54. Memorandum From the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Gilpatric) to the Director of the United States Information Agency (Murrow)1
Your memorandum of 21 September about Moscow Molly and Berlin Benny taking over the American Forces Network (AFN) Berlin station frequency after midnight concerns an objective we share.2 The Army, as Executive Agent for Defense, was working on the problem when your memorandum arrived and has asked for just a little more time for more information from the field before making firm recommendations for action.
The problem which confronts us is not merely the technical question of pre-empting the Berlin frequency from 0105 to 0600. The major problem cannot be resolved only in the light of the AFN Berlin operation. Although AFN enjoys national protection within West Germany, it has no legal right to international protection of frequencies. A modification in Berlin could cause repercussions with AFN stations in Stuttgart and Frankfurt as well as Berlin since these stations now operate on frequencies registered solely to the Soviet Union. The problem is [Page 149] complicated by the fact that other West European stations and satellite stations also operate on Soviet registered frequencies.
We are interested in a quick and efficient solution, but want to make certain that our entire operation is not jeopardized and that we are prepared to cope with any Soviet countermeasures. I have been assured that final recommendations will be provided shortly and I will let you know.
- Source: National Archives, RG 306, Director’s Subject Files, 1961, Entry UD WW 142, Box 7, Miscellaneous # 2—Various Subjects. Secret.↩
- In his September 21 memorandum to Gilpatric, Murrow wrote: “I know you are already looking into the problem posed by Moscow Molly and Berlin Benny in taking over the frequency of the U.S. Army’s station in Berlin at midnight. Under the present circumstances, I believe there is no doubt that the U.S. forces must pre-empt the frequency by staying on the air around the clock.” Murrow suggested that “whatever funds, materials, and personnel” required be “diverted immediately” from other areas: “We should be able to lick this one in a matter of days, or less.” (Ibid.)↩