Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume XX, Eastern Europe

45. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter¹

Washington, January 31, 1977

SUBJECT

• Report to Congress on the United States International Broadcasting Program

The Fiscal Year 1977 Foreign Relations Authorization Act requires the submission to Congress not later than January 31, 1977, of a Presidential report on the United States international broadcasting program.

In response to this Congressional requirement, the Ford Administration issued NSSM 245² to investigate those measures that might be taken to improve the effectiveness of US-funded international broadcasting and to analyze the impact that such measures would have on current and future US-funded information exchange programs. NSSM 245 was completed but the Ford Administration never submitted the report based on this study to Congress because of an interagency dispute on the recommended number of new transmitters.³

Because of the pending Congressional deadline, I recommend that you submit a letter to the Congress noting that a report was prepared by the previous Administration but that you intend to submit your own views and recommendations on this subject (by the end of February). This will permit the new Cabinet officers and the Directors of OMB and USIA to reconsider the report and submit any disagreements for your resolution. OMB concurs.

RECOMMENDATION:

That you sign the letters at Tab A to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate.

That you authorize me to request a new review of the report of the previous Administration.⁴

1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 9, Board for International Broadcasting (RFE, RL, VOA): 2–12/1977. Confidential. Sent for action. Hyland sent a draft to Brzezinski under an undated covering memorandum. See footnote 3 below.
2. NSSM 245, signed August 3, 1976, directed the Departments of State and Defense, as well as OMB, USIA, and BIB to undertake a study on the requirements for modernization of the broadcasting capabilities of the U.S. Government. See Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, vol. E–15, Part 1, Documents on Eastern Europe, 1973–1976, Document 18.
3. In an undated memorandum to Brzezinski, Hyland reported that State, Defense, the JCS, USIA, BIB, and the CIA recommended during the Ford administration the acquisition of 16 new 250KW transmitters for the modernization of U.S. Government broadcasting in Europe but that OMB insisted that only 12 new transmitters were necessary. The disagreement was never resolved and the final report to Congress was never issued. Hyland recommended that the conclusions of the report be forwarded to Congress despite OMB opposition. (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 9, Board for International Broadcasting (RFE, RL, VOA): 2–12/1977)
4. The President approved the recommendation and signed the letters to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate on January 31. (Ibid.) The final report, sent to Congress on March 22, recommended the purchase of 16 new additional transmitters for RFE/RL and VOA broadcasting in Europe as well as 12 additional VOA transmitters for broadcasting to Asia and Africa. (Public Papers: Carter, 1977, Book I, p. 478)