LETTER OF INFORMATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00586R000300270012-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 15, 2013
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: March 25, 1968
• Content Type: MEMO

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25 March 1968
MEMORANDUM FOR: Staff Personnel
SUBJECT : Letter of Information
GENERAL
1. East Coast Bureau: After nearly two decades of operation the
East Coast Bureau closed monitoring on 18 March. All of its coverage
responsibilities were transferred to the Caribbean Bureau. Another
Organization component is scheduled to take over the Hedgeneck premises,
with FBIS retaining the Radio Central area for the use of the vricei-
neering Staff and Field Operations Staff on special projects.
2. Saigon Situation: While security controls in Saigon have been
relaxed considerably since the Viet Cong attacks in February, the
situation at the end of the month was still tense and far from normal.
A curfew between 1900 and 0700, for both American civilians and Vietnamese,
remained in effect throughout the Saigon-Cholon area. All personnel
remaining at the Bureau after curfew were forced to stay overnight; thus
editors were working 24 hours on and 24 hours off. Security precautions
continued to be strictly enforced in light of reports that more attacks
were forthcoming. With the easing of the curfew and the removal of most
roadblocks, monitors were able to report for duty with increasing relia-
bility after mid-February, when normal coverage was resumed. The Okinawa
and Bangkok bureaus had shared or backstopped most of Saigon Bureau's
coverage since the beginning of the crisis. Two fu11-time monitors of
the Saigon Bureau were recalled to Military service.
3. 'Panama Crisis: The Panama Bureau was considerably ahead of
press agencies in reporting developments related to the impeachment
of President Robles of Panama during the weekend of 22-24 March. The
impeachment,charges placed before the National Assembly precipitated
a number of street demonstrations and rallies in Panama City, which
made it necessary to advise bureau Staff personnel against leaving the
Zone. Sitreps filed by Embassy commonents in Panama City relied heavily
on FBIS reporting.
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4. Jotdanian-Israeli Clash: The White House Situation Room reported
that materials supplied by the FBIS Wire Service and one other agency
were considerably Ahead of other official sources on the Jordanian-Israeli
clash of 21 March and were passed promptly to MZ. Walt Rostow for the
President. The monitoring was dote at the Mediterranean Bureau. 50X1
S-E-C-R-E-T Group 1
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SUBJECT: Letter of Information, 25 March 1968
SERVICES AND REQUIREMENTS
5. Lateral Services: The latest revised edition of the Lateral ?
Services List will be distributed the latter part of April. Bureaus are
advised to check the new list carefully as several Services have been
moved to different categories or amended. Bureaus are reminded that
material filed to other bureaus for background information or coordi-
nation purposes is not regarded as -a lateral service; only material
filed to a. bureau for forwarding to a nnn-PRTA remmimpr ahnulA e
included in the Lateral Service List.
Following a 30-day trial period, the American Embassy in Lisbon
requested the London Bureau continue as a permanent lateral service
the pouching of program summaries from the Portuguese clandestine
transmitters "Radio Free Portugal" and "The Voice of Freedom". Ambas-
sador Bennett, in a letter to the State Department, described the
summaries as "highly useful" and stated that this service "adds a new
element?to_theabassy's analysis of the domestic situation in Portugal."
The Naval Air Station (FICPACFAC) at Cubi Point, Philippines, has
asked to be made an addressee for FBIS material sent to the U.S. 7th
Fleet. The Bangkok and Okinawa bureaus are now filing all processed
items from Indonesian sources to the Voice of America, Bangkok, at its
request.
? The Okinawa and Saigon Bureaus began Wirefiling significant
references to specific NLFSV organizations to the U.S. Consulate,
Da Nang, at its request.
6. Special Services; The KCNA English text of an alleged letter
from the crew of the Pueblo to President Johnson was run on the Wire
at the. request of the White House Situation Room. The Wire also carried
the Hanoi VNA transmission of the Vietnam Courier article, "The Meaning
of the San Antonio Formula," in response to a call from the White House.
The USSR Division translated 'a "letter from a young Soviet" on a
priority basis for the Office of the DCI. The Czechoslovakia/Hungary
Branch/EAD used press sources to verify the location of all but five
of the 37 known computers in Hungary for an Organization component.
The Asia Division translated an 85-page classified Arabic document
entitled, "Program of the Communist Party of the Sudan," for an
Organization office.
The German Bureau furnished a set of still photographs of a
portion of the East Berlin TV series on the Red Army's 50th anniver-
saryli to the 0 flee of the SifOr Naval Representative, Frankfurt, at
its request.
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SUBJECT: Letter of Information, 25 March 1968
In response to a requirement from the State Department's Coordina-
tor of Cuban Affairs, Miami, the Key West Bureau provided him with
Havana Radio's first Monitored report of the hijacking of the Delta
Airlines aircraft. This report included the name of the hijacker which
had been lacking in press reports.
In response to a requirement received through an Organization
component, the East Coast Buieau provided Spanish-language texts of
two Cuban leader's speeches for the U.S. Ambassador to Chile.
7. Press and Document Exploitation: The PMU/London now has five Soviet
newspapers -- PRAVDA, IZVESTIYA, KRASNAYA ZVEZDA, THUD, AND SOVETSKAYA
ROSSIYA -- under full exploitation.
Asia Division received 72 Red Guard publications during the month.
The Japanese Unit of Asia Division completed scrutiny of some 850 pages of
the Dewi(Sukarno's wife diary and notes, producing 87 pages of English
translation from this material. The unit also translated A highly tprh-
nical 39-page document on uranium isotope concentration.
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Two chapters of a Russian manual on the T-55 tank were translated
by the USSR Division. This 104-page segment, which covered the gun
stabilization system and the tank's radiation shielding equipment and
characteristics'. Was urgently needed by the community for evaluation
purposes. 50X1
8. Use of FBIS Material: A memorandum from an Organization official
stated that French language translations prepared by the Near East/North
Africa Branch of Asia Division contained the bulk of details used in
Section 6 of the National Intelligence Survey on Algeria. The memoran-
dum further noted that these' translations were the only data
on Algeria obtained from material published in Frande. 50X1
In a communication to the Chief, Bangkok Bureau, the Director of
the East Asia Bureau/VOA stated that FBIS is one of the basic sources
for his bureau's output. 50X1
In a report dated I March, OCI presented a sampling of news broad-
casts of 28 February monitored by FBIS as "graphically illustrating" the
situation in Czechoslovakia, concluding that "sudh a news day has been
typical in recent weeks". The items cited had been monitored by the
London Bureau.
;
.Some 40 tables originated by the U.S. Enbassi, Saigon, during
February were based on FBIS-monitored information.
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SUBJECT: Letter of Information, 25 March 1968
9. Propaganda Analysis: PAD coverage of the upheavals in
Czechoslovakia and Poland has centered primarily on an examination of
the reactions of the other European communist countries and the USSR
to events which could set off a chain reaction and threaten the cohe-
siveness of Soviet-led bloc organizations. A running account of the
scope and nature of Soviet, East German, Hungarian, Rumanian, and
Bulgarian news and comment on these developments, as well as Prague
treatment of the Polish disorders and Warsaw treatment of the Czech
events, has been carried in the weekly Trends. The Landon, Austrian
and German Bureaus and Headquarters Area Division support has been
essential to this analysis and to PAD's capability to answer consumer
questions on bloc reactions. An article in the 14 March Survey sums
up Czechoslovak press and radio indications of the newly "inde endent"
foreign policy line being evolved by the Czech leadership.
The Vietnam analysis effort continues to concentrate on the increas-
ingly complex military and political situation in South Vietnam, as well
as on Hanoi reactions to manifestations in the United States of concern
and dissent over the war. Secretary Rusk's testimony before the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee and the outcome of the New Hampshire primary
brought a number of Organization and State Department inquiries about
Vietnamese communist reactions. Some 30 Hanoi items on U.S. dissent
were assembled from Daily Reports and PAD's Hanoi Key Themes file for
a State Department requester.
10. Commendations: On the occasion of the termination of operations
at the East Coast Bureau, FBIS received a letter of appreciation from
Mr. John Daly, Director of the Voice of America. Mr. Daily stated in
part: "your daily feeds have been of great assistance to us, particularly
during crisis situations when we have turned to foreign broadcasts to help
us keep up with fast-breaking news stories."
In a letter to IBIS, Dr. Philip E. Mosely, Director of the European
Institute of Columbia University, expressed his appreciation tor the
Foreign Press Digest: Soviet Union on the occasion of its amalgamation
with the USSR Daily Report. Dr. Mosely said the report had combined
"excellent judgment of significant new comment in the Soviet press with
conscientious mirroring of divergent trends."
In a speech at ceremonies on 21 March marking the unveiling of a
plaque in honor of Mt. Allen Dulles, the DCI mentioned FBIS first in a
run-down of USIB organizations providing materials on the 6 June 1967
outbreak of Arab-Israeli hostilities.
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%hi S-E-C-R-E-T kw.)
SUBJECT: Letter of Information, 25 March 1968
PUBLICATIONS
11. Daily Repokt Procedures: To cope with the growing volume of
publishable material, make more effective use of Headquarters editorial
and typing staffs, and provide a partial solution to the continuing prob-
lem of publication space, two changes in Daily Report procedures were
instituted during the month: 1) a Sunday-Thursday workweek for two
USSR/EE Branch editors was initiated 3 March on an experimental basis;
2) effective 15 March the Daily Report began forwarding to the contractual
facility material considered more "basic" than "current" from r1
unrs-
stricted sources for publication in the appropriate issuance.
?
12. Supplements: Five supplements to the Daily Report were published
during the past month: "Materials on Internal Czechoslovak Political
Developments," 5 Maroh, 61 pages (prepared by the contractual facility),
and Volume II, same title, dated 20 March 1968, 79 pages; "Materials on
the 50th Anniversary or the Soviet Armed Forces, Volume I, dated 8 March
1968, 87 pages (partly prepared by the contractual facility); "Text of
KPD Draft Program for West Germany, "dated 23 February 1968, 37 pages,
(prepared by the German Bureau); and "Text of Castro Havana U sity
Speech," dated 18 March 1968, 45 pages.
FIELD OPERATIONS
13. Bangkok Communicationsl UHF radio terminals are being installed
to operate between the Bangkok Bureau and the DCA communications center,
replacina unreliaole land lines. Installation is nearing completion.
14. Chicom Regional Broadcasting.: Considerable activity among Chinese
regional broadcasting stations developed during February and early March,
representing in some cases a change in broadcast patterns that had held
since before the start of the "cultural revolution." Several provincial
radios broke their solid relay of the Peking domestic service to originate
their own programing. For some stations this was a short-lived change and
in others the pattern of own-station origination continues. The Okinawa
and Hokkaido bureaus have assumed coverage of the new programing. The BBC
has added A frwrsh Chinese radio monitor to its Hong Kong operation.
15. Other Broadcast Developments: The communist clandestine "Voice of
the Iraqi People," which had been active since 1963 as a spinoff of "Radio
Peyk-e Iran" and broadcasting in Arabic and Kurdish, announced on 26 ,
February that it was suspending broadcasts "until an unknown date.":
Another communist clandestine broadcaster, the Greek "Voice of Truth,"
which has broadcast since 1958 from both Rumanian and East German trans-
mitters, suffered the loss of its operating base in Rumania and is now
using one East German transmitter. It is covered by the BBC.
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SUBJECT; Letter of Information, 25 March 1968
Albania, using Chinese-built transmitters operating near Tirana,
has added Portuguese to its international service transmissions. This
is Albania's initial effort in this language. Tirana has More than
doubled the hours of its international services since last July and has
added more than 38 hours weekly in broadcasts since 1 January. BBC
covers Albanian external services.
Radio Moscow inaugurated special programs in the African languages
of Shona and Ndebele for listeners in Rhodesia on 13 March. The United
Arab Republic also schedules programs in Shona and Tanzania broadcasts
in both Shona and Ndebele.
ENGINEERING
16. Caribbean Bureau: The, overall building contract of the Caribbean
Bureau,is 99.9% complete. Final inspection of the construction was held
on 27 February 1968. The major part of the construction was judged highly
satisfactory and only a few minor items remain to be corrected for final
acceptance. On recommendation of the Wire Grid Lens antenna designer,
and on the basis of preliminary results of Naval Research Laboratory tests,
certain coaxial connections to the antenna will be changed. These changes
will improve the selectivity and sensitivity of the antenna taps above
fourteen megacycles. The number of multicoupler outpu s will be reaucTd
slightly until additional multicouplers are provided.
MISCELLANEOUS
17. Chief. of Saigon Bureau:
ill assume duties
Chief, Saigon Bureau, in April, vice
has been chief of the D.C. Office of tne contractual facility.
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18. Briefings and Visits: FBIS personnel visited and were briefed on
operations in the White House Situation Room, the National Military Com-
mand Center at the Pentagon, the State epartment's Operations CP ter,
and the Organization's printing plant.
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Deputy Director, departed 5 March for visits 50X1
to FBIS bureaus in the Far East, the U.S. Consulate General/Hong Kong,
and CINPAC, Honolulu. Chief, Publications Division, 50X1
visited the West Coast Bureau and the San Francisco Office of the domestic
contractual facility from 5-9 February. Chief of 50X1
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SUBJECT: Letter of Information,25 March 1968
Production, visited the London German Austrian, and Mediterranean Bureaus
.from 4-22 March. Chief, Administrative Staff,
ibbean and Key West Bureaus, 9-21 March, and
Chief, USSR Division, departed on 19 March for the West
oastyest, Panama, and Caribbean Bureaus.
Mr. Charles Eberhardt, Chief of VOA's East Asia Bureau, visited
the Bangkok Bureau 12 February. Maj. Gen. Jerry D. Page, Commander of
the 313th Air Division, visited the Okinawa Bureau 9 February. 50X1
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Acting Chief, Asia Division, and sox.'
Chief, Internal Affairs Branch, PAD, attended a seminar of the 50X1
Association for Asian Studies in Philadelphia 20-24 March. Four FBIS 50X1
Staff officers visited Cambridge, Mass., 12-13 March in connection with
a study of cathode ray editing devices. 50X1
ADMINISTRATION
19. HOtel Reservations: When requesting hotel reservations in the
Washington area, please let the Administrative Staff know the approxi-
mate time of arrival at the hotel, the len h of stmt. the type of room
wanted, and the approximate price range. 50X1
' 20. Travel. Vouchers: .The Administrative Staff has encountered some
difficulties with the Office of Finance on dual charges for the purchase
P
of airline tickets. Plea e.inOtrate on 11 travel vouchers whether tickets
were paid in the field.
21. Training: During the_rensalina_neriad_the_following personnel
attended training courses:
a.
Chief, Far East Branch, Publications
Division - Midcareer Executive Development Course, 28
January - 8 March 1968
Chief, WE/AF/ME/LA Branch, Publications
invasion - Advanced Management Planning Course, 17 - 22
March 1968
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SUBJECT: Letter of Information, 25;March 1968
22. Re ato Issuances: The following regulatory issuances
disseminated:
were
PERSONNEL
23'.' Nei Employees
24. Reassignments
Assignment
Area Officer, Asia?Divieion
.Area Officei, USSR Division
Prom ? ? '
Editor
Publications Div.
Monitor
East Coast Bureau
Senior Editor
Wire Services Staff
Monitor
East Coast Bureau
Monitor
East Coast Bureau
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TO
Editor
Caribbean Bureau
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Area Officer- '
Europe/AF/Lat. Am.Div.
Deputy -Chief
Wire Services Staff
Area Officer
Europe/Af/Lat.Am.Div.
Area Officer
Europe/AF/Lat.Am.Div.
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SUBJECT: Letter of Information, 25 March 1968
24. Reassignments . . . - Tram ? To
25. Resignations
Monitor
Area Officer 50X1-
East Coast Bureau Europe/Af/Lat.AmiDiv.
Teletype Operator Teletype Operator
East Coat Bureau Wire Services Staff
Monitor
Area Officer
: East Coast Bureau -Asia Division
Senior Editor -,!-Aredbfficer
East Coast Bureau
Teletype Supervisor Teletype Shift
East Coast Bureau Supervisor
Miie services Staff
Editor Editor
Publications Div. Saigon Bureau
From
Area Officer, USSR Division
Area Officer, Asia Division
Cler st, Publications vision
ROGER . SEELY
Director
Foreign Broadcast Information Service
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