MONTHLY REPORT -- PANAMA BUREAU -- APRIL 1988

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-01355R000400120008-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 18, 2013
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: May 2, 1988
• Content Type: MEMO

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/18: CIA-RDP91-01355R000400120008-5
ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET
SUBJECT: (Optional) f'is t
Monthly Report -- Panama Bureau
FROM:
EXTENSION
NO.
Chief, Operations Group
DATE
S
April 1988
TO: (Officer designation, room number, and
building)
DATE
OFFICER'S
COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whom
INITIALS
to whom. Draw o line across column after each comment.)
RECEIVED
FORWARDED
C/Ops
f 7 M
Y 1988
2.
I
C/E~,PS
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4.
5.
D/FBIS
a.
7.
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SA/CD
9.
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C/B&F/AS
12.
13.
-
10
C/AG
Exec. Reg.
FORM ' (1 USE PREVIOUS
79 610 EDITIONS
TAT
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FBIS-5210-88
2 May 1988
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director, Foreign Broadcast Information Service
THROUGH : Chief, Operations Group
SUBJECT : Monthly Report -- Panama Bureau -- April 1988
A. As the U.S. Government and Panamanian regime continued
to spar, both U.S. and local employees began to feel the effects
with greater intensity. First, the arrival of 1,300 U.S.
military personnel sparked rumors of a U.S. invasion, and
firefights between U.S. marines and unidentified "intruders" near
Howard Air Force Base further aggravated tension. On 8 April,.
President Reagan invoked the international Emergency Economic
Protection Act, which, by prohibiting all U.S. payments to the
current regime, led to nonpayment of utilities for offbase
staffers (and subsequent power cuts) and withholding of local
employees' social security and income tax payments. Although the
Treasury Department clarified some of the restrictions toward
month's end, there is still a great deal of uncertainty as to how
much impact these restrictions will have on the lives of bureau
employees and bureau operations in the weeks to come.
On the political front, the Solis regime attempted to
restore some degree of normalcy despite the continuing severe
economic situation. Although banks remain closed except to
receive deposits, by month's end the state of emergency had
been lifted, a new left-leaning cabinet installed, and an
increasing number of countries appeared willing to"send aid to
Panama. In general, April was not a bad month for the
Noriega/Solis regime.
B. The arrest of alleged drug kingpin Ramon Matta in
Tegucigalpa on 6 April resulted in a violent demonstration
against the U.S. Embassy by a mob unhappy with the way Matta was
arrested and taken to the United States. Among the embassy
property damaged during the demonstration was the annex building
housing the bureau's remote site equipment. Despite the
violence and lack of access to our remote site equipment, the
bureau's contractor in Tegucigalpa established contact with the
bureau and continuously fed material over commercial telephone
from his home, allowing us to provide comprehensive coverage.
Remote line operation was reestablished two weeks later following
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a visit by Chief Technician to move and
install our equipment in the new temporary ocation.
A. Monitorial/Editorial
In previous months, countries in Central America had
been considerate enough to have their respective crises on
different days, or at least different shifts. However, courtesy
went out the window in April as on numerous occasions bureau
editors and monitors were faced with multiple crisis, open watch,
and speech coverage. Events in Panama and Nicaragua continued to
top the list, but Honduras took occasional center stage during
the second and third weeks in April with the violence against the
U.S. Embassy and subsequent state of emergency.
B. Communications
1. On 18 April the bureau successfully inaugurated the new
message format in the field. Although Bach 2.1 requires FBA
bureaus to rekey material to avoid possible format errors, which
negates some of the time saved by FBA, the time added to
processing has not been substantial.
2. Staff communications officer and Acting
Communications Section Chief collaborated in
drawing up step-by-step instructions for editors in opening the
communications circuit and transmitting items in the event a
communications operator is unavailable. No sooner had the
instructions been completed, however, than changes became
necessary as a result of the introduction of Bach 2.1.
3. All editors have completed trial runs in modem operation
between the bureau and local remote site. Instructions have been
simplified to the extent possible, and all editors should be
able to successfully transmit material over modem as long as
our phones remain in order.
C. Lateral Services
At a meeting at the ambassador's residence on 15 April to
brief.embassy employees and dependents on the current situation,
the consul general noted that reading FBIS copy on Panama was
the best way to stay informed. As a result, the bureau's file is
now available in the Community Liaison Office for general mission
consumption.
STAT
STAT
STAT
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D. Technical
Chief Technician) made a swing
through Tegucigalpa, Managua, and San Jose in mid-month. In
addition to moving our remote site equipment in Tegucigalpa,
Guillermo replaced a faulty power supply in Managua and oversaw
the prewiring for our planned remote operation in San Jose to
begin in early May.
A. Personnel
1. Main Radio boardman
became the proud parents of
on 6 April.
-oz boy,
2. Editor) (departed Panama 11 April upon
completion of his editorial training.
B. Building and Grounds
While riding the bureau bus home on 15 April, senior
editor again demonstrated his well-developed eye
for detail when he spotted an intruder in the bureau's antenna
field attempting to steal antenna wire. Chief Technician
in close pursuit.
and security offic
led the charge with senior editor
The intruder was apprehended, an
er stood guard while waiting
minutes for Ft. Clayton MP's to arrive. The MP's would have
arrived sooner, but they had to call the bureau back 15 minutes
after being summoned to get directions.
Deputy Chief to Ft. Clayton MP detachment
commander Major Mans ie on 28 April for a courtesy call and to
discuss security concerns.
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
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-.4 1
Panama Bureau Production Report for APRIL 1988
TOTAL PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MONTH: 359980
TOTAL NON-PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MONTH: 35600
TOTAL NUMBER OF PUBLISHABLE ITEMS FILED DURING MONTH: 811
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
II. INPUT OF REGULAR COVERAGE: 16230.00 74700.00 220.00
(minutes or issues per week) min. min. issues
III. OUTPUT FROM ALL SOURCES:
(publishable words per month)
CLANDESTINE
Clandestine Radio Farabundo Marti in
Spanish to El Salvador
Clandestine Radio Venceremos in
Spanish to El Salvador
ARGENTINA
Buenos Aires REUTER in
Spanish
COLOMBIA
Bogota Emisoras Caracol Network in
Spanish
Bogota INRAVISION Television Cadena 1
in
Spanish
Bogota INRAVISION Television Cadena 2
in
Spanish
Bogota EL SIGLO in
Spanish
Bogota EL TIEMPO in
Spanish
COSTA RICA
San Jose Radio Impacto in
Spanish
San Jose Radio Reloj in
Spanish
San Jose LA NACION in
Spanish
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San Jose LA PRENSA LIBRE in
Spanish
San Jose LA REPUBLICA in
Spanish
San Jose LIBERTAD REVOLUCIONARIA in
Spanish
San Jose LIBERTAD in
Spanish
San Jose RUMBC) in
Spanish
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
CUBA
Havana CUBAVISION Television in
Spanish 800
Havana International Service in
Quechua 1460
Havana International Service in
Spanish 4530
Havana PRENSA LATINA in
English
Havana PRENSA LATINA in
Spanish
ECUADOR
Quito Radio Quito in
Spanish
Quito Voz de los Andes in
EL
San
Spanish
SALVADOR
Salvador
Spanish
Canal Doce Television in
5650
San
Salvador
Spanish
Canal Seis Television in
2060
San
Salvador
Spanish
Domestic Service in
0
San
Salvador
Spanish
La Voz Panamericana in
500
San
Salvador
Spanish
Radio Cadena Sonora in
1980
San
Salvador
Spanish
Radio Cadena YSKL in
3730)
San
Salvador
Spanish
Radio Cadena YSU in
2810
San
Salvador
Spanish
TCS Television in
C)
San
Salvador
Spanish
DIARIO LATINO in
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/18: CIA-RDP91-01355R000400120008-5
San Salvador EL DIARIO DE HOY in
Spanish
San Salvador EL MUNDC) in
Spanish
San Salvador LA NOTICIA in
Spanish
San Salvador LA PRENSA GRAFICA in
Spanish
FRANCE
Paris AFP in
Spanish
GERMANY
Hamburg DPA in
Spanish
GUATEMALA
Guatemala City Cadena de Emisoras
Unidas in
Spanish
Guatemala City Radio Nuevo Mundo
Network in
Spanish
Guatemala City Radio Television
Guatemala in
Spanish
Guatemala City Teleonce Television in
Spanish
Guatemala City EL GRAFICC) in
Spanish
Guatemala City PRENSA LIBRE in
Spanish
HONDURAS
Tegucigalpa Cadena Audio Video in
Spanish 1090
Tegucigalpa Domestic Service in
Spanish 3360
Tegucigalpa Radio America in
Spanish 2460
Tegucigalpa Telecadena 7 y 4 in
Spanish 0
Tegucigalpa Televisora Hondurena in
Spanish 0
Tegucigalpa Voz de Honduras Network in
Spanish 6010
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
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BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
San Pedro Sula LA PRENSA in
Spanish
0
San Pedro Sula TIEMPO in
Spanish
1020
Tegucigalpa
Spanish
EL HERALDO in
1050
Tegucigalpa
Spanish
LA TRIBUNA in
MEXICO)
Mexico City Red Nacional 13 IMEVISION
Television in
Spanish
Mexico City XEW Television Network in
Spanish
Mexico City XHTV Television in
Spanish
660
2370
3110
Mexico City CERIGUA in
Spanish
Mexico City EL DIA in
Spanish
1270
Mexico City EL NACIONAL in
Spanish
830
Mexico City EXCELSIOR in
Spanish
2930
Mexico City THE NEWS in
English
136 C)
Mexico City UNOMASUNC) in
Spanish
1900
NICARAGUA
Managua International Service in
Spanish
233C)
Managua Domestic Service in
Spanish
34630
Managua Radio Catolica in
Spanish
C)
Managua Radio Corporacion in
Spanish
2850
Managua Radio Noticias in
Spanish
820
Managua Radio Sandino in
Spanish
25390
Managua Sistema Sandinista Television
Network in
Spanish
830
Managua ANN Diplomatic Information
Service in
Spanish
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/18: CIA-RDP91-01355R000400120008-5
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
Managua ANN in
Spanish
Managua NOTISAL in
Spanish
Managua NOTISAL-SALPRESS in
Spanish
Managua PRENSA LATINA in
Spanish to PRENSA LATINA Havana
Managua BARRICADA in
Spanish
Managua EL NUEVO DIARIC) in
Spanish
Managua LA PRENSA in
Spanish
PANAMA
Panama City Circuito RFC
Television in
Spanish 4020
Panama City Domestic Service in
Spanish 30660
Panama City Radio Alegre in
Spanish 190
Panama City Radio BB Network in
Spanish 780
Panama City Radio Verbo in
Spanish 220
Panama City Telemetro Television in
Spanish 7640
Panama City Television Service in
Spanish 1630
Panama City Televisora Nacional in
Spanish 13360
Panama City ACAN in
Spanish
Panama City CRITICA in
Spanish
Panama City DIALOGO SOCIAL in
Spanish
Panama City EL SIGLO in
Spanish
Panama City EXTRA in
Spanish
Panama City LA ESTRELLA DE PANAMA in
Spanish
Panama City LA PRENSA in
Spanish
Panama City LA REPUBLICA DOMINICAL in
Spanish
3020
0
0
8560
11280
2690
1830
4150
0
0
0
18960
0
3040
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BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
Panama City LA REPUBLICA in
Spanish
1980
Panama City MATUTINO in
Spanish
3400
Panama City QUIUBO in
Spanish
0
Panama City THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC in
English
Panama City EL SIGLC) DOMINICAL in
Spanish
SPAIN
Madrid EFE in
Spanish
TRINIDAD-TOBAGO
Port-of-Spain TTT Television Feed in
English
USSR
Moscow Radio Peace and Progress in
Spanish
1230
Moscow in
Spanish to Latin America
0
Moscow in
Spanish to Cuba
2010
VENEZUELA
Caracas Venezolana de Television
Canal 8 in
Spanish
Caracas EL NACIONAL in
Spanish
Caracas EL UNIVERSAL in
Spanish
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COLOMBIA
Bogota INRAVISION Television Cadena 1 in
Spanish
Bogota INRAVISION Television Cadena 2 in
Spanish
CUBA
Havana PRENSA LATINA in
Spanish
6,590
1,19C)
17,310
MEXICO
Mexico City Red Nacional 1.3 IMEVISION Television in
Spanish 660
Mexico City XEW Television Network in
Spanish 2,370
Mexico City XHTV Television in
Spanish 3,110
Mexico City CERIGUA in
Spanish 1,350
NICARAGUA
Managua ANN in
Spanish
Managua PRENSA LATINA in
Spanish to PRENSA LATINA Havana
TRINIDAD-TOBAGO
Port-of-Spain TTT Television Feed in
English
VENEZUELA
Caracas Venezolana de Television Canal 8 in
Spanish
3, C)20
8,560
3, C)80
TOTAL FOR APRIL 1988 47,380
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/18: CIA-RDP91-01355R000400120008-5