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

179. Memorandum From Paul Henze of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)¹

Washington, August 15, 1979

SUBJECT

• VOA Expansion (U)

You will recall that we directed VOA to re-examine its language priorities and readjust its output to support basic U.S. foreign policy objectives a few months ago. Tom Tuch, deputy director of VOA, gave me a brief rundown today of where things stand. Persian-language broadcasts were resumed in April and now go out ½ hour of original programming per day.² There is not much evidence of impact yet in either Iran or Afghanistan. An additional hour of Persian will be added this winter. In addition, additional resources are being allocated to Chinese-language broadcasting and an hour of English to the Caribbean is being added during FY 1980. (C)

Next priority is Azeri, but it is being put off until 1981 because of budgetary stringency. Cost of adding Azeri (with impact in both Iran and USSR) is $250,000 per year and 8 slots. ICA says it cannot reprogram during FY 1980 to do this. (C)

In light of what we know the Soviets are doing in the area immediately to the south of their borders, we seem to be going at expanding our own impact in a very leisurely way. If all we need is $250,000 to start Azeri, it seems to me it would be very much in our national interest to do it. We also need to push VOA into doing something about building new and more powerful transmitters in the South Asian area (approved in March 1977),³ for whatever they are programming, their signal is weak and they are not competing with the vastly more powerful broadcasts out of the USSR. (C)

At some point, it seems to me, we need to make the effort to get a little more zip and pep into this whole effort. But the present time may not be opportune. (U)

I stand ready to propose ways of raising these issues whenever you want them raised. What is your advice?—

LET IT RIDE _______⁴

Generate a Proposal for finding MONEY for Azeri sooner _______⁵

PUSH the transmitter problem _______⁶

TELL VOA/ICA to be more adventuresome in seeking extra funds _______. (C)⁷

1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 9, Board for International Broadcasting (RFE, RL, VOA): 5/79–1/80. Confidential. Sent for action. Dodson initialed the memorandum. Also printed in Foreign Relations, 1977–1980, vol. XX, Eastern Europe, Document 64. An attached NSC Correspondence Profile indicates that Aaron made the decision. August 21 and that a copy of the memorandum was sent to Henze. (Ibid.)
2. Aaron circled “½ hour.” He also wrote “ridiculous!” next to the subject line of the memorandum.
3. See footnote 3, Document 14.
4. Aaron did not place a check-mark next to this option.
5. Aaron placed a check-mark next to this option.
6. Aaron placed a check-mark next to this option.
7. Aaron placed a check-mark next to this option. Below it, he wrote “also push & above all Persian facts. DA.” In an August 22 memorandum to Reinhardt, Henze stated, “David Aaron recently reviewed the status of your initiatives, taken earlier this years, to heighten the VOA’s impact, especially in the Middle East. He has asked me to urge you to do everything possible to expand Persian broadcasts as rapidly as you can and to do whatever you need to do to ensure that they are listened to in both Iran and Afghanistan. He also urges that inauguration of Azeri broadcasts not be deferred until FY 1981, but be undertaken in FY 1980.” (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 9, Board for International Broadcasting (RFE, RL, VOA): 5/79–1/80)