MONTHLY REPORT -- LONDON BUREAU -- MAY 1981

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00385R000200080016-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 17, 2007
• Sequence Number: 16
• Publication Date: July 5, 1981
• Content Type: MEMO

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5 June 1981
MLD-1022
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director, FBIS
FROM: Chief, London Bureau
THROUGH: Chief, Operations Group
SUBJECT: Monthly Report -- London Bureau -- May 1981
STAT
A. Editorial/Monitorial
1. The Polish crisis and Yugoslavia's domestic contentions and
war of words with Albania stemming from Albanian nationalism
in Kosovo Province were the main focus of attention during
a month marked by several headline grabbers. Efforts to
cover the hijackings of an Aer Dingus 737 to France and of
a Turkish Airlines DC-9 to Bulgaria involved the monitoring
of an unusual source, Dublin Domestic, a close watch on
Voice of Turkey's English service;, and coverage of Sofia BTA
during periods when the Austrian Bureau was closed.
Increased coverage of Paris, Vatican, Rome and Madrid radios
produced timely reports on the French presidential elections,
the assassination attempt on the pope, and the seizure of
a Barcelona bank by gunmen. The first priority item to be
filed from OPECNA came on the 26th: the concluding press
release on the OPEC conference in Geneva at which oil prices
were frozen.
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2. London Bureau played a supportive role in the FBIS effort to monitor
the Lebanon conflict. PMU monitors
were called in to cover Cairo Domestic Service and MENA on one
weekend after Nicosia Bureau requested assistance in mounting an
overnight watch on the Lebanese crisis and the BBC was unable to
help. Despite reception problems, our veteran Kyrenia hands
produced an As-Sadat speech and several other significant items.
3. The BBC also encountered reception difficulties in backstopping
MENA on earlier occasions at Nicosia's request. PARS was
unmonitorable at Caversham throughout most of the month. EAU
continues to have problems hearing Omdurman and Kampala radios.
Details have been reported to FCS.
4. After the usual coordination PMU transferred coverage of Abu
Dhabi AL-ITTIHAD and AL-ITTIHAD AL-USBU'I and Kuwait AR-RA'Y
AL-'AMM and AS-SIYASAH to Gulf Bureau. This permitted PMU to
pick up coverage of the Beirut papers AL-BAYRAQ, AN-NAHAR, and
AS-SAFIR from Nicosia, where receipts have been erratic. This
coverage transfer became effective with papers dated 1 June.
5. NEAAD took over PMU's Persian coverage and some of its Arabic
coverage during the month to cover for monitory annual leave.
6. At Headquarters request, PMU's French/Polish monitor is now
devoting all his time to Polish press translations. During
the month he processed nine items, five of which came from regional
newspapers, and one of which was a 12-take item from TRYBUNA LUDU.
PMU is now receiving TRYBUNA LUDU through regular subscription.
Efforts continue to locate someone to do Polish translations
under contract.
B. Cologne Unit
1. West German reaction to Chancellor Schmidt's recent foreign
visits provided substantial work for the Unit during May. The
Unit filed the government statement Schmidt made in the Bundestag
following his trip to Saudi Arabia, as well as remarks made by
foreign Minister Genscher in the debate that followed.
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2. The Unit also filed considerable comment on the Berlin election
defeat of the SPD-FDP coalition and subsequent efforts to form a
new city government.
3. The Unit responded to an urgent request from the Tel Aviv Bureau for
the text of an FRG television interview with Chancellor Schmidt,
filing a two-take out of turn excerpt on 5 May and following that up
with the remaining four takes the next day.
C. Communications
1. A 16-hour Mode I outage on 22 May was initially caused by a line
fault between the Bureau and Croughton ASC. It is suspected that
the outage was prolonged by incorrect fault handling at Tech
Control Croughton. Investigations are continuing. Altroutes during
this outage were via the Bureau's Mode V and Headquarters. High-
precedence items were not significantly delayed.
2. Croughton's planned downtime of 6 hours on 24 May was cancelled.
Pirmasens' planned downtime of 48 hours on 30 May was rescheduled
for 6 June. If planned altroutes for the Austrian Bureau fail,
London Bureau is prepared to provide support.
A. Editor) departed PCS on 18 May for home leave in the
States and reassignment to the Okinawa Bureau.
B. Senior Editor departed PCS on 5 June for home leave
and reassignment to the re Service.
A. of ED&SS and contractor departed 9 and 14
May respectively after TDY to errect t e s antenna.
B. Bangkok Bureau Chief visited the bureau en route
back from the bureau chiefs conference on 7 May.
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C. The new U.S. ambassador to the UK, John J. Louis, Jr., briefly
visited the bureau's administrative office in the Embassy on 22 May
and met the acting bureau chief, administrative officer and local
administrative assistants. This was part of his initial get-
acquainted tour of all Embassy offices.
Attachments
cc: Chief, Austrian Bureau
Chief, Cologne Unit
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