Radio Free Europe/Free Europe Committee[1][2] - Encrypted Telexes is a digital curated collection available for research at Blinken Open Society Archives.[3] This is the Cold War collection that has been processed, described, and partly made accessible online by Vera and Donald Blinken Open Society Archives in Budapest. The collection arrived from the Hoover Institution Library and Archives at Stanford University in 2014. It consists of 101 microfilm reels that remained after the original paper material was destroyed after subsequent microfilming.[4] Upon arrival to Budapest the microfilm reels were digitized crating more then 111000 electronic files. The collection contains three types of primarily corporate but also historical documents. The Free Europe Committee President's Office materials were produced by the Presidents of the Free Europe Committee with decisions they made between the 1950s and 1970s. Attached to these documents is a waste body of encrypted telexes that were daily exchanged between RFE headquarters in Munich and New York. The third body of archival materials concerns RFE engineering department with rather technical issues including daily frequencies of the radio programs, atmospheric conditions, radio transmission, jamming, and other issues.[5]
Archival Processing
editThe collection’s processing engaged historian's and IT knowledge in order to make big historical data sets accessible for public use. After arrival of microfilm reels, the materials were digitized and later, digital files were grouped and arranged chronologically.
Some electronic files needed to be merged while the other had to be split attributing to each telex message one unique identifier. In the process of describing these records, we chose to apply set of basic parameters that could be found in each telex message to generate set of metadata via traditional databases. Telex message were described by spatial, temporal, personal and other characteristic in order to facilitate linear and vertical connections around them, creating easily recognizable metadata for researchers. We also created a comprehensive computational algorithm suitable for our dedicated webpage i.e. digital curated representation. Visualization of more than 34 540 telex messages required new technological strategies and challenges. The intellectual “processing” of records occurred on macro and micro levels. Big data digital curated representation has also enabled a scholarly analysis and original source criticism to be located outside of archival institutions and research rooms.[6]
Structure of the Encrypted Telex Messages
editGeneral Description
editThe encrypted telexes consist of two main parts. The message header contain the message number - for the given month, and the location from where it originated. Very frequently we find MUN - for Munich, and NYC - for New York two RFE headquarters (rarely Lisbon). The message header also contains family names (without Christian names) of those who send and those who receive the telex. Very often there are more than 2 or three senders while those who received it could be up to 10 or even more people. All telexes have above mentioned parameters that also created our metadata. The second part of the message contained message text that could be of various nature, prom cooperate employment information to technical issues concerning building of the radio infrastructure. Also, circa 45 percent of the telexes contained the information on the historical events and distinguished politicians from the communist Eastern Europe.[7] As some messages were encrypted it was difficult to decode them without supplement message or hand written note on the real meaning of the encrypted text.[8]
Document Status
editSome of the encrypted messages hold special information with “CONFIDENTIAL”, “STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL”, “URGENT” or “EYES ONLY” stamps. With this status the creator wanted to prioritize the messages according to their importance and exclusivity for the RFE/FEC management. The urgency/secrecy status of the document reflects on the given historical moment or can also indicate the level of secrecy of the content distributed.[9][8]
Associated People - Names
editThe label “Associated People” contains information about the senders, recipients and copied recipients. Defining the participants in the communication is crucial in description of each message. Because all the participants in the communication are identified usually only by their last name, it is sometimes difficult to clearly distinguish between people who share the same last name, or are spouses. In the further processing of this material an extensive prosopography has been designed to fully reconstruct and identify persons behind the family names.[8]
Content of the Telexes
editThe content of the telexes could be separated into several groups. The first one contain information relating to daily operational and functional of the Radio Free Europe as corporate institution. Lot of messages is dedicated to the employment of the new personnel, including their personal and marriage status, their salaries, approved salary rise, vacations or information on obtaining residence permits in Germany etc. The second group of messages are those of technical nature narrowly connected with the construction of the radio infrastructure such as radio transmitters, receivers, purchase of new equipment, etc. The following group are telexes relating to the radio program policy with the instructions what type of news and which topics should be in the focus of radio news. As there was a quite intensive publishing activity, some messages reflected on this issues of publishing of various RFE materials. Finally, the last group of telexes are those pertaining historical information on the known political events in Eastern Europe and other Communist world, such as strikes, unrests, revolutions, Soviet invasion to Hungary in 1956, and Czechoslovakia in 1968, but also Cuban missiles crisis, or Sino - Soviet dispute. Special attention was focused on Soviet and other communist leaders, their speeches, activities, etc. However, many messages contain information on dissidents, political opponents and opposition in the communist countries.[9][5]
- ^ Johnson, Ross, A (2010). Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty - The CIA Years and Beyond. Stanford: Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804773560.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Martin, Nikola. "Free Europe Committee".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Radio Free Europe/Free Europe Committee - Encrypted Telex Communication". Blinken OSA.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Blog - Free Europe Committee - New Digital Collection Online". Blinken OSA.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Georgiev, Georgi. (2015). Cold War Engineering: Technical Infrastructure, Noise, and Geography in Radio Free Europe’s Operation in the 1950s and the 1960s. Budapest: Central European University
- ^ "History of the Processing". Blinken OSA.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Ross, Johnson A. and Parta, Eugene R. (2010). Cold War Broadcasting, Impact on the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, A Collection of Studies and Documents. New York.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c "Message Guide". Blinken OSA.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Basic Structure of A Cipher (Encrypted) Message". Blinken OSA.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Category:Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Category:Cold War Category:Communism