LETTER OF INSTRUCTION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00586R000300190001-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 20, 2013
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: December 20, 1960
• Content Type: MEMO

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MEMORANDUM FOR: Bureau Chiefs
FROM: Chief, FBIS
SUBJECT: Letter of Information
GENERAL
20 December 1960
1. a. arrived in Kaduna,
Nigeria, site of the new station, from Lagos on 4 November 1960.
Mr. Richard Morse, FRO, Department of State, is assisting in ar-
rangement for construction of the station.
The group has made considerable progress in resolving
logistics and administrative problems. By the end of the month
a letter of intent was signed with an architectural and engineering
firm, covering the A&E functions attendant with the construction
of the new station.
b; Materials for the establishment of one monitoring position
were air shipped to Kaduna to arrive by 20 December 1960. The
equipment will be used in an attempt to monitor Radio Garoua in
rae Cameroons to meet a request by the Premier, Northern Region.
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2. In connection with Editorial Branch proposals for certain changes
in Daily Report format, the Liaison and Requirements Staff began a consumer
survey to determine how the changes might affect publication and distribu-
tion patterns. A survey form attached to each copy of the Middle East &
West Europe Daily Report for 17 November explained the proposed redivision
of materials into a Middle East & Africa and a West Europe and Latin America
report, and asked recipient offices how many copies of each of the new books
would be required. Returns are being studied and it has not yet been
decided whether the redivision will be made. 50X1
3. The issuance of Agency publications is governed by Agency regula-
tion, and controlled by a Publications Board which reviews all proposals
for initiation, discontinuance, or change in publications. The general
policy is to hold the number of separate publications to a minimum. Local
field distribution of teletype or mimeograph copy does not constitute
publication, so long as the issuance is not formalized through such devices
as pre-printed covers, and so long as there is no Headquarters dissemination.
Bureaus are not authorized to initiate formal publications for local or
Headquarters dissemination without Headquarters approval, however.
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4. A World Reaction Report
to the U.S. Presidential Election"
published 14 November. At the
by the inclusion of a page of
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entitled "Foreign Radio and Press Reaction
was compiled from field roundups and
request of the DD/I, the report was updated
late reaction compiled on the date of publi-
cation.
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5. The Standing Committee
of the USIB discussed the problem of
priority of DF requirements referred to it by the Board
but has
ot
reached a decision. The problem remains in suspense.
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6. Of 224 items included in OCI's Current Intelligence
Digest
during
November, 60 (22.2 percent)
were based wholly or in part on FBIS monitoring.
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7.
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were briefed by Chief, FBI$ 50X1
on FBIS activities on 17 November,
as part of
a general Agency orientation.
Analyst of Radio
Propaganda Branch
gave 50X1
an informative presentation
of RPB views on the
Soviet leadership situation,
and they were conducted on a
tour of the FBIS monitoring station at
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PROPAGANDA ANALYSIS COMMENT
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1. Radio Propaganda Reports issued (Responsible
parentheses):
analyst indicated in
a. !tr1eon of Revolutions
Assumes New Prominence in Sino-Soviet
Dispute"
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b. "Albania Reaffirms
Vigorous Support for CPR in Sino-Soviet
Dispute"
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c. "Soviet Views on
Problems of Outer-Space Law: Stress on
'Illegality' of Photo-Reconnaissance," requested
by the Legal Adviser,
Department of State
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2. Propaganda analysis items on the IBIS
indicated in Parentheses):
Wire (Responsible analyst
a. "TASS Denies U.S.
Reports of Soviet Underground Nuclear Test"
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b. "resignation of Marshal Grechko as Acting USSR Minister of
Defense in Malinovskiy's Absence"
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3. A compilation of Soviet, Chinese Communist, and Satellite statements
since the U-2 incident on the nature and consequences of war, Soviet and
bloc strength, and Soviet retaliation against U.S. foreign bases was prepared
for the Chief, Propaganda Group/CA, DD/P. Introductory remarks explained the
current line and the degree to which it differs from the line used before the
U-2 incident.
4. The following are among Radio Propaganda Reports projected or under
consideration for publication within the next few months (responsible ana-
lyst indicated in parentheses):
a. Soviet Outer-Space Projects and frogramming: lAugust-November
1960, in the regular series for OSI/GMD
b. Replacement of Chief Editors of key Soviet journals
c. Co viet and Chinese views on national liberation
movements
d. Opposition in the Chinese Communist Party to the commune
program, in response to a standing CCI requirement 50X1
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e. Latin America in Soviet and mmunist propaganda,
with emphasis on treatment of Cuba
5. All bureaus are reminded of the practice of flagging "copy to RPB"
any items filed from nonbloc sources that deal significantly with bloc
affairs. RPB receives in regular distribution only items from communist
bloc sources, and must rely on flagging in the field to get items about
the bloc from other transmitters. A good example of the kind of thing worth
flagging was a DPA report of a speech by Soviet international-law expert
ZadoroZhniy at a Stuttgart international conference in November. On the
basis of this brief London Bureau item, RPB requested a fuller West German
newspaper account of the speech from the German Bureau and was able to use
it in a special study of Soviet views on outer-space law. Available Soviet
media still have not carried Zadorothniy's remarks.
6. Both the Editorial and Radio Propaganda Branches have found that
brief TABS summaries of PRAVDA Observer articles on international affairs
are seldom adequate. In virtually all such cases, a subsequent fuller
version from a voice broadcast should be filed both for DAILY REPORT and
analysis purposes. For example: The PRAVDA Observer article of 3 November,
constituting what was widely regarded as an unusually sharp attack on De
Gaulle and his Algeria policy, was summarized in a brief TABS dispatch
(filed) that made clear the importance of the article. A full text voice-
cast the same day in the home service and Arabic was not filed until requested
from Headquarters the following day, when the 3 November commentary lists
made known its availability. Had the full text been filed promptly on the
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field's own initiative the day it was monitored, it could have appeared in
Friday's DAILY REPORT. As it was, the request was sent out on Friday and
a weekend intervened before the text could be published. It maybe regarded
as almost certain that any PRAVDA Observer article on an international
subject will be desired as soon as possible in the fullest possible version.
7. An Austrian Bureau roundup, prepared at the Bureau's initiative, of
satellite press comment on the Yugoslav and Albanian national holidays was
used as the basis for an article in the SURVEY. A contribution from the
German Bureau on GDR press treatment of the Yugoslav holiday was incorporated
in the article.
11.
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EDITORIAL BRANCH COMMENT
GENERAL
1. During November 86 percent of the Daily Report pages were devoted
to broadcast material and 14 percent to press scrutiny.
2. Tb satisfy an unusual demand, FBIS issued some 3,200 copies of a
USSR/East Europe Daily Report Supplement containing the "Statement of the
Moscow Conference of Communist and Workers Parties." USSR/East Europe
supplements normally are issued in about 1,000 copies.
3. Editors should not hesitate to use the higher precedence indicators
to insure the most expeditious movement of wire traffic when reporting
critical information, even when the traffic will move directly Into an
allocated channel, as prescribed The use of these STAT
indicators (a) insures prompt handling at the receiving end and (b) guar-
antees rapid movement in competition with other high-precedence traffic
if the item must be shifted to a common user channel. These indicators
are essential when the message must pass through a common user leg on the
way to its destination. It should be remembered that during critical
situations PRIORITY (PP) traffic tends to be backlogged against a flow
of higher precedence material from all services using the STARCOM telecommu-
nications net.
4. A brief summary of radio and press reaction to the appointment of
Dean Rusk as Secretary of State was prepared Dec. 14 for the DCI prior to
a meeting with Mt. Rusk.
5. The text of the "Report on Five-Year Plan Pulfillmpne made to the
DPRK Supreme People's Assembly was issued as a supplement to the Far East
Daily Report Dec. 14.
6. Frequently important commentaries, filed from a poorly received
initial broadcast, contain obscure, indistinct, and even incorrect passages
Which could be corrected--but often are not--from subsequent rebroadcasts.
Even more unfortunate is the discarding of an important item because of poor
reception When commentary lists and other sources reveal that it could have
been texted from a later broadcast. All to often commentary lists note as
unprocessed repeats items Which have been discarded or filed in poor form
because of bad initial reception. While checking and correcting all items
filed from poor reception on the basis of subsequent broadcasts would place
too heavy a burden on editors and monitors, the effort should be made in
the case of musially important items and items which are of little use
without the clarification of essential segpents.
7. Among other functions the Wire Services Section serves to alert
consumers to early indications of movements against existing regimes. The
field should bear this in mind when preparing copy for transmission to
Headquarters. It should make certain that reports of disorders or other
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antigovernmental activity are not buried in a compilation of briefs which
can be inadvertently overlooked by the Headquarters wire editor. Such
items, especially reports of domestic disorders, merit individual filing
as FYI's, or in textual pr excerpt form, so they can be handled promptly
on the Wire. Highly perishable, they are of little value if not filed and
disseminated quickly. By no means should this instruction be interpreted
as deprecating the importance of briefing non-urgent material in groups
readily processable for the Daily Report with a minimum use of space.
Recent examples of items which more appropriately should have been
filed individually include reports from Santiago, Chile, and Lima, Peru,
concerning measures against dissident elements in Bolivia, Guatemala, and
Costa Rica. Another briefed item reported an official Guatemalan Govern-
ment denial that the deployment of U.S. naval fortes in the Caribbean
constituted an attack on Guatemala's sovereignty.
8. Copy prepared for lateral distribution at the request of consumers
in the field should also be evaluated in the light of its usefulness to
Headquarters consumers. This reminder is not to be construed as an instruc-
tion to file material simply because it has become available, but is prompted
by the occasional receipt of eMbassy cables referring to significant material
furnished by an FBIS field bureau but which was not filed to Washington.
9. The East Coast and West Coast bureaus turned in excellent contri-
butions to the Reaction Report on the U.S. elections. Other bureau roundups
ranged from poor to good. Following are some suggestions and instructions
which should be helpful in fulfilling future requests:
a. Employ the historic present tense except when its use may
cause awkwardness, for example when specific items are cited in
relation to date or hour.
b. Indicate the dominant trend or theme of reaction during the
report period, but avoid inferences or conclusions based on fragmen-
tary evidence.
c. Generally the scope of reaction should be that of the country
itself. Where two or more bureaus independently cover material from
the same country, or area, each should avoid generalizations involving
the entire country or area.
d. Every effort should be made to guarantee timely receipt in
Headquarters of reaction report contributions. When traffic conditions
around deadline time threaten delay in routine transmission, the
roundup should be sent under PRIORITY (PP) precedence.
e. Ideally, published reaction roundups should be little more
than compilations of field roundups requiring little editing and
rewriting. The ideal field roundup is one which can be incorporated
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in toto with area roundups received from other bureaus to produce a
uniform document in which allelements are balanced. To this end,
in future requests for roundups every effort will be made to indicate
the length of roundups desired and other pertinent factors. Field
roundup writers in turn should study published roundups for guidance
in format, style, and content, and should employ in their roundups
the best writing of which they are capable.
10. Bureaus should strive for continuity in coverage of such events
as the recent Colombo Plan conference, providing Headquarters with a well-
rounded picture of the entire event. Marginal portions of the proceedings
of such a conference can be accounted for in summaries or editorial
reports tying together textual accounts of significant developments.
U. The following instructions on the handling of USSR economic
items are designed to prevent a too-limited distribution of material re-
jected for publication in the Deily Report after being filed as general
briefs or as textual items flagged USSR ONLY:
a. Exploit the Economic Abstracts program to the fullest for
nonperishable items, as this will relieve strain on the Daily Report
and also insure adequate distribution to specialized consumers.
b. Process as Economic Abstracts even material from the republic
level which can be encoppassed in 20 lines and which is neither
significant nor urgent enough to warrant immediate general publication.
c. When a short economic item is considered of sufficient gen-
eral interest for use in the Daily Report, file it as a separate
message or even as an FYI to call attention to its urgency or
significance; the monitor or field editor is often in position to
detect some vital aspect which might escape Headquarters attention.
d. Avoid filing as Economic Abstracts material that would become
outdated before reaching consumers. Economic Abstracts are currently
being published from six weeks to two months after their receipt at
Headquarters.
Mediterranean Bureau
1. While FYI's concisely summarizing long broadcasts or items are
svpreciated, particularly by the Wire Service, an excessive number of
FYI's have been received by Headquarters which would have been better
published as excerpts, summaries, or editorial reports. The bureau's
preparation and filing of timely FYI's is very much appreciated, but it
is urged that they be followed up more often with versions suitable for
Daily Report publication.
2. The initiative displayed in FYI describing STAT
Radio Baghdad's subsequent handling of Premier Qgsim's important November
12 speech to Iraqi oil workers was very much appreciated. This was an
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excellent example of the type of FYI desired for Daily Report publication.
3. Editors should use reasonable precautions to keep ANA and MENA
briefs separated from voice items. When they are jumbled together they
cause unnecessary delays in Headquarters processing.
Imndon Bureau
1. The combined Soviet and East Europe roundup continues to be
generally well written, and thus a useful product for our consumers.
However, the roundup writer should observe the following advice:
a. The unqualified statement that "there is no mention" of
an event or a statement should be avoided, .for delayed processing
of some programs frequently shows that the items have been reported;
in cases where it is significant to point out the apparent failure
of the radios to cover an item, it would be better to state that
"so far there has been no monitored mention."
b. When statements which have appeared in earlier roundups
need corrections, do not merely state that "contrary to earlier
reports" something has happened; pinpoint the misinformation by
specifically referring to the earlier roundup.
c. Subjective editorial interpretations such as "Mbscow
appears to be trying" to do something should only be used when
there is compelling evidence to support them, and even in such
cases it is better to present the material in a factual way than
to speculate.
ENGINEERING AND FIELD OPERATIONS
1. Assistance was sought twice to determine the press content of two
complex radioteletype transmissions intercepted by the East Coast Bureau
in their attempts to extend press coverage, particularly of Africa. It
was determined that considerable special equipment is required to intercept,
convert, and isolate the press channel in these transmissions. The Engi-
neering Staff is gathering data, literature and costs on the various types
of equipment required as part of a study that is being made of how best
to equip for the handling of such press transmissions.
2. Okinawa Construction
a. Addition of bedrooms to four duplex houses, and replacement of
windows in the BOQ progressed to 75 percent completion.
b. The addition to the operations building at Bolo Point has
progressed to 25 percent completion.
Accelerated progress on both jobs is expected: now that most materials
ordered outside of Okinawa have been delivered.
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3. Radio Peking dropped its minority language service in Tibetan,
Korean, Uighur, Nbngolian, and Chuang on 5 December, advising its listeners
to tune in to their respective regional stations. This has eliminated or
greatly reduced FBIS coverage of programs for these minority groups as
reception of the regional transmitters is very spotty. It is suggested
that Far East bureau cruising monitors pay special attention to reporting
reception changes from these transmitters.
ADMINISTRATION
1. The Chief FBIS and Chief Engineer PBXS inspected the FBIS Key West
Post on 14 and 15 December.
2. Health insurance coverage for PHIS alien employees has been approved.
The plan, to which the U.S. Government contributes a share of the cost, offers
similar coverage to that provided under the Association Benefit Plan, high
option.
3. The following FBIS regulatory issuances were released during the
month of November:
PERSONNEL CHANGES
1. New Employees
2. Reassigmrents
AssigrmAnt
Editor
USSR & HE Section
Editorial Branch
From To
Deputy Chief
Ned. Bureau
Projects Editor
Editorial Branch
Editor Editor, Wire Section
London Bureau Editorial Branch
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STAT
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From To
Reassignments (Can't)
3. Separations
Chief
Hokkaido Bureau
Editor
Editorial Branch
Engineer
East Coast Bureau
From
Teletype Supv.
West Coast Bureau
Clerk
Editorial Branch
Clerk Typist
Editorial Branch
Teletypist
Editorial Branch
Editor
Editorial Branch
Chief
African Bureau
Editor
Med. Bureau
Engineer
African Bureau
(Retirement)
(Retirement)
(Retirement)
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ROGER G. SEELY
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STAT
STAT
STAT
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