INTRA-BLOC AND INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS OF THE SINO-SOVIET BLOC 1950-65

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• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79R01141A002000040002-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 36
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 25, 2013
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: June 1, 1961
• Content Type: REPORT

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SECRET N? 124
Economic Intelligence Report
INTRA-BLOC AND INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS
OF THE SINO-SOVIET BLOC
1950-65
CIA/RR ER 61-18
June 1961
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Office of Research and Reports
SECRET
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SECRET
Economic Intelligence Report
INTRA-BLOC AND INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS
OF THE SINO-SOVIET BLOC
1950-65
CIA/RR ER 61-18
WARNING
This material contains information affecting
the National Defense of the United States
within the meaning of the espionage laws,
Title 18, USC, Secs. 793 and 794, the trans-
mission or revelation of which in any manner
to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Office of Research and Reports
SECRET
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FOREWORD
This report focuses sharply on two significant fields of telecom-
munications services of the Sino-Soviet Bloc as a whole: intra-Bloc
services and international services. Only the principal services and
trunk routes are considered. Functional systems and services used by
specialized entities for specialized services are not considered.
The strategic implications of a recent trend among the Bloc coun-
tries toward the solution of mutual telecommunications problems by the
coordinated application of modern technology enhances the intelligence
timeliness of this report.
To insure sharp focus on intra-Bloc and international aspects of
the subject matter, this report avoids treatment of related detail.
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CONTENTS
Summary and Conclusions
I. Introduction . . . . , ............. .
II. Telecommunications Facilities and Their Utilization,
1960
.
Page
1
3
3
A. Intra-Bloc
3
B. International
4
Growth of Telecommunications, 1950-60
5
A. Telecommunications Facilities and Services
? ?
?
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5
B. Problems Affecting Growth
7
1. Capital, Labor, and Equipment
7
2. Standardization
8
IV.
Plans and Progress, 1961-65
9
A. Integration 9
B. Reliability 10
C. Capacity 11
V. Prospects
Appendixes
Appendix A. Glossary of Technical Terms
12
15
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Maps
?
Figure 1. Sino-Soviet Bloc: Main Intra-Bloc Wire-
line, Cable, and Microwave Radio Relay
Lines, 1960 and 1965
Figure 2. Sino-Soviet Bloc: Intra-Bloc Coverage
of Domestic Amplitude-Modulated Radio-
broadcasting Transmissions, 1960 . . .
Figure 3. Sino-Soviet Bloc: Intra-Bloc Coverage
of Domestic Frequency-4Modu1ated Radio-
broadcasting and Television Transmis-
sions, 1960 and 1965
Figure 4. Sino-Soviet Bloc: Intra-Bloc "Inter-
vision" Television Network, 1960 and
1965
Following Page
14.
14.
14.
14.
Figure 5. Sino-Soviet Bloc: Main International
Wireline, Cable, and Microwave Radio
Relay Lines, 1960 and 1965 6
Figure 6. Sino-Soviet Bloc: Main International
Point-to-Point Radio Circuits, 1960 . 6
Figure 7. Sino-Soviet Bloc: Coverage of Domestic
Amplitude-Modulated Radiobroadcasting
Transmissions Received Outside the
Bloc, 1960
Figure 8. Sino-Soviet Bloc: Coverage of Domestic
Frequency-Modulated Radiobroadcasting
and Television Transmissions Received
Outside the Bloc, 1960 and 1965 . . . .
Figure 9. Sino-Soviet Bloc: Main Target Areas and
Program Hours of International Radio-
broadcasting, 1950 and 1960
Figure 10. Sino-Soviet Bloc: "Intervision" and
"Eurovision" Television Networks, 1960
and 1965
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6
6
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INTRA-BLOC AND INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS
OF THE SINO-SOVIET BLOC*
1950-65
Summary and Conclusions
Intra-Bloc telecommunications services assist in "tying" together
rapidly the varied military, political, economic, and mass "education"
activities of the Sino-Soviet Bloc. International telecommunica-
tions** services facilitate Bloc*** interests and penetration activi-
ties abroad.
Present telecommunications resources fulfill over-all Bloc needs
but with facilities that are old and primitive. Many telecommunica-
tions systems have equipment that is incompatible, and still others
fall far short of the demand for traffic-handling capacity. Only a
handful of existing facilities are capable of long-distance transmis-
sion of television programs. Few meet international standards set
forth by the technical committees of the International Telecommunica-
tion Union (ITU). In general, intra-Bloc facilities are considered to
be "soft," or vulnerable, in that most facilities are above ground,
where they are subject to natural and man-made destruction, in contra-
distinction to "hardened" underground construction.
To overcome many of these admitted shortcomings, the Bloc has
created mechanisms to plan for and to implement the provision of
greatly enlarged facilities for both intra-Bloc and international
telecommunications. These actions are consistent with over-all Bloc
objectives to strengthen its power at home and to assert that power
more forcefully abroad.
Prospects for fulfillment of the telecommunications plans by the
Bloc by 1965 are good but not assured. Uneven appreciation of re-
search and development efforts, shortages of fabricating capacity for
the civil sector, and inadequate supplies of highly trained techni-
cians to install, operate, and maintain modern complex equipment will
complicate, if not retard, plan schedules.
* The estimates and conclusions in this report represent the best
judgment of this Office as of 1 March 1961. Technical terms are de-
fined in Appendix A, Glossary of Technical Terms.
** The term international telecommunications as used in this report
refers to telecommunications between Sino-Soviet Bloc countries and
the rest of the world.
*** Unless otherwise indicated, the term Bloc as used in this report
refers to the Sino-Soviet Bloc.
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I. Introduction
Within the framework of the economic, political, and military
goals of the Sino-Soviet Bloc, telecommunications has played an im-
portant part, and it is expected that this part will continue to grow
in stature as extensive new facilities are provided to meet rising
needs. As the countries of the Bloc develop and their activities be-
come complex and more interwoven, there falls to services such as tele-
communications the need to tie these "separate" states more closely
together so that their activities can rapidly be given better direc-
tion and sharper focus. The effects of these services are closer
control, accelerated coordination, intensified integration, and im-
proved mass "education." Domestic telecommunications services produce
these effects internally for each country, but it is the intra-Bloc
and international services, treated in this report, that help to bind
the Bloc together to achieve its internal and external goals -- eco-
nomic, political, and military.
II. Telecommunications Facilities and Their Utilization, 1960
A. Intra-Bloc
The basic telephone and telegraph networks of the countries of
the Bloc provide the main arteries for rapid electric intra-Bloc com-
munications. Using open wireline and multiconductor cable, these net-
works carry telephone, regular telegraph, TELEX (subscriber teletype
service), data, and facsimile services to state enterprises, military
organizations, political and administrative bodies, and the general
public. The map, Figure 1,* shows the main telecommunications arteries
* Following p. 4.
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(1960 and 1965) among the countries of the Bloc. Lines such as these
largely carry or will carry the burden of "tying" the countries of
the Bloc together, as figuratively represented above, into a more
cohesive force for achieving Communist goals.
Radiobroadcasting and television services provide the broad
basis for mass communications. Using radiobroadcasting and television
transmitters, these facilities broadcast amplitude-modulated (AM) and
frequency-modulated (FM) radio and television services throughout the
Bloc. The map, Figure 2,* shays the estimated coverage of AM radio
transmitters in the Bloc engaged in domestic service that reach beyond
domestic borders and portrays the intra-Bloc character of essentially
domestic radiobroadcasting service. The same is true of the map, Fig-
ure 3,* which shows the estimated coverage of FM radio transmitters
and television stations in the Bloc engaged in domestic service that
also reach beyond domestic borders. It was these facilities taken to-
gether that led Sergey Kaftanav, Chairman of the State Committee for
Radiobroadcasting and Television in the USSR, to say that they consti-
tute "a most important means LTOE7 the ideological and political edu-
cation of the LB1o2.7." 2/
In addition to carrying telephone and telegraph services, some
main arteries relay radio and television programs. The lines that
make up the television network of the Bloc, "Intervision," are shown
on the map, Figure 4.* They linked only four countries of the Bloc
in 1960, but eventually the network is to include all countries of the
Bloc.
B. International
The basic telephone and telegraph networks of the countries
of the Bloc also provide the main arteries for international telecom-
munications. Using open wireline, cable, and point-to-point radio
* Following p. 4.
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SINO-SOVIET BLOC: MAIN INTRA-BLOC WIRELINE, CABLE,
AND MICROWAVE RADIO RELAY LINES, 1960 AND 1965
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CANADA
dr..;
FIGgoki
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Pe m'
helyabinsk
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tint tilt
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Microwave radio relay crummy( minimum nnynnunnt
Coaxial cable
Multiconductor cable
Open wireline with carrier -----
Open wireline
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SINO-SOVIET BLOC: INTRA-BLOC COVERAGE OF DOMESTIC
AMPLITUDE-MODULATED RADIOBROADCASTING TRANSMISSIONS, 1960
CANADA
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104 111111011MilL'-'11k
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'Rik
Area exposed to domestic AM broadcasts
from cuiother bloc country
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Area exposto domestic ss.
AM broadcasts
from onotb bloc-c?unti4jii) .
...--.
The shaded areas represent the estimated
coverage of medium and low-frequency AM
radio transmissions in the Sino-Soviet Bloc en-
gaged in domestic service but whose broad-
casts reach beyond domestic borders. Al-
though these broadcasts are designed for
domestic listeners, they also reach foreign
listeners and thereby represent a form of
Intro-Bloc coverage.
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SINO-SOVIET BLOC: INTRA-BLOC COVERAGE OF DOMESTIC, FREQUENCY-MODULATED RADIOBROADCASTING AND TELEVISION TRANSMISSIONS, 1960 AND 1965
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FIGURE 3
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SINO-SOVIET BLOC: INTRA-BLOC
"INTERVISION" TELEVISION NETWORK, 1960 AND 1965
,
FIGURE 4
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Microwave radio relay
Coaxial cable
In Under Planne<
operation construction (1965)
(RMICUIff(tf tlIfICMIIIIIIIt IIIIMIIIIICIIICI
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facilities, these networks carry telephone, regular telegraph, TELEX,
and facsimile services. The map, Figure 5,* shows the main landline
arteries between the Bloc and the rest of the world, and the map,
Figure 6,* shows the main radio arteries between the Bloc and the rest
of the world. It is these lines that help extend the activities of the
Bloc directly throughout the world, as figuratively represented above.
Telecommunications support the program of the Bloc for penetra-
tion by means of broadcasting, by the export of equipment and techni-
cians, and by the establishment of direct telecommunications circuits
for operational purposes. The maps, Figures 7 and 8,* illustrate the
domestic broadcasting facilities of the Bloc that reach beyond indi-
vidual country borders. The map, Figure 9,* which is discussed in con-
nection with the growth of international radiobroadcasting in the fol-
lowing section, shows the main target areas of international radio-
broadcasting by the Bloc. Also using "Intervision" connections,** the
Bloc occasionally exchanges live television programs with the countries
of Western Europe over the "Eurovision" network.xxx The map, Figure l0,*
indicates the coverage of the two television networks. The future use
of this combined coverage, when the "Intervision" network is completed,
is a major unknown factor that could be a powerful propaganda force for
either the Bloc or the countries of Western Europe.
The export of telecommunications equipment and technicians is
of particular importance because of the strategic nature of telecom-
munications facilities. The establishment of direct radio circuits
under...the guise of support for "helpful missions," "news agencies," and
the like is a newer and more menacing threat. Such circuits provide
close control and coordination of penetrative activities of the Bloc
in countries subject to Communist expansion and avoid the use of relay
facilities of non-Bloc countries. 4/
Growth of Telecommunications, 1950-60
A. Telecommunications Facilities and Services
Telecommunications facilities and services among the countries
of the Bloc and between the Bloc and the rest of the world increased
and improved during 1950-60. In 1950, only telephone and regular tele-
graph services were available. Because of the poor condition of wire-
lines and cable lines, the reliability of these services was not high.
* Following p. 6.
** See IV, A, p. 9, below.
xxx 'Eurovision" is the name of the television network connecting
countries of Western Europe
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Most of the attention of the telecommunications authorities in the
countries of, the Bloc was devoted to purely domestic problems in try-
ing to cope with the demands of their own economies Just beginning to
gain momentum after the reconstruction years following World War II.
In the mid-1950's the importance of intra-Bloc and interna-
tional telecommunications began to be recognized. Regular telephone
and telegraph services were imprbved. Specialized services, such as
TELEX and facsimile, were introduced. Plans were devised for the in-
stallation of high-capacity, multipurpose, multiuser microwave radio
relay and coaxial cable lines for mainline routes. Microwave radio
relay lines amounted to only an estimated total of 1,100 kilometers
(km) in 1955, and most of these facilities were used solely for domes-
tic services. Coaxial cable lines were in the planning stage. Organi-
zations to view telecommunications objectives on a Blocwide basis, such
as the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CEMA), the Warsaw Pact,
and the Organization for Cooperation Among the Socialist Countries in
the Fields of Post and Communications (OSS), were being formed or given
impetus.
By 1960 the results of many of the efforts, begun in the middle
years of the decade; were becoming evident. All countries of the Bloc
were engaged in automating their domestic telephone networks as a
prelude to future automation on a Blocwide basis. The regular tele-
graph service for intra-Bloc use was improved by the formation of a
GENTEX network. This network provides special circuits employing
either semiautomatic or automatic switching equipment to speed tele-
graph traffic among the countries of the European Satellites and the
USSR. In addition to TELEX and facsimile service, which had been
augmented and improved since 1955, data transmission service was in-
troduced. The construction of modern facilities was begun in earnest.
Microwave radio relay lines -- although mostly of relatively low capa-
city (24 telephone channels) -- were extended to 16,000 km, and coaxial
cable lines amounted to about 1,000 km. Other modern types of common
facilities such as tropospheric, ionospheric, and meteor-burst radio
scatter techniques were employed on a few experimental circuits in
1960. The activities of CEMA and OSS were well established and had
begun to function effectively. .2/
Almost independent of the growth of telephone, telegraph, and
common facilities was that of intra-Bloc and international broadcasting.
Long before 1950 the countries of the Bloc were strongly conscious of
the propaganda capabilities of broadcasting. Under the auspices of the
International Radiobroadcasting and Television Organization (OIRT),*
* OIRT, a Bloc-dominated organization, effects cooperation among the
Bloc and some non-Bloc member countries (Finland, Iraq, the United
Arab Republic, and Yugoslavia) in the field of radiobroadcasting and
television.
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SINO-SOVIET BLOC: MAIN INTERNATIONAL WIRELINE,
CABLE, AND MICROWAVE RADIO RELAY LINES, 1960 AND 1965
CANADA
FIG16(1
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eangrad
-
64
Perm'
Chelyabinsk
mint MOM) 111111)11110
Khabarovsk
gettituttuticinutt
ovosibi'rs
pavlovsk
Semipalatinsk
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tolingrod *V.,..? S
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an
AFGHANISTAN
Herat
Urumchi Chengchou
C gkin
K'un-mi g
ar'ee in
PAKISTAN
Arabian
In Under Under Planned
Type of circuit 2piri construction (1965)
Microwave radio relay ((MUUMUU MUUMUU
Coaxial cable ? ? ? ? ? ? --
Multiconductor cable
Open wireline with carrier
Open wireline
INDIAN
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ntervision" and "Eurovision" Television Networks,11960 and 1965
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FIGURE 10
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