940.40/11–1851
The Acting Secretary of State to the Secretary of Defense (Lovett)1
My Dear Mr. Secretary: As the Department of Defense is aware, the United States, in fulfilling its responsibilities incident to the occupation of Germany and Austria and because of the existing political situation, either conducts or sponsors numerous broadcasting services in those countries. The services conducted by this country are “Radio in the American Sector” (RIAS), Berlin, and the “Voice of America” (VOA) in Munich as well as the “American Forces Network” (AFN) in Germany and the “Blue Danube or American Troop Network” (BDN) in Austria. “Radio Free Europe” (RFE), a private enterprise,2 conducts its broadcasting operations from several locations in the American Zone of Germany and, additionally, the United States has been a strong advocate of decentralized broadcasting in the several Laender in the American Zone of Germany as well as in Austria.
In 1948 the countries of the European regime met at Copenhagen and drafted a broadcasting Agreement, which assigned medium wave frequencies for use in Europe.3 The Agreement is noteworthy [Page 1309] in that it did not provide a sufficient number of frequencies to carry on the essential broadcasting services, enumerated above, despite strong United States representations prior to and during the conference. Subsequent to the conference, the United States endeavored to negotiate with the friendly European powers for the use of frequencies to meet its requirements but to little avail. Therefore, in order to continue United States or U.S.-sponsored broadcasting services this country was forced to share frequencies assigned to other countries under the terms of the Copenhagen Convention with or without the acquiescence of the countries to whom those frequencies were assigned. In pursuing the policy of frequency sharing, the United States endeavored, through the medium of directional antennas and reduced power, to protect the broadcasting services of the countries with whom those frequencies were shared within their primary service areas. That policy applied to Eastern as well as Western countries.
There are 121 bands or frequencies allocated by the Copenhagen Convention for medium wave broadcasting in Europe. Of those bands or frequencies the United States or U.S.-sponsored services are already sharing frequencies as listed below:
| Service | No. of Transmitters | Frequencies Shared |
| RIAS—Berlin | 1 | 1 |
| RIAS—Hof | 1 | 1 |
| VOA—Munich | 1 | 1 |
| VOA—Salonika | 1 | 1 |
| German Laender | 9 | 9 |
| AFN | 25 | 14 |
| BDN | 5 | 5 |
| RWR | 3 | 3 |
| AFS—Trieste | 1 | 1 |
| RFE | 1 | 1 |
Because of the jamming by Soviet or Soviet-sponsored transmitters of the “Voice of America” programs and others, the National Security Council in Document No. 664 and subsequent documents clearly pointed out the necessity for an intensification of our psychological warfare program and directed the VOA to intensify its programming to the Soviet Union and its satellites by means of more powerful transmitters. Current plans call for the construction of a megawatt transmitter in or in the vicinity of Munich and another on the island of Rhodes. It is also intended to split the VOA operation in Munich (two 150 kilowatt transmitters hooked in tandem known as Dumbo) and program each transmitter separately. Additionally, RFE, which is presently broadcasting from Munich to the satellite countries, is being jammed and that organization has informed the Department that it would like to install additional transmitters with high power. Frequencies for all these operations are urgently required but due to the fact that the United States has pursued the policy of frequency sharing, to the maximum within the terms of the policy heretofore outlined, frequencies are not available to satisfy the VOA and RFE requirements.
Soviet jamming is not restricted to the operations of the VOA and RFE alone. It is interfering with indigenous German broadcasts and the U.S.S.R. is in the process of constructing a super power transmitter in Berlin as well as a jamming installation in the Soviet Zone of Germany, the purpose of which is thought to be to jam German FM broadcasts and possibly United States military point-to-point services operating in the VHF bands.
In view of the present jamming situation and progress being made by the U.S.S.R. and its satellites to intensify the jamming program, it is urgent that immediate consideration be given to ways and means of satisfying our frequency requirements.
One approach to satisfying the frequency requirements is the sharing of certain Western European frequencies and from the island of Rhodes that is technically feasible. However, it is a fair assumption that immediately after the inception of broadcasts from the island of Rhodes to the Soviet or satellite countries that service would be jammed and the jamming would seriously affect the Western European broadcasting service of the country with which Rhodes shared the frequency. The second alternative would be the unrestricted use of Eastern European frequencies on a non-protection basis. A pool of Eastern European frequencies possibly suitable for that use exists. The Department has studied the possibility of using such frequencies and the concurrence has been obtained to [Page 1311] use frequencies assigned to Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Albania because of current political relations with those countries. The desirability of using Soviet or other satellite frequencies on a non-protected basis is presently under consideration. In studying this problem the Department has taken cognizance of the fixed and other services operated by the United States Military Establishment in Europe and is aware of the possibility of retaliation. Prior to arriving at a policy determination on this matter the Department would appreciate the views of the Department of Defense on the desirability of using Soviet and satellite frequencies in the manner outlined above.
Sincerely yours,
- Drafted by Nesbitt (TRC/TD) and cleared in draft with WE, GAI, IE, PRS, IBD, and S/P.↩
- For the formal definition of the relationship of RFE to the U.S. Government, see Foreign Service Information and Educational Exchange Circular No. 14, Document 658.↩
- A European Regional Broadcasting Conference was held in Copenhagen in 1948 to develop a plan for the assignment of radio broadcasting frequencies in Europe. U.S. observers were admitted to the conference but were not given an opportunity to present the frequency requirements for the U.S. areas of occupation. The Copenhagen Conference developed a frequency assignment plan which was inadequate for the essential requirements of the United States as an occupying power in Germany. The United States formally entered a reservation at the Copenhagen Conference to the effect that the United States would be unable to implement the allocation plan agreed upon by the majority of the countries at the conference. For documentation on U.S. efforts in 1950 to find ways and means of continuing the operation of the Voice of America after the Copenhagen Conference plan was put into effect in March 1950, see Foreign Relations, 1950, vol. iv, pp. 266 ff.↩
- For NSC 66, April 4, 1950, see Foreign Relations, 1950, vol. IV, p. 285.↩