MEMORANDUM OF MEETING: WORKING GROUP - COMMITTEE ON BROADCASTING AND TELEVISION (COBAT)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-01634R000300030016-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 17, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 11, 2000
• Sequence Number: 16
• Publication Date: May 22, 1956
• Content Type: MIN

Approved For Release 2000/08/27 : CIA-RD
SECRET
OPERATIONS COORDINATING BOARD
Washington 25, D.C.
May 22, 1956
MEMORANDUM OF MEETING: Working Group - Committee on Broadcasting
and Television (GOBAT)
16th Meeting held 2 p.m., May 21, 1956
OCB Conference Room
Working Group Members Presents
USIA - Frederick A. Long, Acting Chairman
ICA - Harry Carr (alternate)
Defense - Col. M. E. Williamson
State - Mr, Sidney B. Jacques
Mrs. Florence T. Dowling (alternate)
CIA. - Representative Present
OCB - Leslie Brady
Ralph Busick
Marjorie Denny
USIA - George Jacobs
1. The minutes of the 14ay 7th meeting were adopted.
2. The Defense Member reported that its first IV installation to begin
operations in Canada would be at Goose Bay rather than at Harmon, as reported
at the last meeting.
3. COBAT was informed of the following action taken by the Board Assist-
ants on May 16: {
"Returned the papers entitled 'International Broadcasting Facilities',
dated May 3 and May 15 respectively, to the Committee on Broadcasting and
Television (in consultation with the Technical Panel for International Broad-
casting) for revision following preparation of a statement for the U.S.
Information Agency by the Department of State as to the adequacy, from the
foreign policy objective s'andpoint, of existing and planned overseas broad:-
cast facilities, taking into account the lead-time required to develop new
installations as well as the usual budgetary and priority factors."
The Committee agreed that no action could be taken until after the
State Department had prepared its statement for the USIA.
4. The alternate member for State, who had just returned from a series
of color TV demonstrations held in the U.S. and Europe for the C.C.I.R.,
reported that no firm recommendations had yet been drawn up regarding standardi-
zation of color TV service for Europe,,
Ap roved Fo Release 2000/08/27: CIA-RDP78-01634R000300030016.6
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 Approved For Release 2000/08/27 : CIA-RDP78-01634R000300030016-9
5. In connection with the project of a radio station for Libya to
counteract the Egyptian radio and meet the needs of education, a USIA
representative orally presented facts and figures on population and receiver
coverage which could be accomplished with various broadcast installations.
,(These technical details will later be furnished COBAT in the form of a
t memorandum.) As a result of the population distribution, power situation,
limited number of frequencies available, and lack of trained Libyan technical
personnel, USIA suggested the installation of several low-powered stations,
rather than one higher-power transmitter. In making this suggestion, USIA
pointed out that a finite broadcast plan for Libya could not be developed
until some of the many variables had been studied further. Following discussion,
there was general agreement that an on-the-spot survey was needed. The Defense
Member then volunteered to explore the possibility of using the technical
services of military personnel based at Tripoli, who have knowledge of the
terrain and local conditions, for this survey,
6. The next meeting of the Committee will be held Monday, May 28th
at 2 P.M. at OCR,
Ralph R. Busick
Staff Representative
SECRET
Approved For Release 2000/08/27 : CIA-RDP78-01634R000300030016-9