Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume XXX, Public Diplomacy

165. Memorandum From the Director of the International Communication Agency (Reinhardt) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)¹

Washington, March 7, 1979

SUBJECT

• VOA Language Priorities

In 1972 and again in 1976 the Agency completed definitive studies identifying VOA language priorities and technical facilities needed to transmit VOA programs to intended audiences abroad. The studies were done within the framework of the Agency’s overall mission to communicate with foreign audiences, taking into account the efficacy of other media and the activities of overseas posts as well as the effectiveness of the radio medium as a communications tool vis-a-vis a given audience. The time period of each of the two studies was five to seven years. Tab A² lists the languages by categories as determined in the 1976 study. (Some of the recommendations of that study have not yet been implemented since not all of the needed technical facilities have come on line.)

This review, in response to your memorandum,³ adds an important new dimension: it identifies those additional languages and areas where during the next few years we face or might face the necessity of enhancing our ability to communicate by radio, independent of, or in the absence of, other methods of communication. What languages to what areas should we be broadcasting in order to preserve for the United States the capability to communicate publicly, if other methods are not available to us?

Following consultation among Agency geographic area specialists, Department of State geographic bureaus and VOA broadcast specialists, we believe that, in addition to our current broadcast schedule (see Tab B):⁴

a) we should begin broadcasting in three new languages—Azeri,⁵ Mongolian and Lingala;

b) we should increase English programs to East and South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean to be more competitive with Radio Moscow’s expanded English-language World Service (235 hours per week vs. 223 hours by VOA at present) and with BBC’s extensive English programs;

c) we should increase Portuguese, Swahili and Hausa to Africa; Persian to Iran, Afghanistan and Tadzhikistan; Hindi, Bengali and Urdu to India, Bangladesh and Pakistan; French to North Africa; Indonesian and Thai to Southeast Asia; and Ukrainian to reach the Soviet Far East;⁶

d) we should maintain the capability to start Italian and Spanish in Europe as well as to increase Greek and Turkish, as needed, within a three-month period;

e) we should replace a three-hour daily Russian program to the Soviet Far East, (now repeated from European transmissions) with a live program targeted for that area.

Details are listed in Tab C.⁷

In view of the fact that the Soviets broadcast in several African languages, we carefully explored with the Department of State the question of broadcasting in additional African indigenous languages, particularly in the local languages of southern Africa. Our conclusion is that it would be politically inadvisable at this time, primarily because it would be widely perceived as favoring certain groups over others. English, furthermore, is widely used throughout the region, even among persons with only minimal education.

The above additions and modifications would increase VOA’s weekly schedule from the current 820 hours to 942½ hours. VOA would be broadcasting in 41 languages. Additional funds of $5.8 million and an additional personnel complement of 159 would be required. (Tab D⁸ compares VOA’s new schedule with the total languages and hours of other major international broadcasters, including the USSR and China. Tab E⁹ lists the individual languages and hours in which the USSR, China, Egypt, Great Britain and West Germany broadcast.)

Our current technical facilities can accommodate most of these additions, although VOA signals will continue to be hampered by the necessary use of less effective low-powered transmitters until the present construction program is completed in late 1982.

With these additions and modifications we believe that VOA will be broadcasting in vernacular languages—or have the capability to mount new programs within a short lead time—to all those areas where the United States might reasonably face a need for enhanced ability to communicate by radio during the next few years.

I should emphasize that the additional broadcast services recommended above, while not listed in priority order because of the unpredictability of crisis situations, are of lower priority than our current broadcasts.

The second study, dealing with VOA technical facilities, which will be delivered May 1, will go beyond this report in listing specific priorities in terms of individual languages and number of hours of broadcasts in each language (both existing and recommended) as related to current and future availability of transmitting facilities.¹⁰

1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Agency File, Box 9, International Communication Agency: 1–5/79. No classification marking.
2. Attached but not printed is an undated paper entitled “A Quadrennial Study is Conducted by the Agency to Establish VOA Language Priorities. The Following ‛Language Categories’ Were Established by the 1976 Study Group.”
3. See Document 163.
4. Attached but not printed at Tab B are a March 1979 chart entitled “Voice of America Current Broadcast Times (GMT);” a undated chart entitled “Voice of America English Broadcasts;” and a March 1979 chart entitled “VOA Daily Output by Area.”
5. Radio Liberty broadcasts ½ hour daily with 2½ hour repeats in Azeri. [Footnote is in the original.]
6. We are convinced that audiences, wherever possible, should be able to hear VOA at least twice in a 24-hour period—i.e., morning and evening. [Footnote is in the original.]
7. Attached but not printed are an undated 6 page table, proposing increases in language broadcasting by language and geographical area, and an undated table entitled “Voice of America Broadcast Languages and Hours Weekly by World Area—Proposed.”
8. Attached but not printed is an undated chart entitled “Voice of America Ranking Among Major International Broadcasters.”
9. Attached but not printed are 5 individual, undated charts delineating the output by each of the five countries.
10. The VOA transmitter study, which Reinhardt transmitted to Brzezinski under a May 1 covering memorandum, is in the Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Agency File, Box 9, International Communication Agency: 1–5/79. For the National Security Council response to both reports, see Document 171.