Evening star., 1941-11-23
u. 5. 10 Set Up Office
Inlondon 10 Listen
To Axis Broadcasts
Step Taken Because
Stations in America Cont
Get All Programs
BY WILLIAM ]. WHEiTLEY.

ny WILLIAM j. WHEf lLE1.
Characteristics of radio programs
served by Axis stations to listeners
at home and in the conquered
countries are to be studied by a
corps of experts now establishing a
branch Of the United States foreign
broadcast monitoring service in Lon
don.
Lloyd A. Free, director of this
service, under the Federal Com
munications Commission, left by
clipper last week for London where
he will assist in establishing the
office, which will be under the di-
rection of Peter c. Rhodes, for
mer foreign correspondent for an
American news service
The extension of the listening post
service which now forms wide
network over the United States was
made necessary, 1t was said, be-
cause the monitoring stations or
listening posts located in this coun-
try can not pick up the programs
intended only for consumption OF
the nationals of the Axis territory.
1t was pointed out that while the
monitoring stations here could pick
up the broadcaStS from the high
powered international stations. and
are now making daily records OF
their broadcaStS. there was no way
Of comparing the information sent
to the world at large with that IN
tended only for home consump-
ton. The results of the new mon
itoring and analytical system are
expected TO provide the experts IN
the United States with the key to
the means of combating the propa-
ganda.
100000 Words Daily.
Through listening posts scattered
throughout this country, which IN
clude II primary stations and 81
secondary stations, the F. c. c. lis
teners are recording approximately
100000 words daily. These are trans
lated by corps of linguists and di-
gested by analysts into a small
volume which is served daily to
about 100 KEY officials of the Gov
ernment, in addition to being sent
to the office of the Co-OrdinatOr
Of Information.
Three of the listening posts are
located near Washington. A sta
ton at Silver Hill. in Prince Georges
County. Md. is operated exclusive
" by the foreign broadcast service.
and is using facilities loaned by
the Civil AeronauticS Authority An
other station is located at Laurel,
Md. and is used in the National
Defense Monitoring Service, as is
a secondary station at Falls Church,
Va.
The National Defense Service. it
was pointed out, is largely used for
policing the air against subversive
matter. But officials asserted that
there is no intention of violating
the prohibitions in the Communlca-
tions Act against the divulgence OF
private or addressed communica-
tions going through the air.
Fear of Discovery.
WnllP SOIflt GdStS IldNC ENtA
ferred to the Federal Bureau of
Investigation. officials said there are
almost no subversive activities. But
this is believed due to the fact
that those who might intend to use
the airWays as they did in France
and other countries during the in
vasion know that their activities
would be discovered by the quick
working listening service. and their
source of operations quickly fer
reted out.
Since the persent emergency be-
gan. it was said that $50 transmit
ters have been found to be operate
ing Illegally, and in % of the cases
arrests were made. Licenses of four
stations have been revoked and ap-
proximatelv so operators have had
their licenses suspended for violat-
ing the emergency regulations, most
of them for communicating with
a station In foreign country. These
were not considered subverSive cases.
$50 New Employees.
The monitoring service has added
approximately $50 new employees.
$50 of which are in the District. 1t
requires large corps Of translators
and analysts in order to keep abreast
of the thousands of words coming
through the air daily, and to digest
It and have it ready quickly for
officials who need to use 1t while 1t
Is fresh, and to prepare counter
reports. If believed necessary, to be
served to the international stations
in the United States for broadcast
to foreign countries.
All of these activities have been
developed by the commission since
the beginning of the emergency, II
was explained.
The service was started with an
initial allotment of $1,000 900 IRON
the Presidents emergency fund, anc
this fiscal year is operating on ar
sppropriation of S1,930000.