EFFECTIVENESS OF USSR JAMMING OPERATIONS AGAINST THE VOICE OF AMERICA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79S01011A000900030016-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 17, 2000
• Sequence Number: 16
• Content Type: REPORT

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Security Information
Effectiveness of USSR
Jamming Operations
Against the Voice of
America
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SECURITY IT'ORMATION
12 March 1953
E FFECT NES OF USSR "a= OPE=TOr
AGAINST THE VO a =ICA
This report is based on an analysis of the 1952 Penetration Report
for the Voice of America. The Penetration Report is derived largely
from radio reception reports which are prepared by the United States
diplomatic posts in or near Voice of America target areas, and
supplemented in some instances by reports of interviews of escapees,
reports of listening panels, as well as monitoring;
reports from Voice relay bases.
At the time the Penetration Report was written, supplementary
sources of information were explored to the extent possible consistent
with time available. It is believed that the data used in the Report
represents the principal sources, but possibly not all available on
the subject.
In this analysis it was noted that the reception reports were
prepared from material derived from monitoring or "listening in"
near Voice of America target areas. It was especially noted that
reports taken from esca7_'es were used only in those instances where
the escapee demonstrated fami ]'rarity with program times, frequencies,
names of announcers and such other data which would indicate a real
knowledge of Voice of America programming
25X1 C
It should also be noted that all progrananing, during the reporting
period January to December 1952, was of a propaganda nature and as such
was "fair game" for jamming; thus the statistics presented are not
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diluted by any soft pcrograms of an unobjectionable nature.
A statistical summary derived from 2258 Embassy monitoring reports
for 1952 revealed that programs directed to the European satellites
on high frequency provided good or better reception on at least one
of the program channels for 65% of the monitoring periods, 22% more
fair to poor, and 13% were obliterated by jarmning. Medium wave
Broadcasts in the same area indicated 50% good or better, 31% fair
to poor and 19% were obliterated. VOA Broadcasts directed to China
and Korea provided reception in the target area of 97% good or better
for High Frequency and 16% good or better for medium wave with gg
programming jammed to obliteration. VGA transmissions to non-satellite
countries has provided a slightly higher average quality of reception
than in the satellites.
very closely for the same areas covered.
In contrast to this relatively high penetration in the satellite
and non-satellite countries, there is only sporadic penetration within
USSR proper. This is especially so in the large urban centers, for
example reports from Moscow indicate that extremely strong jamming
makes reception generally impossible within the city with partial
intelligibility being possible 9 miles outside of Moscow. There have
been reports of good but irrigular reception in the more rural
sections.
VOA as well as B.B.C. program relay channels have been relatively
free from interruption from jamming. Circuit reliability averages
range mostly between 85 to 95% reliability occasionally dropping to
70 at some bases, and very rarely lower 70`% the lowest reliability
25X1 C
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reported (47%) was a Russian language program relay circuit to Manila
0315 to 031+5 hours,
At the other extreme Tangier received the same
transmissions with 8$ reliability and all other Russian and Ukrainian
language program relays with 95 to 99,E reliability. It should be
understood that lack of reliability was not always due entirely to
jammitng alone but also from probation irregularities, atmospherics,
ate.
While some individuals intimately connected with VOA operations
have within the past two months tended to anticipate a trend toward more
jamming and less effective penetration, primarily because of physical
evidence of new installations suspected of being additional jamming
capacity, the latest reports do not yet bear out such a trend. However,
it should be pointed out that the January-February 1953 reports are not
yet complete.
SMI8
Agreement between reporting sources on major aspects tends to
confirm the validity of the evaluations on degree of penetration
25X1C
The differential between intensive jamming in the USSR proper and
the lesser jamming in the satellites may indicate that Soviet and
satellite jamming is confined to their respective defensive needs, and
thus that their legal position under the pertinent provisions of the ITU
Convention is sound.
S+ECUT
SECURITY INFORMATION
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