The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-06-04
U. P. First To Break Tokyo Bombing News
Staff of 100 Skilled Technicians Man News Agencys
 Five Powerful Listening Posts

Eight years ago the United Press opened a new field of news-gather- ing with the development at Val halla, N. Y, of the worlds first non commercial radio listening post.
 Today, with one-third of the worlds frontiers closed to Amer ican correspondents as a result Of war, and with peace-time communi- cations badly crippled, U. P.'s vastly expanded system of radio monitor ing stations is playing an increas- ingly important role in world news coverage.
 Daily, around the clock, c staff of nearly 100 highly skilled tech- nicians and translators are on duty at five powerful listening posts and six supplemental receiving stations auditing and recording for United Press hundreds of ofiicial news and propaganda broadcasts, from both enemy and United Nations sources.
 Of the hundreds of thousands of words to which its stations listen, United Press records an estimated 10000 words daily for the infornla- ton of its editorial staffs, for checking purposes and for incorpo- ration into the general report.
 Actually only a portion of the great quantity of news and pur- i ported news broadcast by foreign sources is used by the United Press Obvious propaganda is eliminated and reports of enemy origin are clearly indicated by this parenths- tical note preceding the story:
 "(The following was not filed by United Press correspondent, but is an enemy government broadcast recorded outside enemy territory0'
 In spite of the painstaking task of wedding out the valueiess mat ter, U. P.s listening posts repeated ly have proved their value by pro- viding important beats on tremend- olis stories.
 An outstanding recent example wes provided by the bombing ct Tokyo, United Press maintains near San Francisco, a powerful west coast listening post. On April IS a routine check was being I.lade of a regularly scheduled Tokyo newscast. The announcer described the beauty of peaceful Tokyo in tha spring and bOasted of the Japanese capitals security against attack Soft music followed. The listening post stan was familiar with this Japanege propaganda routine,
 Then, suddenly, the music stopped, Ths Japanese announcers voice cuI in eEcitedly to say:
 we interrupt this program to re- port the bombing of Tokyo by en- enay planes"
 Recording equipment was cut n the moment the music was inter- ruuted, Tine flash was transmitted over U, P,,s entire leased wire syss tenn within 90 seconds, The liSteia- ing post stan stayed tuned to tha Tokyo TleWscast throughout the dra' matlc report end produced q 1O- minute beat on the news AE1erlcani had been waiting months 10 hear,
 Tn addition to providing q chan mel for obtaining news from ineiae enemy nations, the listening post record important 0flieial news broad. casts from friendly and neutFa capitals, frequently before %egloehl correspondents in those capitals car deliver the same information to hes York by regular commercial chan nels. The latter now operate witF considerable delay due to censor ship and other war time Feglia' tl0ns. Then, too. such headline making events aG a speech by PFlInl MinlstsF churchill, by Hitler q
 auasolini ere regularly covered b' the listening pDgts.
 Three key stations function as thl