the BBC was forced
to leave Tehran, coverage of these stations was lost until'the establishment
of the Islamabad unit. Although Alma Ata was on coverage from London anustria, coverage has been shifted to Islamabad because of better reception.
Islamabad is also telephone feeding a number of broadcasts from the Kabul
Domestic Service. It is estimated that about 90 i ms a-month,_totaling
l.~ some 16,000 words, are being processed from broadcasts relayed from Kabul,
and about 60 economic abstracts a month from Russian regionals. 25X1
C. Middle East Review: In response to consumers' needs for information
i on the crisis in Iran anAfghanistan, the FBIS Wire Service began a daily
synopsis of items carried on the Wire called Focus on Iran and Afghanistan.
Focus was discontinued in August 1980 with the institution of the Middle
East Review, and preparation of the review was shifted to London Bureau.
The Middle East Review is now being wirefiled from London to S4 consumers
directly as well as to the 43 regular FBIS Wire Service consumers, and it
is being published each day in the Middle East and rica-anSout Asia
Daily Reports. It has averaged 1,500 words per day.
D. Field Exploitation of Muslim World Publications: The London Press
Monitoring Unit has increased its Arab press monitors from one to two and
has hired a Persian press monitor. In addition, the Gulf, Jordan, and
Nicosia bureaus have increased their press exploitation. Following is a
list of the increased Muslim World press coverage both in the field and
at Headquarters. A d 7sion of the FBIS Headquarters enhancements
follows the listing.
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?
Country
Afghanistan
Field (Bangkok)
Headquarters
Bahrain
Field (Gulf)
Headquarters
Iran
Field (London)
Headquarters
Iraq
Field (Jordan/London)
Headquarters
Jordan
Field (Jordan)
Headquarters
Kuwait
Field (London/Gulf)
Headquarters
Lebanon
Field (Nicosia/Jordan)
Headquarters
CONFIDE
October 197
Libya
Field (London)
Headquarters
Morocco
Field (London)
2
Headquarters
11
Oman
Field
Headquarters
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UUMMurwiI L
Country
October 1979
February 1981
Changes
Pakistan
Field (Bangkok)
1
-1
Headquarters
17
+14
Qatar
Field (Gulf)
0
1
+1
Headquarters
5
6
+1
Saudi Arabia
Field (London)
3
+1
Headquarters
10
+2
Sudan
Field
0
0
Headquarters
3
4
Syria
Field (London)
3
3
Headquarters
7
7
Tunisia
Field
1
0
-1
Headquarters
9
7
-2
UAE
Field (London/Gulf)
1
6
+5
Headquarters
5
7
+2
Egypt
Field (London)
5
7
+2
Headquarters - _
23
27
+4
Israel (Arabic press only)
Field (Jordan)
3
5
+2
Headquarters
0
3
+3
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Country
October 1979
February 1981
Changes
PDRY
Field
0
0
Headquarters
3
4
Turkey
Field (Nicosia)
5
6
+1
Headquarters
16
18
+2
Expatriate Press
Field (London/Jordan)
3
Headquarters
11
Bangladesh
Field (Bangkok)
3
2
-1
Headquarters
0
2
+2
Total Increased Press Coverage
(excluding Soviet).: 103
NO
E. Headquarters Exploitation of Muslim World Publications: At the
beginning of 1980, Production Group translation funds were insufficient
to maintain coverage at the FY 1979 level and at the same time absorb the
increases in contract translation rates and JPRS paper costs. As a result
of the infusion of Muslim World money, Production Group was able to increase
its production over that for FY 1979, an accomplishment which would have been
impossible to achieve before receipt of that funding. 0 25X1
6 slots. Of those 6 slots, NEAAD has added 4 linguists--3 Arabic and n~Jf
1 Persian/Dare. Three additional Urdu/Bengali applicants are in the
pipeline but are currently subject to the hiring_freeze. JPRS has
also added 28 independent contractors--7 Arabic, 5 Persian , 2 Dari, r
3 Turkish, 4 Urdu, 2 Bengali, 1 Punjabi, 2 Indonesian, and 2 French. p25X1
1) NEAAD Muslim World Program: Of 10 additional language officer
staff positions provided by the slim World program, NEAAD received
As far as new coverage provided as a result of the Muslim World
funding is concerned, NEAAD's Non-Arab Program has added publications
in Turkmen (from Iraq) and Azeri (from Iran), and the Southeast Asia
Program's independent contractors are scanning and providing transla-
tions from 6 Urdu dailies and 2 weeklies until two staff linguists
with Urdu-language capability can e hired. Only 3 English-language
Pakistani publications were exploited before the Muslim World funding;
as a result of the new funding, NEAAD is now exploiting 17 Pakistani
publications, 4 of which are in Urdu, on the full range of political/
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military/economic/sociological subjects. A new country being covered
is Bangladesh, for which NEAAD is exploiting 2 English-language dailies.
CC)
The Muslim World funding also permitted NEAAD to focus greater
attention on Islamic affairs and the impact of Islamic political
philosophy on the countries in the "arc of crisis." A new subject
heading of "Islamic Affairs" was added to the JPRS NEAR EAST NORTH
AFRICA REPORT to-focus consumers' attention on this extensive report-
ing. NEAAD was also able to give greater attention to reporting on
inter-Arab and regional affairs. The new funds enabled the publication
of a series of JPRS Reports on Egypt which thus far have included 2
reports on housing, 275n_
on military a fairs, 1 on military industry,
1 on economy, and 10 on opposition/dissidence. Without the Muslim
World funds, only 10 percent of this material would have been published.
The receipt of 41 additional publications on Iran enabled NEAAD to cover
the full spectrum of Iranian political thought from the extreme right
to the extreme left just when the Intelligence Community needed this
information to cover the hostage crisis and the Iran/Iraq war. Valuable
reporting on Afghan rebel activities was obtained from the Arabic-language
newspapers exploited by NEAAD, many of which were added with Muslim World
funding. NEAAD added three new Turkish/Kurdish-language publications
from Sweden; these unique sources provided intelligence analysts wi.t a
feel for the broad range of propaganda being spread by the Kurdish
revolutionary left, for rivalries among various Kurdish groups, and
for Kurdish activities on the national and Pan-Kurdish levels. NEAAD
was also able to publish a special JPRS Report on Turkish Terrorism
and Sectarian Violence. 25X1
NEAAD added a total of 90 new publications to its Muslim World
program. Despite the 14 percent increase in the Arabic contract transla-
tion rate in FY 1980, NEAAD's Near East/Africa Branch was able to increase
--its pro'- duction from 43 979 pages (27,132 excluding English) in FY 1979 to
44,963 pages (29,795 excluding-English) in FY 1980. To refine that further,
A rab-ic Yanguage translations on the Arab world increased from 8,428 pages
in FY 1979 to 9,053 pages in FY 1980; Arabic-language translations on the
non-Arab world increased from 78 pages in FY 1979 to 338 pages in FY 1980;
Persian-language translations increased from 738 pages in FY 1979 to 1,818
in FY 1980; and Turkish-language translations on the Muslim World increased
from 1,101 pages in FY 1979 to 1,820 pages in FY 80. 25X1
2) UD Muslim World Program: Of the 10 additional officer staff
positions provided by the Muslim World program, UD received 4 slots.
Of these slots, UD added one Tajiki/Russian linguist, one Turkic/Russian
linguist, and one Uzbek/Mongolian linguist. Another Turkic/Russian
linguist is under consideration. JPRS also added independent contrac-
tors proficient in Azeri, Bashkir, Crimean Tatar, Kazakh, Kirghiz,. Tajiki,
Tatar, Turkmen, Uighur, and Uzbek. These actions resulted in the division's
capability for the first time to monitor and process open source Soviet
publications in all languages of the Muslim nationalities of the USSR.
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During 1980 the number of publications in Russian and the local
language received from the Muslim national republics of the USSR
increased from 36 to 102 as follows:
n
25X1
Language Oct
ober
1979 February 1981 Change
Russian
20
S2 +32
Azerbaij ani
3
7 +4
Crimean Tatar
1
1 -
Kazakh
2
8 +6
Kirghiz
2
6 +4
Tajiki
4
9 +5
Turkmen
1
8 +7
Uighur
1
1 -
Uzbek
2
10 +8
Coverage of Soviet period* in Bashkir, Dungan, and Tatar
will be added by 1 June 1981.
A considerable amount of 1980 was spent locating staff linguists
and independent contractors with requisite language skills, acquiring
local language publications, and working out a management structure
for the UD Muslim World Program. The first FBIS translation from the'
Soviet Tajiki-language press was published in JPRS on 14 January 1980,
and the first FBIS translation from a Soviet Turkic-language source
was published on 14 May 1980. During FY 1980 the UD Muslim World
Program produced 1,910 pages of Russian-language translations on the
Muslim World and 69S pages of Central Asian local language translations.
(C)
F. Enhanced Media Analysis
1) Analysis: The Analysis Group was provided two new analyst
positions by the Muslim World program. AG hired one analyst for the
USSR/EE Branch and one for the Mideast Branch. In addition, in response
to the heightened interest in analysis of Muslim World countries, an
Arabist from NEAAD was transferred to AG in October 1980 to enable work
to begin on an exploratory program for analysis of media of selected
Arab countries. (A/IUO)
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The hiring of these three new analysts permitted AG to cover the
following new subjects or areas: The new Mideast Branch analyst,
drawing on his academic background in Soviet Islamic communities,
researched and wrote articles on Soviet and Afghan views of Islam.
He addressed, for example, the implications of an innovative approach
to the "upsurge of Islam" by a Soviet Middle Eastern expert and identi-
fied the use of this approach in Brezhnev's CPSU Congress report. Other
articles examined efforts by the Soviet Union and Afghanistan to seek
accommodation with Afghan Islamic leaders, and an Analysis Report called
attention to the possible relationship between a Sufi Brotherhood of
Islam and the official Muslim hierarchy in Soviet Central Asia. Research
on the last subject was supplemented by input from the former NEAAD
Arabist, who has begun developing requirements for data bases on major
Arab countries, devising methodology for systematic study of major Arab
publications, and identifying subjects for projected research in Arab
media. The new USSR/EE Branch analyst has significantly expanded AG's
capability to cover the Muslim republics of the USSR and has rounded
out analytic coverage of issues related to-Soviet nationality questions.
TRENDS articles have addressed political developments in the Central
Asian republics, cross-border contacts between Soviet and Iranian
Azerbaijan, demographic problems, nationality tensions in the Soviet
military, and regional competition over resource allocation. These
issues have been followed closely at the national level and in other
Soviet republics in order to place developments in the Muslim republics
in perspective. 0 25X1
These enhancements have enabled AG to deal with Soviet nationality-
related subjects in a comprehensive way on a union-wide basis, the scope
and depth of AG analytic coverage of Soviet policy towar the Middle East
have been appreciably enhanced, and is now in a position to develop
what it believes will be a productive effort on Middle Eastern media.
25X1
Between April 1980 and the present, AG published 15 articles and
reports on Soviet Muslim nationality questions as compared to 11 such
articles on the same subject between April 1979 and March 1980. Since
April 1980 AG has also published 78 articles and reports on the non-
Soviet Muslim World and the Middle East. Although there were 97 such
articles published between April 1979 and March 1980, this figure
reflects covera e of t hosta e seizure and the Soviet inter-
vention in Afghanistan. AG analysis is heavily event-li e anw ire
~~- some-of-the-arti-c3-os published since April 1980 cover developments which
AG would have analyzed in one way or another regardless of the new pro-
gram, AG would not have been able to cover them from as many angles or
in as much depth. 25X1
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2) Research: The Research Branch also received two positions from
the Muslim World program and added two intelligence assistants. The
Research Branch added new leader speech files on the President or head
of state, Foreign Minister, Prime Minister, and Defense Minister of 19
Middle Eastern/Southwest Asian countries; new speech files on the Oil
Ministers of Algeria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
Syria, UAE; new Soviet republic files of the speeches of the republic
communist party first and second secretaries and the Council of Ministers
chairmen; new Soviet republic tear-sheet files of articles taken from the
Soviet Union Daily Report and JPRS; separate TRENDS files on the Middle
East, Afghanistan, and Soviet nationalities; a new Soviet PASKEY code on
the nationalities issue; new tear-sheet files on National Voice of Iran
broadcasts; new tear-sheet files on Tehran International Service Arabic
broadcasts; and new log of OPEC News Agency programs. 25X1
As a result of its new analytical and research capability, AG was
able to provide support to other Agency an Community offices. Since
April 1980 AG has responded to more than 40 special requests pertaining
to the Muslim World and Soviet nationalities issues. Requesters have
included NFAC offices, the DDO, NIO's (at Large, Near East and South
Asia, and USSR-EE), the Southwest Asia Analytic Center, the HUMINT
Tasking Office, various DOD components, the State Department, and the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Many of the requests dealt with
the invasion of Afghanistan and its a tf ermafh he Iran situation, and
tie IT - ra conflict. AG analysts also served as critic-readers for
several Agency papers on the Soviet nationalities issue, and one analyst
organized a seminar for VOA on the use of open sources in the study of
Soviet nationalities policy. 25X1
AG is still in the process of developing data bases, and terms
of reference for selection and processing are still evolving.as FBIS
collection capability builds up. (A/IUO)
II. Substantive Payoffs - Long-term
A. Gulf Bureau: Gulf is still recruiting for monitors with language
skills in Georgian, Armenian, Kurdish, and Russian. In addition, the current
Azeri/Uzbek monitor is studying Kirghiz, Kazakh, and Uighur. Should Gulf be
successful in obtaining qualified monitors with these requisite language
skills, the bureau will add coverage of additional Soviet Central Asian sta-
tions broadcasting in all these languages. This coverage of Soviet republic
vernacular stations will be a new service to consumers. 25X1
B. Islamabad: The BBC in London is currently recruiting for two
additional Russian monitors, two Dari/Pashto monitors, and three monitors
with Soviet vernacular languages. A Russian and a Dari/Pashto monitor
have already been hired, and while recruiting for the Soviet vernacular
monitors is proving difficult, the BBC is currently interviewing and testing
applicants in Tajiki, Uzbek, Kazakh, and Turkmen. Once monitors with the
requisite language skills have been hired, Islamabad monitoring unit will
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0 VUIUU 1ULI i a1L 46.
telephone feed to London Soviet regional broadcasts in the vernacular
from Dushanbe (in Taj iki) , Alma. Ata (in Kazakh), Tashkent (in Uzbek), i
Frunze (in Kirghiz), Ashkhabad, (in Turkmen), and Fergana (in Uzbek).
This coverage of Soviet vernacular broadcasts will also be a new service
to consumers. In the future, the unit will also be ale to provide regular
and/or bac stop coverage of Pakistani regional radios and improved coverage
of eastern and northern Iranian regional stations, as well as coverage,of
other South Asian broadcasters.
25X1
25X1
D. Cyprus Remote-Controlled Monitoring: Remote monitoring from the
CYTA facility at Pissouri will begin on 1 April 1981 on a one-year trial
basis. It is anticipated that this facility will provide reliable reception
of Tripoli Domestic Service on mediumwave during a good portion of the
~yjm7-10
hour period when it is not carried on shortwave. While FBIS currently main-
tains full coverage of newscasts transmitted by the Tripoli International
Service "Voice of the Arab Homeland," coverage of Tripoli Domestic Service
is limited because of poor reception. /The March 1981 HUMINT Tasking Plan
identified Libya as a very important Nat difficult HUMINT collection
problem for the Intelligence Community and requested that open source
exploitation receive particular emphasis.
77-
E. MIDAS: Automation of the Wire Service and the Middle East and
Africa and South Asia Daily Reports should begin in February 1982. A111
Muslim World material then being produced which logically fits into ese
in 1983. The Daily Report estimates that in Calendar Year 1980 it. published
1,057 separate items filed by Gulf Bureau. Virtually the entire output) of
Gulf Bureau can be attributed to the Muslim World program. It ls_IznPoss' 1
to estimate how much additional wordage can be attributed to i c en rr ased
World production by other bureaus in view of the overall increases of 599
hours of coverage weekly, some 311 hours additional from Iran alone. 25X1
two Daily Reports will be able to be handled by MIDAS. Depending on
available funding, the remaining six Daily Reports s ould be automated
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III. Technical Payoffs
The additional Muslim World fundinermitted the rP~ nical upgrading
of the Nicosia, Tel Aviv, and Jordan bureaus as well as the provision of
the latest receivers, teleprinters, multicouplers, and recording equipment
for Gulf Bureau. All Middle East bureaus received new ITT Creed Arabic
teleprinters to replace printers which had been used for many years, and
Tel Aviv was able to establish a new two-site remote monitoring operation.
The bureaus also received new Sony cassette TV recorcand new monitor/
receivers to give the bureaus a new television recording capability. As
a result, Gulf Bureau is now monitoring Iranian and Saudi Arabian television
broadcasts. Jordan Bureau now has good, reliable coverage of Damascus TV,
and Tel Aviv has access to some Beirut TV through the IDF. The technical
upgrading of these bureaus will benefit not one lslim World production
but all materials handled by these bureaus.
IV. Enhancement of FBIS Personnel Capabilities
Although not a substantive payoff of the Muslim World funding, the
language and area studies training provided to Production Group documents
officers has definitely increased their substantive knowledge and has
increased the language capabilities of FBIS staff personnel, both of
which will benefit the entire Intelligence Community. Four UD documents
officers were trained in languages of Soviet Muslim nationalities: one
in Tajiki, one in Uzbek, one in Uzbek and Azeri, and the fourth in Azeri
and Estonian. A NEAAD officer is receiving part-time language training
in Persian.
CON El DENTIAL
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I interviewed a total of 11 analyst consumers of the Soviet Muslim
Nationalities product and 8 consumers of the non-Soviet Muslim World
product. I concentrated my efforts on the Soviet Muslim Nationalities
product because this program was new in FY 1980 and its consumers had
not yet been surveyed. During the interviews several suggestions were
made, both by me and the consumers, for different formats which might
make the product more useful to the consumer, put more information in
the consumer's hands more quickly, and make better use of FBIS resources.
These suggestions will be discussed in Section III. Detailed reports on
each interview have been provided to the group or division chief respon-
sible for each program.
1. Soviet Muslim Nationalities Product
A.
OGSR/GRD/S 25X1
She handles broad population and demographic issues and is
responsible for Central Asia as a geographic region. Fifty percent of
her time is spent on Soviet Muslim affairs, the other 50 percent on all-
union population issues. Approximately 90 percent of her information
comes from open sources; FBIS is the predominant source. She is satisfied
with the current selection of articles, is aware of no gaps in reporting,
and feels UD is publishing everything it should. She has found useful
JPRS reporting on demographic issues and the river reversal project.
She has provided collection guidance to UD and has been pleased with
UD's responsiveness and the support she has received. She feels signifi-
cant, unique materials are being published only in the vernacular press
and has used such items, such as a demographic article with political
significance, in her reports. OGSR has an elaborate indexing and filing
system of area and topical files on Soviet nationalities. There are
files for each major nationality and for subjects such as Russian language
and education in Central Asia, atheist training, culture, and demographics.
OGSR is interested in cultural topics which have political importance.
She has a good working relationship with UD officers and is confident
that they have the expertise to select the articles she needs.
OGSR/GRD/S
25X1
25X1
described himself as one of the biggest consumers of the 25X1
JPRS Soviet Mus im product because he has been tasked by NIO Azrael with
preparing studies on each major Soviet Muslim group. JPRS materials are
very useful in updating information in good academic journals, books by
Soviet authors, and reference works and in giving depth to subjects only
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briefly touched upon, such as religious practices and customs. He also
uses State reporting and Radio Liberty interviews with emigres; he said
there is virtually no clandestine reporting on Soviet Central Asia
except for infrequent emigre reporting. He feels that increasingly
information of interest, particularly on religion and culture, is being
supplied from the vernacular press antat the vernacular pr.ess gives
the analyst the whole pict which he cannot get from-reading only the
Russian-lnguage pess Since OGSR is in the process of filebuilding on
`subjects which have not been previously addressed, he,feels all materials
selected by UD are useful and would cut nothing out. He would like a
continuity of exploitation of a particular source and cited socio ogi al
journals as high on his priority list. He has supplied. his requirements
to UD and relies on and`has confidence in UD to tell him what information
is there. He has a good working relationship with UD. F-1 25X1
OCR/ISG/USSR
covers Soviet nationalities. among many other topics. for
25X1
OCR. Items are indexed under subjects such as religion, culture,
`minorities, population data, and ethnic groups, as well as by republic
and oblast, for OCR's computer file (RECON). At least 90 percent of the
material in RECON comes from classified sources and only a small portion
of FBIS/JPRS articles are included. OCR has not received enough questions
on Soviet nationalities to require them to improve this indexing system.
Biographical material is maintained in manual files. Bender exploits
the JPRS material for information on personalities and organizations.
Bender was briefed on the new biographic and bibliographic file of
untranslated articles from the vernacular press being created by UD. He
felt this information could be useful in answering requests from DDO and
State for information not in OCR files, and he will be continuing discus-
TAD is interested in the Soviet nationality issue from the
standpoint of how the Soviets view the nationality issue in their press,
how policies are transmitt d to the'hin elands, how the Soviet leadership
responds to the problems of rg owing_nationalism, and-what-ai-l- this_reals
about Soviet vulnerabilities. IAD is pleased with the current selection
of articles ahTis sffll in the process of filebuilding. is 25X1
interested in basic cultural items, discussions about what s ou and
should not be published, indications of popular discontent-over-not-
getting themes of information they want, and items, on Russification
efforts in Centra ia. icrf ah in year IAD should be a-Te-e 25X1
to refine its requirements. office is concentrating__its 25X1
efforts on the Central Asian repu ics, and as soon as his staff is
built up, he will be ring even more heavily on JPRS repoT-t ng-becaus-e--
there are virtually no other sources. 0 25X1
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OER/USSR
. Her primary areas of interest are Soviet labor and manpower
issues, education, and regional investments. Ninety percent of her
information comes from open sources. She has been very pleased with
JPRS reporting on labor; the river reversal project; regional education,
including Russian-language training; and demography. She feels she is
getting valuable information from the vernacular press which is not
published elsewhere. While drafting a recent project on Soviet differ-
entiated population policy, for example, she felt that the vernacular
press items on this subject were particularly interesting because they
contained information not in'the Russian-language press. She has a good
working relationship with UD and feels UD has been very responsive in
providing her with the information she needs. F__1
FBIS/AG/USSR-EE
25X1
25X1
s primarily interested in the political aspects of the 25X1
Soviet nationality question and how that question impacts on the Soviet
LE-16__n__a_s_a__w1~o_ e. ~e iii s useful not only specifically political-type
items such as speeches but also articles on religion and culture which
reveal current tensions and problems for the leadership; articles such
as those on the river reversal project or energy which identify local
and regional interests and problems; articles on language policy; and
items on cross-border issues, such as relations between Soviet and
Iranian Azerbaijan. would like to seP the vernacular press 25X1
handled on more of a comparative basis with an examination of how
certain issues are treate in the vernacular and Russian=l.anguage_press_,_
both in terms of quantity and focus. He would also like comparisions of
the Russian-language and vernacular editions o i ortan ' ourna Q such
as KOMv1UNIST, an3`~he wou d-rike to ow t e subjects treated and the
authors of articles published -vernacular journals which have no
Russian-language equivalent. is particularly conce d that 25X1
speeches and articles ea ers in the vernacular eem
often to be Ignored, feels t ere is more valuable information 25X1
available from tR-e-vernacula ress than he originally ticipated-but-
finds that the value of this anfo_rmation has been reducedanby the con-
siderable delay ~.n receiving translations. He is concerned that too
much time is being spent by UD in filebuilding at the expense of providing
rapid translations. He is also concerned that items of political sigCllf`
cance in the local language press of the Muslim._r_e4zublics-are_nGt-r-ec i i g-
enough attention and feels coverage has been uneven in this area. He
feels that different criteria are applied in selecting material from the
Muslim republics and is concerned that consumers are receiving ed
view of current developments in the Soviet republics. Finally, 25X1
believes that the UD Soviet Muslim Program's use of the editoria
s -unary" in the JPRS-is mislea ing because it does not follow the FBIS
"editorial report" format and leaves the reader confused as to whether
the opinions in the summary are ose o t e aut or or translator. 25X1
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FBIS/AG/ME
has an academic background in Soviet Islamic communities 25X1
and follows Islam in the Analysis Group. He is delighted with the
information he receives from UD on this to is and reads everything
produced by the UD Soviet Muslim Program. is also playing a major 25X1
role on the nationality question by setting~up meetings and seminars
t roughout the Community, He believes that Community analysts must
learn what items of political significance will look like in the local
press as well as how they will differ from items of political significance
in the central press. He believes that the Agency's concentration of
expertise on Soviet nationalities. is in FBIS and that FBIS officers must
play a more activist role than they have heretofore in explaining precisely
what it is that can be learned from this press. This information, which
would be-dis.s.eminated to consumers in different formats, would result in
more informed consumers who wou raise new .f igence questions and
levy new requirements to readjust any imbalances in the current selection
of items for processing. 25X1
H.
are two of three people on a
team in ____ covering sociai rg , ural, ideological, labor)
and economic (agriculture, industry, regional investment) issues. They
devote more or less part time to the So_viet_nati__onality question, with
m1 concentrating on the Baltics, Ukraine, and Georgia, and
covering Central Asia and the Transcaucasus. OPA is interested in
leadership politics and the politics of decisionmaking and focuses on
the nationalities when they become problems for the leadership. They
want items on culture and religion which are tied to current political
issues, and cited as useful a recent item on Islam because of its
references o g anistan. They suggested, however, that articles such
as those on cultural eitag~~n at eism w is a no new information
Gould be cut back. They would like to see more material on regional
development and- ssues, such as the river reversal project, and articles
which evidence lobbying by local leaders on behalf of local and regional
issues. They are also interested in differentiated demographic policies
and how those policies are applied to Central Asia. They view favorably
UD compilations of items on one subject, such as the soon-to-be issued
compilation on river reversal, is interested in following
whether the policy of representation by nationalities in republic party
and government bodies becomes an issue in Central Asia. 0PA analysts
c lained not only about receiving so much material the cannot keep up
with it but also receiving the materfa too late for it to be of any
t Muslim nationalities
bra ue. is is a problem no on wit Xt~
re ortin ut let re or ing. ial does not appear in
t e Daily Report, there is little likeliwl e a e o use it
1.t ;(1 f
4
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 ~j centra pres-such as_LIT_GAZ_ They expressed co idence in the expertise
other than in a research paper. They read the TRENDS articles on Soviet
nationalities and find them useful as a summary of important articles
and speeches on the subject and as a comparison with other material they
are receiving. said she is not aware of having missed any 25X1
important items from the reub~ic~ps bu. sai tFBIS has not
nublished important articles on nationality and regional issues from the
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? UU1 [IUL1 tML 4
OPA/NESA
is the OPA analyst for Egypt. He believes FBIS coverage 25X1
of Egypt has been very good and that there are no coverage gaps. He finds
both the Daily Report and the JPRS very useful. He said that the special
series of JPRS reports on Egypt has been very useful, particularly those
on the opposition press and military affairs: He added that OGSR found
the special report on housing very useful for their project on the housing
problem in Cairo and used the JPRS as one of their basic sources. Reidle
would like to receive the information on the opposition press more rapidly
and suggested that this compilation be published monthly rather than
quarterly or that he be able to receive advance copies. said he
25X1
has very good working relations with his counterpart in . n
25X1
B,
OPA/Southwest Asia Analytic Center
Deputy Chief of the Southwest Asia Analytic Center, and
25X1
t e Center's Iranian anal st, both said that FBIS has done a very
25X1
good. ~o on Iranian coverage.
said that toda 's Iranian analyst
25X1
in the same position as the of ina analyst i_ that hP mus-t epend
on FBIS for his information. He sai IS has been very helpful in pro-
vidig the tex .s o ranian leaders' speeches and t e pronouncements of
Iranian leftwin groups and acrdeo that FBIS' provision of how long it
takes Khomeyni: to deliver each speec has been very valuable to them in
determining the state of Khomeyni's health. said he is impressed
25X1
with how FBIS always seems to monitor important speeches no matter when
they are del yere zrwzth o erceptive FBIS-has een in pion s ng_
statements leaders lp who~nan analysts should be interested. He said
that the value of the coverage of regional egional r3ios d end on the situa-
tion in. Tehran and that he anticipates this coy re age wall e very
important as disorder increases in Iran. FBIS coverage of clandestine
radios, including NVOI, has also been valuable; FBIS coverage of the
Kurdish Democratic Partyy radio broadcasts has been particularly useful
and has provided almost as much information as technical means. They
said they agree with the selection of articles appearing in JPRS and
believe FBIS is covering everything they need. They do appreciate the
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Daily Report's carrying important newspaper articles, however.
said the Daily Report articles on Iran serve as a ma'oi_r support for their
short-deadline rodu -and that JPRS serves as a good research source.
They ave found the JPRS reporting from leftwing publications, including
that of the Tudeh Party, particularly valuable. TRENDS articles are
particularly useful to the Center's Soviet analyst, but other members of
the Center also find them thought-provoking. Both said they have a good
working relationship with their counterparts in AG and NEAAD. ee
C,
OPA/West Europe
25X1
25X1
is the OPA analyst for Turkey. He likes the FBIS product
very much and finds it very useful. He has particularly liked the
topical reports, and he had high praise for the special JPRS reports on
Turkish terrorism and sectarian violence, which he said had provided
him with a great deal of insight and a real feel for what is going on
in Turkey. He relies on the FBIS Wire to keep him informed on what he
needs to know currently, and he uses the Daily Report more as a good
historical record; he praised the quality of the Wire's selection.
He would like JPRS to publish more political information such as editorials
and feature articles as well as more articles on social problems and
public opinion. He believes that FBIS is now providing sufficient informa-
tion on, the Kurds and suggested that JPRS update and reissue previous
special reports on terrorist groups and Kurdish activist groups. He also
found the AG Special Memorandum on the Turkish-language clandestines
particularly useful. F7
D. OCR/ISG Near East-South Asia 25X1
, OCR analyst for Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, 25X1
said she is receiving particularly useful biographic information and
photographs from the Pakistani papers being processed by NEAAD. Speeches
by Bangladesh officials have also been particularly useful. OCR 25X1
analyst for India and Sri Lanka, said she also is finding a great deal of
useful information in the JPRS, including speeches and biographic informa-
tion on second level government figures. Both said that they exploit the
JPRS for information on the Pakistani and Indian nuclear programs and
dissidents, and both confirmed that they receive a good deal of information
from FBIS that they do not get anywhere else. They said hey have_b en
very aware the extra coverage added by FBIS and are finding it very
useful. F-1
is the AG analyst for Afghanistan. He said that he believes
coverage o ghanistan is much improved and that he is delighted with the
material he is getting. He particularly praised the improved radio
coverage and the press coverage by Bangkok Bureau. ee
25X1
25X1
25X1
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I. Wrap-up of Consumer Reaction--Soviet Muslim Product
The survey of consumers of the Soviet Muslim Nationalities product
revealed pleased--and in many cases very enthusiastic--consumers for
each type of article now being published. OGSR analysts are interested
in articles on demographic issues; republic and regional economic issues;
Russian-language training; education; religion; labor and manpower; and
culture, both items which have current political importance and historical
articles. DDO/LAD has similar interests. OCR is interested in biographic
and organizational information for its manual files and articles on
religion, culture, and demography for its computer files. OER needs
articles on labor and manpower, education, demography, and regional
investments and interests such as the river reversal project. OPA and
AG are interested in the political aspects of the Soviet nationality
question at the republic, regional, and national level. They need
articles on culture, religion, and economic issues which have a current
context and which identify problems that impact on the Soviet leadership.
All the analysts, with the exception of the OCR officer, have regular
contacts with the UD documents officers. Analysts in OGSR and IAD, who
have been relying heavily on UD during the past year for the information
the have needed, praised the cooperation and support they have received.
that the Ba are cer~ y as important as~entral Asia, par trlrry
wl the current unres in 5I id A Third AG analyst has no problem
with the current amount of Community attention given to Soviet Central
Asia except to the extent that it seems overcommitted to Uzbekistan and
therefore insufficiently committed to Tajikistan and Azerbaijan , areas
which should be of much greater Intelligence Community interest. However,
he likewise feels that the Community is overcommitted to Central Asia and
that more attention should be paid to other republics, including the
Baltics. 25X1
tration were primarily interested in Soviet Central Asia, Intelligence
Community collection and production have been too narrowly focused on the
Soviet Muslim republics and that too much emphasis has been placed on
cultural affairs at the expense of iir~ olitica subjects. Both believe
II. Focus of Soviet Nationality Attention
I asked the analysts I interviewed on the Soviet Muslim Nationalities
product whether they feel FBIS, and indeed the entire Community, has been
devoting too much attention to Central Asia at the expense of other Soviet
non-Russian republics. The Chief, Soviet Internal Branch, OPA, and his
analysts, as well as the Chief, USSR/EE Branch of the Analysis Group and
his analyst, believe that because policymakers in the previous Adminis-
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Analysts in OGSR and TAD that attention Central Asia has not
been overdone however.
o,
o es in t e process o i7e ullding, and while they feel
additional coverage should be devoted to the Baltics, neither want that
extra coverage at the expense of cutting back reporting on Central Asia.
Both feel that the Soviet nationalities program is still of interest to
the new Administration. OCR agrees that there is still high interest in
the Soviet nationalities issue but has no preference for what republics
should be covered. The OER analyst has a personal interest in Soviet
Central Asia but indicated that her office as a whole is more interested
in GNP than nationalities. F-1
I raise these points because I believe that now that we have deter-
mined consumers are happy with FBIS' new coverage of the Soviet Muslim
republics, which was established in response to the instructions of the
previous Administration, it is time to ask a new intelligence question.
As I interviewed analysts on the Soviet nationality question,_I realized
that because of the previous Administration's interests, the Agency's,
interest in nationalities has been defined by most as an interest in
Central Asia. In other words, interest in Soviet nationalities has been
defined as interest in Muslims, which has meant interest in Soviet Central
Asia. As a consequence, many of those who work primarily on nationalities
and who were interviewed for this report have an obvious self-interest
in the preservation of the coverage which now exists. Others who have a
more oneral interest in Soviet politics argue either tf the program
should be expan eded to include alma it onalifies or that the ''NE_1im'''
CSgram-shoul-d-be more politically focused. I think now would be the
appropriat ime to rr xee~amine that position and to raise with other
Agency managers the balance of the focus on the Soviet nationality
problem. u
Should FBIS find that the new Administration wishes the Community to
refocus the direction of its collection and production on Soviet nation-
alities, the present UD Muslim Program could be combined with those UD
officers now exploiting the press from other non-Russian republics and
therefore could be expanded into a Soviet Nationalities Program in the
USSR Division. The USSR Division, on its own initiative and without
any increase in funds, has already acquired a capability in Estonian
and Lithuanian--two-thirds of the Baltics--as well as in Belorussian
and Ukrainian. In addition, an FY 1982 enhanced package, now awaiting
Congressional approval, provides 7 new positions for the USSR Division
to permit coverage of 163 additional Soviet publications on economic
and military subjects and on the non-Muslim minorities.
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III. FBIS Working Relationships
Recently both AG and UD have taken steps to improve their working
relationship. UD has established regular weekly forums with AG to
coordinate collection activities with analysts' needs. The Chief,
USSR/EE Branch, AG has invited the Coordinator of the UD Soviet Muslim
Program to attend his weekly branch meeting to share information on
planned analytical projects. For this week's UD meeting, UD officers
have prepared a list of unique items which have appeared in the local
language press but not in the Russian-language press. UD will indicate
which items have been selected for processing, and AG officers will
have the opportunity to suggest additional selections. Such cooperative
steps should be encouraged by FBIS management.
IV. Cooperative Analytical Series
During the consumer interviews I realized once again the respect
which Agency consumers have for the expertise of Production Group officers.
HUMINT Tasking Officers regularly ask me to arrange briefings for them
with Production Group as well as AG officers when they begin to write new
tasking plans. During these recent interviews, analysts in OPA and OER
commented favorably on UD Soviet Muslim officers' expertise, and the OGSR
analyst said that he submits draft copies of intelligence reports to both
UD and AG for substantive review and comment. The question surfaced
during the course of my study of how the considerable talent and expertise
in both the UD Soviet Muslim Program and other Production Group divisions
might be recognized and tapped. Many of the current officers in Production
Group have advanced degrees and are considered specialists in their areas
by analysts in the Intelligence Community. In the Soviet Muslim area,
many Agency officers feel that the Agency's expertise on Soviet nation-
alities is located in the Production Gr, oup, and they frequently turn to
these officers with their questions.
style. "`~--- - 25X1
Recognizing such expertise, the Production Group instituted the Foreign
Press Note as a vehicle for Prod officers to advise consumers of items of
interest as well as the results of research and analysis. This is an
excellent first step and has contributed to improved morale in Production
Group. Many Prod officers have expressed to me, however, that they feel
the Foreign Press Note is not as respected or widely circulated as it
could be, while consumers on the other hand have commented that the Foreign
Press Notes at times tend to be uneven in analytical quality and editorial
Perhaps it is time to consider a new form of publication which would
permit contributions by Production Group, Operations Group, and Analysis
Group officers. One suggestion is a ,Special Memorandum series called
"Media Analysis: Soviet Nationalities," which would contain articles
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contributed by both the AG and UD officers working on this area. The
series should probably be classified Confidential for the normal six-
year period because of Soviet sensitivity over the nationality issue.
Other special memorandum series might be considered for other areas of
the world or topics. Such a series should be established with the under-
standing that all articles should be subjected to the same substantive
i and editorial review as that now given to articles written by AG analysts.
9 The institution of such a new series could result in the gradual phasing
`'- pii~ of the Foreign Press Notes in favor of one unified system in FBIS.
V. Cooperation with OCR
During the course of the consumer interviews, we began discussions
with OCR on how to make the UD biographic and bibliographic files on
untranslated articles from the vernacular press available to Community
analysts. Analysts in OGSR, OER, and OPA to whom we mentioned this file
were also enthusiastic about this new research tool. Members of OCR
have asked to visit FBIS next month to discuss how to organize the UD
files so that they will be most useful to Community analysts as well as
whether OCR should take over the files or should work in partnership with
UD and refer analysts directly to UD. OCR officers are also interested
in visiting the AG Research Branch to learn about its new files, and they
want to become acquainted with officers in UD and AG who are working on
the Soviet nationality- problem. In connection with the new UD bibli-
ographic files, I suggest that FBIS examine the feasibility of micro-
filming the Soviet vernacular press. These newspapers and journals are
now retained for one year, but if the files are to be valuable as a
retrospective research tool which analysts can use to identify articles
which should be translated for analytical projects, UD could eventually
be asked to translate articles more than a year old. Efforts should
therefore be made to retain those papers in some formreferably
microfilm, to provide the backup to this index file.
VI. New Forms and Packaging
During the course of the interviews, several suggestions were made
regarding the form and packaging of the Muslim'.World product.
A. Soviet Regional Radio Broadcasts: Although Islamabad is
currently providing only Russian-language regional radio broadcasts,
Gulf Bureau is beginning to process Soviet regional broadcasts in the
vernacular. Such an item appeared in the 9 March 1981 Daily Report,
but a consumer who was scanning the Table of Contents for such broad-
casts would have been unable to distinguish it. The item, a Tashkent
in Uzbek broadcast titled "Post-Mao Unrest, Power Struggle in PRC
Noted," appeared under the China section of the USSR Daily Report.
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Two suggestions for correcting this problem are: (1) Continue to
publish such items in the Daily Report under the appropriate area
headline but note after the title the transmitter and language.
In this case, the above item would have read "Post-Mao Unrest,
Power Struggle in PRC Noted [Tashkent in Uzbek]." (2) Republish
these Soviet regional radio broadcasts in the vernacular, as well
as Russian-language broadcasts on Soviet nationalities, in the
JPRS as is now done for the Worldwide Reports. The amount of
republishing would be minimal, and consumers would have the con-
venience of receiving all items on the nationality question.in one
publication.
f N~/df~~L ~ t
B. Separate JPRS: I asked consumers whether they would find
it more useful to receive a separate JPRS on "Soviet Non-Russian
Republics." Only OCR and DDO/IAD thought a separate JPRS would be
more convenient; all other consumers prefer the present configura-
tion. n
C. Tables of Contents: It was suggested that Tables of Contents
of Soviet vernacular-language journals which are not also published
in Russian be translated and circulated to consumers as is now being
done very successfully by the China Program. This would give analysts
a better feel for the subjects being discussed in these journals and
could assist in refining the selection of articles for translation.
D. Summaries and Comments: I raised with consumers whether it
would be more convenient for them to receive the Soviet Muslim World
product in another form. Because JPRS has only a handful of indepen-
dent contractors who can handle the languages of the Muslim nationali-
ties of the USSR and because some of those contractors are also scanning
the press as well as producing translations, there is a limit to how
much of this material can be made available to consumers and how quickly.
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It was suggested that the UD Muslim World Program issue short
summaries of articles appearing in the vernacular press along with
clearly marked translator's comments. These summaries would not be
a substitute for the materials now being texted but would be an
additional service provided to consumers. These summaries could be
disseminated to consumers in the JPRS or by some other format which
would not be as formal and could be disseminated more quickly. The
summaries would be in consumers' hands two or three days after UD
receives the publications. The summaries would call analysts'
attention to important items in a time frame when they would be more
useful, and it would give analysts a better feel for what kinds of
information are available in the vernacular press and the quantity
of press attention given to particular subjects. Analysts could
request translations from UD, thereby ensuring that items selected
for translation are indeed responsive to consumers needs.
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Chief, Tel Aviv Bureau
Chief, Jordan Bureau
Chief, Nicosia Bureau
Chief, Gulf Bureau
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OPA analysts were enthusiastic about this approach because they
would have information more quickly and would not have to read through
.~( long translations to learn what the item is about and whether the infor-
mation it contains will be useful. In fact, OPA analysts liked the idea
so much that they suggested the same approach be used for Russian-
language publications, and they pointed out that FBIS is the only
collector which does not provide "source. comment" for the convenience
of the consumer. Analysts in OER, DDO/IAD, and OGSR also expressed
interest in such an approach as making aking the most economical use of
FBIS resources and their time.
E. Georgian Scans: The JPRS Georgian-language independent contrac-
tor currently prepares a monthly compilation of articles in the Georgian
press. The items are arranged by subject and have a table of contents.
This compilation is not being disseminated outside of FBIS because there
is no agreed-upon format to use for its dissemination. I am certain
consumers would like to see this product and feel it is a waste of
resources to prepare such a useful compilation and then not disseminate
it. I suggest that FBIS office rs'try to reach some agreement on how
this type of material could be distributed to consumers. Such a com-
pilation could also be use l for the press from the Muslim republics,
particularly for offices such as OGSR and DDO/IAD which do not need
such information on a v;/r; current basis.