MONTHLY REPORT--PANAMA BUREAU--MARCH 1982

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP86-00040R000100120007-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 2, 2008
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: April 6, 1982
• Content Type: MEMO

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FOREIGN BROADCAST INFORMATION SERVICE
PANAMA BUREAU
DRAWER 927
APO MIAMI 34004
6 April 1982
MPA #0010
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director, FBIS
THROUGH : Chief, Operations Group
SUBJECT : Monthly Report -- Panama Bureau -- March 1982
I. GENERAL
Treaty Transition: March 31 marked the end of the 30-month transition
period mandated by Article XI of the Panama Canal Treaty during which U.S.
courts and police continued to operate in the former Canal Zone. As of 1
April, the remaining U.S. courts were disestablished and most criminal and
all civil cases involving U.S. citizens anywhere in Panama will be tried in
Panamanian courts. As Panamanian authorities hailed the event as the de-
mise of another vestige 'of U.S. colonialism, there was some unease among
U.S. residents of the former Canal Zone. A relatively minor incident dur-
ing the month in which Panamanian police stopped a DOD school bus and forc-
ibly removed two American students returning home from Balboa High School
tended to reflect the reason for some of this concern. The two students
were hit with nightsticks and taken to the Ancon Police Station. The pre-
cise reason for their arrest is unknown. No charges were placed against
them and they were quickly returned to their homes by two U.S. military po-
licemen who happened to be at the police station when they were brought in.
Commissary Closing: Bureau staff personnel got a break when the life
of the Balboa Commissary, scheduled to close on 1 April as part of the treaty
transition, was extended until 1984. The Balboa commissary is one of three
serving the entire U.S. military, government and Pan Canal Commission commu-
nity on the Pacific side.
Health Benefits: March 31 was the deadline for eligible bureau non-staff
personnel to decide whether to continue health insurance coverage under the
Federal Employee Health Benefits Program or switch to coverage under the Pa-
nama Social Security System. Employees under FEHBP lose access to Gorgas
Hospital and other DOD medical facilities at the end of the Canal Treaty tran-
sition period, 31 March. After that date health care must be obtained from
Panamanian hospitals and clinics.
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II. OPERATIONS
A. Monitorial/Editorial
1. A flurry of high-interest events in Central America kept the Bu-
reau file at a high level throughout the month (26,000 words were filed on
the 31st), created a continuing backlog of processing, and forced us into ex-
tensive us of overtime (some 300 man-hours for the month). Some 450,000 words
were filed -- the highest figure in a year.
a. In a 3 March "putsch," the leadership of the Panamanian Nation-
al Guard was completely overturned, apparently to the surprise of President
Royo.
b. On 7 March, Guatemala held elections which brought wide accu-
sations of fraud and led on 23 March to an Army coup deposing the existing
regime and nullifying the elections. Thanks to some excellent initiative and
cooperation from an Embassy local technician in Guatemala City, the Bureau
from the first maintained full-time watch on Guatemala radios using the re-
mote system, even though the receiver could not be tuned from the Bureau. The
coverage involved one extra midnight shift and extensive FLASH and IMMEDIATE
traffic.
c. Nicaraguan fear of a U.S.-sponsored anti-Sandinist invasion
gave rise to declaration of a state of emergency on 15 March. Repeated inci-
dents on the Honduran border created much priority traffic, as did the Nica-
raguan call for a special UN Security Council meeting on the situation and sub-
sequent live coverage of debates. As a result of the state of emergency only
Radio Sandino and Sandinist TV newscasts were allowed to broadcast.
d. Various initiatives for Central American peace discussions--
Mexican, Nicaraguan, Honduran and U.S.--received wide coverage and priority
treatment.
e. Virulent Panamanian reaction to the possible nomination of Reagan
supporter Lewis Tambs as U.S. ambassador was covered closely, as was Panamanian
reporting on the 1 April reversion of responsibility for legal affairs in the
former Canal Zone.
f. The Salvadoran elections on 29 March necessitated a mid watch
on election night; detailed reporting on partial results was filed.
2. Broadcasts of clandestine stations did not fare well during March,
with Radio Farabundo Marti unheard for the most part after mid-month and poor
reception of Radio Venceremos due, the station charges, to jamming from a U.S.
ship which also compels it to switch frequencies several times during each broad-
cast. Both stations are beamed to El Salvador. The other clandestine station
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on regular coverage, Radio 15 September beamed to Nicaragua, was also heard
poorly during the month.
3. d 15 March as the bureau's second editorial STAT
trainee of the year. departed 26 March after successfully complet- STAT
ing the editorial training program.
4. A revision of the Bureau's Monitorial Handbook, the first since
1979, was distributed to monitors. The new handbook incorporates new bureau
directives and includes procedures modified to fit MIDAS format and the use of
cassettes instead of IBM belts.
B. Communications
1. Problems continued to plague the Panama Automated Relay (PAR) dur-
ing the month as computer malfunctions and power failures caused numerous in-
terruptions in bureau communications, including one outage of 18 hours.
2. Three of the bureau's five telephone lines, including its two Pana-
ma lines used for calls to or from our Central American contractors when the
dedicated circuits are down, were finally restored during the month after being
out of order for more than four weeks. The lines were restored only by trans-
ferring them from the Army cable, running between the bureau and Corozal Tech
Control, to our UHF system. The bureau's backstop teletype circuit is all that
remains on the cable, which is old and badly deteriorated. The Army has indi-
cated considerable reluctance to maintain the cable and, we are advised, may
soon decide to abandon it.
C. Technical
Latin America Regional Engineer) visited the bureau 5 through
8 March pr' entral Amer' mote sites. Bureau Chief
Technician accompanied on his visit to the remoteSTAT
sites. While in Managua, the TDYers tested facsimi a transmission with the bu-
reau via the dedicated circuit using Canon telecopiers loaned to us by the lo-
cal Canon dealer. Unfortunately, the tests were inconclusive.
III. ADMINISTRATION
A. Personnel
effective 7 March.
Spanish Monitor) was promoted to Senior Monitor NM-10 "'r_"
B. Building and Grounds
1. Annual dry season antenna maintenance was completed during the
month by bureau technicians. Two antenna towers remain to be painted by the
contractor.
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2. Two fire trucks and a water truck responded quickly to the bu-
reau's call for assistance when a brush fire, whipped along by strong winds,
threatened our thatch-roofed bohio and a shed used to store combustibles as
well as several buildings in the area belonging to the Army. There was no dam-
age.
3. Directorate of Facilities Engineers technicians spent consider-
able time at the bureau during the month working on the airconditioning system.
Two chiller units were repaired and one of the five cooling coils in the sys-
tem was replaced. A complete overhaul of the system will be scheduled as soon
as all necessary parts are available.
IV. VISITS
A. To the bureau: Regional Engineer for Latin America, 5-9
March; Capt. Joseph Dengel and Mr. -Ted Stacklighter, U.S. Army Communications
Command, Panama, 17 March for discussions on bureau phone line problems; CWO
Jack Wilson, USACC, 17 March for discussion of bureau Mode I installation.
B. From the bureau: Bureau Chief and Deputy Chief visited Col. Larry
Schuman, USACC commander, 3 March to review bureau communications requirements;
Bureau Chief and Chief Technician to Canon Panama S.A., 22 March to discuss
test of Canon telecopier.
Chief, Panama Bureau, FB S
Attachment:
Monthly Production Report
STAT
STAT
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I. TOTALS FROM ALL SOURCES:
TOTAL PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MONTH: 449,620
TOTAL NON-PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MONTH: 23,260
TOTAL NUMBER OF PUBLISHABLE ITEMS FILED DURING MONTH: 1,187
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
II. INPUT OF REGULAR COVERAGE: 9,670 35,160 119.00
(minutes or issues per week) min min issues
III. OUTPUT FROM ALL SOURCES:
(publishable words per month)
ARGENTINA
Buenos Aires LATIN in
Spanish
Buenos Aires TELAM in
Spanish
Buenos Aires NOTICIAS ARGENTINAS in
Spanish
Buenos Aires SAPORITI in
Spanish
AUSTRIA
Vienna OPECNA in
Spanish
COLOMBIA
Bogota Radio Cadena Nacional in
Spanish 1,460
Bogota Emisoras Caracol in
Spanish 5,670
Bogota Cadena Radial Super in
Spanish 2,520
Bogota Domestic Service in
Spanish 7,560
Bogota Radio Sutatenza in
Spanish 130
Cucuta Voz del Norte in
Spanish 150
(CLANDESTINE)
Radio Venceremos in
Spanish to El Salvador 26,720
Radio Farabundo Marti in
Spanish to El Salvador 13,680
Radio 15 September in
Spanish to Nicaragua 8,570
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COSTA RICA
San Jose Radio Reloj in
Spanish
San Jose LA NACION in
Spanish
CUBA
Havana International Service in
Spanish
Havana PRELA in
English
Havana PRELA in
Portuguese
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
5,360
3,690
12,710
ECUADOR
Quito Voz de los Andes in
Spanish 6,920
Quito Cadena Ecuador Radio in
Spanish 1,250
Quito Domestic Service in
Spanish 2,280
Quito Diplomatic Service in
Spanish
11,090
EL SALVADOR
San Salvador Domestic Service in
Spanish 7,930
San Salvador Cadena Sonora in
Spanish 800
San Salvador DIARIO DE HOY in
Spanish 8,090
San Salvador EL MUNDO in
Spanish 3,010
San Salvador LA PRENSA GRAFICA in
Spanish 4,430
San Salvador DIARIO LATINO in
Spanish 390
San Salvador THE NEWS GAZETTE in
English 0
FRANCE
Paris AFP in
English
Paris AFP in
Spanish
GUATEMALA
Guatemala City Radio Nuevo Mundo in
Spanish
Guatemala City Radio-Television Guatemala in
Spanish
3,110
2,690
2,110
36,610
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BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
Guatemala City Cadena de Emisoras Unidas in
Spanish 6,650
Guatemala City Domestic Service in
Spanish 8,910
Guatemala City Radio Fabulosa in
Spanish 110
Guatemala City Trece-Vision in
Spanish 460
Guatemala City DIARIO DE CENTRO AMERICA in
Spanish 330
Guatemala City PRENSA LIBRE in
Spanish 1,090
Guatemala City DIARIO EL GRAFICO in
Spanish 1,480
HONDURAS
Tegucigalpa Domestic Service in
Spanish 7,600
Tegucigalpa Voz de Honduras in
Spanish 5,500
Tegucigalpa Cadena Audio Video in
Spanish 10,520
Tegucigalpa Televisora Hondurena in
Spanish 3,110
Tegucigalpa EL HERALDO in
Spanish 2,090
Tegucigalpa LA TRIBUNA in
Spanish 1,360
San Pedro Sula TIEMPO in
Spanish 2,320
San Pedro Sula LA PRENSA in
Spanish 820
NICARAGUA
Managua International Service in
Spanish 1,510
Managua Domestic Service in
Spanish 49,490
Managua Radio Sandino in
Spanish 10,980
Managua Radio Sandino Network in
Spanish 6,530
STAT
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BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
Managua Radio Corporacion in
Spanish 10,310
Managua Sistema Sandinista Television Network in
Spanish
Managua BARRICADA in
Spanish
Managua EL NUEVO DIARIO in
Spanish
Managua LA PRENSA in
Spanish
14,360
10,520
5,850
5,940
PANAMA
Panama City Televisora Nacional in
Spanish
Panama City Circuito RPC-Television in
Spanish
9,260
10,780
Panama City Radio Mia Network in
Spanish 380
Panama City Radio Continente in
Spanish
3,640
Panama City ACAN in
Spanish
25,750
Panama City CRITICA in
Spanish
3,580
Panama City LA ESTRELLA DE
Spanish
PANAMA in
4,740
Panama City STAR & HERALD in
English
300
Panama City LA PRENSA in
Spanish
5 , 910
Panama City LA REPUBLICA in
English
0
Panama City LA REPUBLICA in
Spanish
1,830
Panama City MATUTINO in
Spanish
4,760
SPAIN
Madrid EFE in
Spanish
UNITED KINGDON
London REUTER in
English
London REUTER in
French
7,450
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BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
VENEZUELA
Caracas Radio Continente Network in
Spanish 1,390
Caracas Radio Rumbos Network in
Spanish 380
Caracas Domestic Service in
Spanish 9,400
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