MONTHLY REPORT -- PANAMA BUREAU -- MARCH 1988

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-01355R000400120009-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 13
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 18, 2013
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: April 6, 1988
• Content Type: MEMO

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ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET
SUBJECT: (Optional)
Monthly Report -- Panama Bureau
FROM:
EXTENSION
NO.
DATE ST
March 1988
Chief, Operations Group
TO: (Officer designation, room number, and
building)
DATE
OFFICER'S
COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whom
to whom. Draw a line across column after each comment.)
RECEIVED
FORWARDED
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Exec. Reg.
FORM 610 USE PREVIOUS
1 -79 EDITIONS
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FBIS-5206-88
6 April 1988
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director, Foreign Broadcast Information Service
THROUGH : Chief, Operations Group
SUBJECT : Monthly Report -- Panama Bureau -- March 1988
I. GENERAL
A. The bean dip meter reached unprecedented levels in March
as U.S. economic measures to oust General Noriega combined with
the closing of all banks and an extended general strike by the
opposition to paralyze the country. An unsuccessful military
coup in mid-month aggravated the already precarious security
situation, leading to the declaration of a state of emergency on
18 March that remains in effect. Although by month's end the
general strike had begun to dissipate, there is still very little
cash in the country, and various payrolls continue to go unmet.
The average Panamanian is feeling the economic squeeze, but there
is no sign Noriega is considering an extended leave of absence.
Because the U.S. Government does not recognize the current
Panamanian regime, diplomatic contact is nonexistent ._Although
the USIS Public Affairs Officer, better known as ourrstaff 7
secretary's husband, and the embassy's economic counselor were
declared persona non grata in March, the embassy has refused to
acknowledge either expulsion order. The current noncontact has
had negative consequences on administrative areas as well, and we
are currently taking steps to deal with possible repercussions on
the personnel turnover this summer.
B. For the time being, the Panamanian regime and Defense
Forces (PDF) have guaranteed the safety of all U.S. citizens.
For the week following the abortive coup, however, the security
situation was uncertain, and the PDF had set up checkpoints
throughout the city to look for weapons and fugitive coup
participants. On the evening of the coup attempt, those who
braved the ride into town witnessed shootings and were forced to
drive around or through several smouldering barricades. The
following evening, the bureau bus was stopped and searched seven
times on the way home from evening shift, once being surrounded
by PDF soldiers carrying automatic weapons. As a result of the
tenuous security situation, state of emergency, and prolonged
utility outages in Panama City, several bureau employees took up
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offers to stay at the Ft. Clayton TDY house or with on-base
staffers for several days following the attempted coup.
II. OPERATIONS
A. Nonitorial/Editorial
1. There were several long nights in March. In addition to
coverage of the ongoing Panama crisis, which included two flash
messages, other significant events in our area warranted
staying open well past our normal midnight COB. The surprising
Sapoa peace talks between the Sandinistas and contras, a
Honduran-Nicaraguan border conflict, reaction to the sending of
the U.S. 82d Airborne to Honduras, and an important ARENA victory
in the Salvadoran assembly elections attracted a great deal of
attention. The fact that several of these events occurred
concurrently helped make closing on time the exception rather
than the rule. Two shifts during the month were awarded the
official "Shift From Hell" designation.
2. In a scene reminiscent of the filming of the last
M*A*S*H* TV program, the bureau bid a fond and tearful farewell
to primary coverage of Peru on 31 March. Although we retain some
contact with the land of the llamas through our coverage of the
Western press agencies, Paraguay Bureau has now reassumed primary
coverage courtesy of its new ROSET.
B. Cruising
Staff cruising officer and cruising monitor STAT
conducted a week-long survey in Costa Rica to STAT
follow up on a 1986 reception survey from that country.
Although reception of Panamanian media was not possible and
Nicaraguan television could no longer be observed from Liberia,
site of the 1986 survey, reception checks from the coast of
the Gulf of Papagayo in Guanacaste Province were promising.
The survey determined that reception of Nicaraguan radio and
television audio and of at least one radio from each of the other
Central American countries was possible from the gulf area.
C. Communications
1. We conducted a series of successful modem tests between
the bureau and headquarters and between a remote site and
headquarters. In an emergency we can now transmit items and
other material to headquarters over a modem attached to a Victor
workstation -- as long as a telephone line at the bureau or
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/06/18: CIA-RDP91-01355R000400120009-4
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remote site is working. Editors are currently being trained in
modem operation.
2. On 11 March, the bureau took part in a test of the Bach
2.1 and Transmit 1.1 software and the new message format to be
introduced later this spring. The test was successful, and we
experienced no ill effects on our communications or the LAN.
E. Lateral Services
At a briefing for various local government components on 9
March, SOUTHCOM J-2 singled out two recent bureau products for
praise: an FYI providing comprehensive Panamanian radio,
television, and newspaper affiliations; and the interception and
translation of a clandestine opposition broadcast that
interrupted the proregime Panama Domestic Service during coverage
of a pro-Noriega rally in Colon.
F. Technical
1. Motorola radios have
and two office vehicles. The
bureau's Main Radio section.
vehicles may communicate with
guards.
been installed in all bureau buses
base station is located in the
As a result, those in bureau
the bureau or embassy marine
2. The bureau submitted a formal request to Intel
(Panamanian telecommunications authority) for a direct four-wire
line to be installed for selective signaling communications
(voice circuit) between the bureau and the U.S. Embassy in San
Jose, Costa Rica.
3. The following accountable property was received from
headquarters:
-- 25 boxes Milliken module carpets, 18" square carpet tiles
pattern no. 2100-418, pattern names corporate square color
no. 301-Brownstone, requisition no. PRF-7/1170 unit price:
$95.00. total price: $2,375.00
4. We transferred the following accountable property
0 headquarters (excess equipment from the FBA installation):
ITEM TAG SERIAL
NO. NO. NUMBER
PART
NUMBER
PART
DESCRIPTION
to
1
2750
611010909C
2620-1
Victor VPC II computer
2
2948
612012285C
2620-1
Victor VPC II computer
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3
2846
611011392C
2620-1
Victor VPC II computer
4
2751
V3000191G
DM-14
Victor/ADI monitor
5
2943
V3000349G
DM-14
Victor/ADI monitor
6
2847
V3000112G
DM-14
Victor/ADI monitor
7
2845
609603937
108659-01
VPC II keyboard
8
2830
609604073
108659-01
VPC II keyboard
9
1722
SGT26821
ACL8010
Stargate ACL board
10
4MIMplall.???
23608
ST-4096
80MB hard disk drive
11
2886
L119294
82200040-05
G/net NIM board
12
1660
L101821
82200040-05
G/net NIM board
13
612001013
108006-01
V286 system board
14
QTY 2
279296-502
LZR-1200 drum
cartridge
15
QTY 2
279295-001
LZR-1200 developer
cartidge.
III. ADMINISTRATION
A. Personnel
Teletypist
4-oz daughter,
gave birth to a beautiful 9-1b,
on 23 March.
STAT
STAT
,
0
)
B. Building and grounds
1. DEH replaced the motor
March.
on the bureau's water pump on 22
completed the painting of the
who so patiently guided the bureau
two months, departed Panama on
STAT
2. reatractor
Roset antennas. - -J
IV. VISITS
LEC contractor
through automation over
19 March.
Taller Raulito
the last
V. COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
1. Although social activities have been severely curtailed
as a result of the current situation, the local sports scene
remained active as (LF)and(SS) both batted
over .600 in leading the Dips (U.S. Embassy annex) softball team
to the regular season championship of the Community Recreation
Division's (CRD) Civilian League. We say "leading" here only
because we don't think anyone else on the team will read this
monthly report.
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S1STAT
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2. Also on the local sports scene, made it to STAT
the finals of the CRD civilian tennis tournament beore
succumbirmLto_the first person who was able to effectively
counter pregame strategy (taken from the U.S. State STAT
Departmentmanual) of blockading the tennis courts. From that
point on, threats of economic sanctions and offerings of
conditional aid proved useless.
STAT
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Panama Bureau Production Report for MARCH 1988
I. TOTALS FROM ALL SOURCES:
TOTAL PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MONTH:
TOTAL NON-PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MONTH:
TOTAL NUMBER OF PUBLISHABLE ITEMS FILED DURING MONTH:
II. INPUT OF REGULAR COVERAGE:
(minutes or issues per week)
III. OUTPUT FROM ALL SOURCES:
(publishable words per month)
CLANDESTINE
Clandestine Radio Farabundo Marti in
BROAD-
CASTS
15685.00
min.
408120
64760
970
PRESS PUBLI-
AGENCIES CATIONS
74700.00 220.00
min. issues
Spanish to El Salvador
Clandestine Radio Venceremos in
. Spanish to El Salvador
0
19080
ARGENTINA
Buenos Aires REUTER in
Spanish
3260
COLOMBIA
Bogota Emisoras Caracol Network in
Spanish
2550
Bogota INRAVISION Television Cadena 1
in
Spanish
7410
Bogota INRAVISION Television Cadena 2
in,
Spanish
580
Bogota Radio Cadena Nacional in
Spanish
1940
Bogota EL SIGLO in
Spanish
0
Bogota EL TIEMPO in
Spanish
0
COSTA RICA
San Jose Radio Impacto in
Spanish
9660
San Jose Radio Reloj in
Spanish
7300
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2
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
San Jose LA NACION in
Spanish 300
San Jose LA PRENSA LIBRE in
Spanish 0
San Jose LA REPUBLICA in
Spanish 780
San Jose LIBERTAD REVOLUCIONARIA in
Spanish 0
San Jose LIBERTAD in
Spanish 0
San Jose RUMBO in
Spanish 0
CUBA
Havana CUBAVISION Television in
Spanish
Havana International Service in
Quechua
Havana International Service in
. Spanish
Havana PRENSA LATINA in.
English
Havana PRENSA LATINA in
Spanish
ECUADOR
Quito Radio Quito in
Spanish
Quito Voz de los Andes in
Spanish
0
770
4830
450
1010
EL SALVADOR
San Salvador Canal Doce Television in
Spanish 2310
San Salvador Canal Seis Television in
Spanish t60
San Salvador Domestic Service in
Spanish 0
San Salvador La Voz Panamericana in
Spanish 0
San Salvador Radio Cadena Sonora in
Spanish 990
San Salvador Radio Cadena YSKL in
Spanish 1270
San Salvador Radio Cadena YSU in
Spanish 3260
San Salvador TCS Television in
Spanish 0
0
10550
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3
San Salvador Television Nacional in
Spanish
San Salvador DIARIO LATINO in
Spanish
San Salvador EL DIARIO DE HOY in
Spanish
San Salvador EL MUNDO 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 GRAFICO in
Spanish
Guatemala City PRENSA LIBRE in
Spanish
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
840
0
160
0
1680
HONDURAS
Tegucigalpa Cadena Audio Video in
Spanish 830
Tegucigalpa Radio America in
Spanish 7580
Tegucigalpa Telecadena 7 y 4 in
Spanish 0
Tegucigalpa Televisora Hondurena in
Spanish 0
26970
10340
0
510
470
0
0
1020
070
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4
Tegucigalpa VICA Television in
BROAD-
CASTS
PRESS
AGENCIES
PUBLI-
CATIONS
Spanish
1980
Tegucigalpa Voz de Honduras Network in
Spanish
4770
San Pedro Sula LA PRENSA in
Spanish
0
San Pedro Sula TIEMPO in
Spanish
310
Tegucigalpa EL HERALDO in
Spanish
400
Tegucigalpa LA TRIBUNA in
Spanish
60
MEXICO
Mexico City Red Nacional 13 IMEVISION
Television in
Spanish
3280
Mexico City XEW Television Network in
Spanish
3840
Mexico City XHTV Television in
Spanish
1130
Mexico City CERIGUA in
Spanish
1140
Mexico City EL DIA in
Spanish
2150
Mexico City EL NACIONAL in
Spanish
460
Mexico City EXCELSIOR in
Spanish
4840
Mexico City THE NEWS in
English
680
Mexico City UNOMASUNO in
Spanish
1670
NICARAGUA
Managua International Service in
Spanish 0
Managua Domestic Service in
Spanish 45310
Managua Radio Catolica in
Spanish 670
Managua Radio Corporacion in
Spanish 1940
Managua Radio Noticias in
Spanish 210
Managua Radio Sandino in
Spanish 8590
Managua Sistema Sandinista Television
Network in
Spanish 1800
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'BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
Managua ANN Diplomatic Information
Service in
Spanish 940
Managua ANN in
Spanish 5180
Managua NOTISAL in
Spanish 0
Managua NOTISAL-SALPRESS in
Spanish 0
Managua PRENSA LATINA in
Spanish to PRENSA LATINA Havana 1380
Managua BARRICADA in
Spanish 4210
Managua EL NUEVO DIARIO in
Spanish 0
Managua LA PRENSA in
Spanish 460
PANAMA
Panama City Circuito RPC
Television in
Spanish 5510
Panama City Domestic Service in
Spanish 39850
Panama City Radio Alegre. in
Spanish 380
Panama City Radio Mundial in
Spanish 1080
Panama City Radio Verbo in
Spanish 1970
Panama City Telemetro Television in
. Spanish 3000
Panama City Television Service in
Spanish 17050
Panama City Televisora Nacional in
Spanish. 15960
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
25830
13180
0
0
0
12909
810
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BROAD-. puss Puma-
CASTS AGENCIES CATIONS
,. .
:Panama 'City LA REPUHLICA.DOMINICAL in
.'SPS'iliSh- '''' ' 1430
Panama City:LA.REPUBLICA in
Spanish -- ' 9000
Panama City BATUTINO in
' '4Spanish .- " 2500
Panama City-QUIUBO-In
Spanish 0
Panama City THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC in
English '
s, 0
Panama City .EL SIGLO DOMINICAL in
Spanish 0
PERU
Lima Television Peruana in
Spanish
SPAIN
Madrid EFE in
Spanish
16680
USSR
Moscow Radio Peace and Progress in
Spanish 0
Moscow in
Spanish to Latin America 510
Moscow in
Spanish to Cuba 420
VENEZUELA
Caracas Radio Rumbos Network in
Spanish 140
Caracas Venezolana de Television
Canal 8 in
Spanish 3100
Caracas EL NACIONAL in
Spanish
Caracas EL UNIVERSAL in
Spanish
9400
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0
0
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.4k1i4; ? Z .faZ OZ 10:Z ?;; .
TOTALS FROM ROSET SOURCES
COLOMBIA
Bogota INRAVISION Television Cadena 1 in
Spanish
Bogota INRAVISION Television Cadena 2 in
Spanish
CUBA
Havana PRENSA LATINA in
Spanish
MEXICO
Mexico City Red Nacional 13 IMEVISION Television in
Spanish
Mexico City XEW Television Network in
Spanish
Mexico City XHTV Television in
Spanish
Mexico City CERIGUA in
Spanish
NICARAGUA
Managua ANN Diplomatic Information Service in
Spanish
Managua ANN in
Spanish
Managua PRENSA LATINA in
Spanish to PRENSA LATINA Havana
PERU
Lima Television Peruana in
Spanish
VENEZUELA
Caracas Venezolana de Television Canal 8 in
Spanish
7,410
580
10,550
3,280
3,840
1,130
1,140
940
5,180
1,380
16,680
3,100
TOTAL FOR MARCH 1988 55,210
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