MONTHLY REPORT- OKINAWA BUREAU-MARCH 1987

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-00733R000100090008-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 18, 2012
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: April 1, 1987
• Content Type: MEMO

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/18: CIA-RDP88-00733R000100090008-7
UNITED STATES FORCES, JAPAN
FOREIGN BROADCAST INFORMATION SERVICE
OKINAWA BUREAU
APO SAN FRANCISCO 96239
MOK-7007
1 April 1987
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director, Foreign Broadcast Information Service
THROUGH: Chief, Operations Group
FROM:
Acting Chief, Okinawa Bureau
SUBJECT: Monthly Report - Okinawa Bureau - March 1987
A. The Japanese yen-U.S. dollar exchange rate broke another historic
record at the end of March, dropping the dollar to 144.70 on 30 March, the
weakest it has ever been since the 1948 postwar pegged rate of 360 yen to
$1.00. The dollar's weakness--triggered by new remarks by Treasury
Secretary Baker, threats of U.S. tariffs against Japanese electronic
products in mid-April because of the computer microchip "dumping" charges,
and feverish currency speculation--may require further bureau budget
adjustments if the rate fails to return soon to the 150 to $1 plateau at
which FY87 estimates were made. In practical and personal terms, it means
U.S. military and FBIS personnel curtail even further their offbase
shopping and dining out, doing so selectively, where Okinawan
establishments offer special yen rates 20-30 yen higher than the market in
order to attract business. Americans were also inspired to drive and park
very carefully by a doubling of Japanese traffic and parking fines taking
effect 1 April; samples: illegal parking $80, speeding 15-20 mph over
limits $133, and no tail lights $47.
B. An unusually cool and rainy March provided the first above-average
rainfall this winter and reduced the danger of summer drought and water
rationing, but slowed the pace of bureau projects--erecting antenna field
poles and completing roads, and pouring the concrete slab for the new
three-bedroom duplex under construction in the FBIS housing area to
replace the old quonset.
A. Monitorial/Editorial
1. Extensive Beijing television reporting of Secretary of State
Shultz's China visit and his audience with Deng Xiaoping, and the opening
of China's sixth National People's Congress, fifth session, highlighted
bureau coverage. Hong Kong Bureau provided good processing assistance on
the major 25 March NPC work report delivered by Acting Premier Zhao Ziyang
live on television and radio. We discovered we were staffed a bit thin
to handle the combined live TV, radio and Xinhua Chinese transmissions,
and laid on extra monitor power to complete the 22,000-word report in
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reasonable time. Extensive TV descriptives were filed from the NPC, and
also press conference interviews on it and the CPPCC sessions that began
24 March, both of which still continue.
2. Increased use of our 10-meter dish for China's NPC pointed up
recent problems with the bureau's small PESOS dish, used to cover the
Soviet 140 East satellite for Moscow TV. While initially, a year ago,
PESOS provided stable and reliable signal levels from the 140, in recent
weeks the satellite apparently has drifted out of position and its
figure-8 oscillations have increased, causing severe signal loss.
Engineering personnel have peaked and repeaked the PESOS alignment several
times, but it still loses signal to a point where we have had to request
London/BBC to cover selected programs while the large dish was on Beijing
TV. Technical tests and measurements continue in an effort to relocate
the 140's "G-spot."
3. DRD editorial trainee TDYerI completed her
training successfully on 23 March and departed for Headquarters with a
short Hong Kong visit. We have been told Okinawa will not have another
trainee until after the summer computer FBA-1 automation project is in
place.
4. The Okinawa-Hong Kong facsimile connection was tested on 13
March with excellent results, in preparation for Okinawa's sharing in Hong
Kong processing of HONGQI in April, after the NPC and CPPCC sessions
conclude. The first issues of Okinawa's HONGQI direct airmail
subscription were received with 3- and 2-week lag times--much slower than
promised by the Tokyo distributor, and slower than Hong Kong's own. We
have complained to the distributor, who is checking and promising better
results soon.
5. Excellent color photographs of China's leaders attending the
NPC were obtained from our Beijing television tapes, using off-screen
photography skills taught to our Chinese monitors by Russian Unit chief
who has been producing USSR leadership and military
hardware photographs for years for AG and BBC/LD use. We plan to add them
to our file, and pouch the negatives to AG for printing its own photos for
AG production and identification use, as an irregular service.
1. The bureau and MOD worked together on a cliffhanger effort to
provide a Soviet military videotape for a 2 April briefing planned by Brig
Gen Keith Connolly, 313th Air Division commander. We sent the tape to MOD
for conversion to NTSC standard playable on the general's briefing
machine, but the returned tape by DHL courier ran afoul of Japanese
customs at Tokyo/Narita for lack of a customs declaration. We were able
to use our new Nefax machine operationally for the first time to receive a
customs form, which was immediately filled out and returned to DHL for
rushing to Narita customs, to make the general's deadline. The tape was
delivered to the bureau on 1 April, just in time.
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/18: CIA-RDP88-00733R000100090008-7
2. The American Consulate Guangzhou wired appreciation for
bureau translations from Fujian provincial newspapers of articles on PRC
economic reform by party secretary Chen Guangyi, asking certain ones be
refiled to the U.S. Embassy Beijing with special flagging. We provided at
MOD request for a Hqs consumer a videotape of Soviet party official
Yakovlev's 12 March Madrid press conference ending a parliamentarians'
visit. We filled a U.S. Embassy Seoul request for a Japanese SANKEI
SHIMBUN report on the ROK's reply to a North Korean proposal to hold
high-level North-South Korean talks.
C. Cruising
Major cruising projects in March included a complete transmission
schedule of PRC domestic and international services relayed on China's
STW-2 satellite--except for the 1045-1500 GMT period when the large dish
is commited to Beijing TV, checks on radio and press services on the 60 E
and 63 E Intelsats and 108 E Palapa satellite, efforts to locate the new
Palapa satellite launched -in late March by a U.S. rocket, and initial
checks on Soviet international services with the spring frequency
changeovers that began with daylight savings time on 29 March. The
cruising unit plans to file all the USSR seasonal changes in "Write Now"
wordprocessor format on computer floppy disk, so that communicators need
not rekey these lists anymore.
Far Eastern emergency relay procedures were reconfirmed twice in
March when outages at other bureaus, including one instance where Bangkok
was asked to serve as relay point instead of Okinawa, indicated some
confusion. Okinawa continues to relay for other Far East bureaus using
telex during outages, with incoming traffic for others required to be
filed to RUHJFBA in JANAP 128 format, giving OW a punched tape. We
obtained figures for a possible DCA dedicated circuit to Tokyo for our
secure communications, at C/Ops request, indicating annual costs would run
about $21-22,000, or about $60 daily. The on-line or dial-up issue
remained unresolved at month's end, pending bureau chief discussions in
Hqs.
Heavy and constant rainfall slowed and at times stopped all work
on antenna field replacements. The contractor doing rhombics had to halt
work near March's end because of rain-softened soil, and Air Force crews
working on beverage antennas also experienced rain delays and equipment
breakdowns. Construction of computer furniture for the FBA-1 computer
system to be installed this summer continued, with the FBIS cabinetmaker/
carpenter completing the first seven tables. We estimate savings of
thousands of dollars below commercial table and desk prices. Considerable
time was spent aligning PESOS on the Clark belt, but the best azimuth
orientation for PESOS on the Soviet 140 satellite has not yet been
achieved.
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1. We made firm job offers to two Chinese monitor applicants
from Taiwan after receiving EOD approval and numbers. The two will
probably EOD this summer after all documentation and visa approvals are
obtained.
2. Russian senior monitor) (departed Okinawa for
retirement on 16 March after presentation of a letter from Director, FBIS.
Quiet and reserved to the last, declined to have a retirement
banquet. He will live in Reading, England.
3. I land children departed on advance PCS
travel to the United States on 14 March.
B. Buildings and Grounds
Concrete footings and the floor slab for the new three-bedroom
duplex FBIS house were finally poured at month-end after long rain delays.
The house is to be finished by September. Bureau staffers met with Army
Corps of Engineers and Pan Asia architects on 17 March to discuss "concept
design" plans for remodeling the oldest, GSWK metal-roof houses, and an
initial design to convert one three-bedroom house to a two-bedroom duplex.
Further studies and revisions were requested.
Major Jones and Captain Faggett, Buckner ASC, on 9 March for an
orientation visit and tour of bureau communications; communications
specialist Clark AFB, 12-14 March for inspection of bureau
facilities; Richard W. Gronet, Chief DOD Special Representative for Japan,
on 17 March for a briefing on operations;
secretarial applicant, on 20 March for interview and application; Tech
Sergeant Donald Downing and Staff Sergeant Norman Taylor, of Yokota ASC,
on 31 March for a bureau orientation related to a mini-ASC conference at
the Butler ASC in April.
to U.S. Embassy Tokyo 18-22 March for consulations; bureau
chief to Headquarters 20 March through 3 April for bureau chiefs'
conference; Standiford to Bangkok and Singapore 26 March through 3 April,
for regional support conference and leave in Singapore.
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/18: CIA-RDP88-00733R000100090008-7
I. TOTALS FROM ALL SOURCES:
TOTAL PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MONTH: 1,060,910
TOTAL NON-PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MONTH: 587,920
TOTAL NUMBER OF PUBLISHABLE ITEMS FILED DURING MONTH: 3,531
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
II. INPUT OF REGULAR COVERAGE: 21,930 20,700 175.79
(minutes or issues per week) min. min. issues
III. OUTPUT FROM ALL SOURCES:
CAMBODIA
Phnom Penh SPK in
English
C H INA
Beijing International Service to East and South Africa in
English ---
Beijing International Service to North America in
English 1,390
Beijing International Service in
Japanese 2,030
Beijing International Service in
Mandarin 360
Beijing to Taiwan in
Mandarin 700
Beijing to the USSR in
Russian 8,100
Beijing to Vietnam in
Vietnamese 1,770
Beijing Domestic Service in
Mandarin 18,670
Beijing Television Service in
Mandarin 4,760
Fuzhou Fujian Provincial Service in
Mandarin 2,210
Hangzhou Zhejiang Provincial Service in
Mandarin 4,480
Hefei Anhui Provincial Service in
Mandarin 2,830
Nanchang Jiangxi Provincial Service in
Mandarin 7,260
Nanjing Jiangsu Provincial Service in
Mandarin 4,670
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/18: CIA-RDP88-00733R000100090008-7
Shanghai City Service in
Mandarin
Beijing XINHUA in
English
Beijing XINHUA Domestic Service in
Chinese
Beijing BEIJING REVIEW in
English
Fuzhou FUJ IAN RIBAO in
Chinese
Hefei ANHUI RIBAO in
Chinese
Hangzhou ZHEJIANG RIBAO in
Chinese
Nanjing XINHUA RIBAO in
Chinese
Shanghai J IEFANG RIBAO in
Chinese
Shanghai WEN HUI BAO in
Chinese
Miscellaneous
Editorial Reports
JAPAN
Naha Radio NHK in
Japanese
Naha NHK Television Network in
Japanese
Tokyo NHK Television Network in
Japanese
Tokyo JPS in
English
Tokyo KYODO in
English
Tokyo J IJ I in
English
Tokyo AKAHATA in
Japanese
Tokyo ASAHI SHIMBUN in
Japanese
Tokyo ASAHI EVENING NEWS in
English
Tokyo JAPAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL in
English
Tokyo MAINICHI DAILY NEWS in
English
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
5,930
541,060
115,110
8,140
7,670
1,620
5,740
5,200
1,940
3,070
3,730
1,240
108,860
10,680
2,540
10,250
580
4,410
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/18 CIA RDP88-00733R000100090008-7
Tokyo MAINICHI SHIMBUN in
Japanese
Tokyo NIHON KEIZAI SHIMI3UN in
Japanese
Tokyo SANKEI SHIMBUN in
Japanese
Tokyo THE DAILY YOMIURI in
English
Tokyo THE JAPAN TIMES in
English
Tokyo TOKYO SHIMBUN in
Japanese
Tokyo YOMIURI SHIMBUN in
Japanese
Naha OKINAWA TIMES in
Japanese
Naha RYUKYU SHIMPO in
Japanese
KOREA (NORTH)
Pyongyang KCNA in
English
LAOS
Vientiane KPL in
English
MONGOLIA
Ulaanbaatar MONTSAME in
English
Ulaanbaatar MONTSAME in
Russian
TAIWAN
Taipei International Service in
English
Taipei Domestic Service in
Mandarin
Taipei CNA in
English
Taipei CHINA POST in
English
Taipei CHING CHI JIH PAO in
Chinese
Taipei CHUNG KUO SHIH PAO in
Chinese
Taipei CHUNG YANG JLH PAO in
Chinese
BROAD- PRESS .PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
6,900
5,060
2,900
22,510
1,460
6,320
1,400
6,870
3,500
2,950
540
2,060
9,050
1,160
2,100
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 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/18: CIA-RDP88-00733R000100090008-7
Taipei LIEN HO PAO in
Chinese
Taipei TZU LI WAN PAO in
Chinese
UN ION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS
Moscow to Japan in
Japanese
Moscow to Southeast Asia in
Mandarin
Moscow to China in
Mandarin
Moscow to Vietnam in
Vietnamese
Moscow Radio Peace and Progress to China in
Mandarin
Moscow Domestic Television Service in
Russian
V IETNAM
Hanoi International Service in
Mandarin
Hanoi Domestic Service in
Vietnamese
Hanoi VNA in
English
Hanoi VNA in
French
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
3,480
1,200
8,720
3,250
1,300
12,530
55, 600
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/18: CIA-RDP88-00733R000100090008-7