3 A suggestion about the © information exnlosinn THE EXPLOITATION OF FOREIGN OPEN SOURCES 34 OCT 1588 129
Open Sources CIA’s Foreign Broadcast information Service (FBIS) has the key role in monitoring foreign broadcasts and, since 1 May 1057, has had responsibility for press monitoring an] tramlation coordination, previously functions of the Foreign Documems Division of the OfSce of Central Reference. In these progra:ns, FBIS des.gnates priority topics in accordance with requirements by varsous CLA comporents and from other intelligence services. The extensive radio broadcast monitoring program results in the unclassified FBIS Daily Report series of separate reports (issued five times weekly) for the Sovict Union, Eastern Europe, Communist China, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East aad Africa, and Latin America and Western Europe. Tle contents inclede a v-riety of fully translated texts in English, excerpts, summaries, and abstracts, mainly from radio broadcasts and press agency transmissions. The- . reports alert the intelligence community to important developments and statements by foreign officials and other key personalities. The FBIS press monitoring and translation program issues nearly 80 periodicals and occasiona] publications for the use of intelligence and other governmental analysts. Most of the serial publications are unclassifed and available ta the public. There are fve concerned with Communist China, and with other Asian and Pacific nations, also five. No Jess than 38 deal with the USSR, and 23 with Eastem Europe. Fuur are concerned with Latin America or Western Europe, and three with the Middle Lu! and Africa. These sublications are tailored to meet various inteiligence needs, and embrace political, economic, sociologica!, military and scientific categories of information. Most of the FBIS transiations and unclassiGed serial publications are actually p-oduced by the Joint Publications Research Service (JPRS), an organization established in 1957 ander Department of Commerce cover. Inte! ‘gence and other go.ermment analysts can order translations of documents, articles, or boox as reyuired. JPRS unclassified publications, including translations, a.e listed and made available to the general public through US Government Research and Development-Reports, a journal published twice monthly by the Clearinghouse for Federal Scientufic and Technicat Information of the Department of Cor: serce. As a part of its coordination function, and to prevent duplication of translation, FBIS maintains and pub- lishes monthly the Consolidated Translation Surcey (Official Use 133
Open Sources Only), Listing the completed translations and those in progress of more thas 100 participating orgamzations. In 196S the index listed more than 400,000 translations. In addition to the linguistic resources of JPRS, FBIS maintains a staff of intelligence officers with highly developed Linguistic abilities and arca knowledge, and foreign field bureaus with indigenous press monitors working in 17 languages. Among the better known of the other translition and open source monitoring services and products available to intelligence analysts are those of the State Department and U.S. Information Service missions throughout the world, which publish summaries or digests relating to the host country. The Aerospace Technology Division (ATD) of the Air Force Systems Command, under the direction of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), scans numerous forcign scientific and technical books and journals as thev are received in the Library of Congress or received from Air Force procurement officers. ATD disseminates special studies and English abstracts of foreign books and articles, the latter in very convenient 5 x 8 inch card format widely used by scientific intelligence analysts. Cur- rently the ATD prograin is being reorganized. DIA and Army translate several Soviet military journals cover-to-cover on a regular basis. The Atomic Energy Commission publishes Nuclear Science Abstracts, an English compilation from worldwide publications relating to nu- clear energy. The non-intelligence (non-USIB) community carmes on a large and productive effort to exploit for its own beneBt foreign open sources in many cultural areas, producing usually through contract organizations many cover-to-cover and partial translations of Soviet and other foreign language publicatiuns. Some of the more notable and extensive of these efforts are those by various professional socie- ties and such government agencies as the National Science Founda- tion and the National Acronautics and Space Agency. The non- intelligence effort is of considerable value to intelligence analysts. Problewis and Needs The history of US exploitation of foreign open sources by both the intelhyenve and nou-intelligence communities shows that the “Ceorge A. Pughe, “The Dust that Iso't There,” Studies 11 2, p. $8 &. 13.4
Open Sources ( programs are expanding as publications have imereased (one might almost sav that a worldwide “publications explosion” is in progress). As time passes, more programs are initiated and new subjects addcd. The need for 1 centralized agency to administer the growing ex- ploitation of all foreign open sources of information is thus already evident to rationalize the numerous efforts, all with similar objectives, going on smultaneously within and outside of the intelligence com- tunity. - Such an agency could operate openly, serving the nation as a whole, including the intellisence community. Uncle Sam alrcady is footing most of the bill. Such an agency could be operated with greater net economy aod efficiency than Use multifarious undertakings of tic present, since processing methods could be unified and a s‘ngie, flexible automatic data processing system could be employed. Such an agency could still take advantage of the use of foreign and domestic fcld units and could maintain flexibility and comprehensive coverage through the use uv. contractors. *{any linguists might be attracted wno would not consider working for an intelligence organization. Move promising professional carecrs could be offered. Arrangemenis with foreign governments for the exchange of publications could be cx- panded. NASA already has such arrangemcnis with 80 countries. and the AEC also has an exchange program. — 135
Open Sources Another Potent . yet in favor of a national agency of the type suggested iz thai.’ How ...-> efficient dispoution of intelii- gence talent 2nd ou gr, Functions and selected blocs of people could be transferred {2m CIA and other inteiligence organizations to the agency which would he funded directly by Congress. The =. ytnce community could with good management gain more and weiter | open information from foreign sources under the proposed or- ganization, which could also oecome a useful instrument of uational nolicy by promotirs foreign cooperation through publications and other information exchanges. 136