Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS)

As the United States’ principal historical record of political open source intelligence for more than half a century, the Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Report is an indispensable source for insights into decades of turbulent world history. The original mission of the FBIS was to monitor, record, transcribe and translate intercepted radio broadcasts from foreign governments, official news services, and clandestine broadcasts from occupied territories. Accordingly, it provides a wealth of information from all countries outside of the U.S.—from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.

Annexes offer previously unavailable transcripts
Like the Reports themselves, FBIS Daily Report Annexes, 1974-1996 offers international views and perspectives on historical events from thousands of monitored broadcasts and publications. Created by the U.S. intelligence community to benefit analysts and policy makers, Annexes were “For Official Use Only.” Although a very small number of copies may have found their way into the Government Documents collections of some libraries, no institution outside of the Central Intelligence Agency holds all of the records. Full-text searchable for the first time, FBIS Daily Report Annexes features individual citations for each item as well as highlighted events to assist student researchers.

Translated materials form a distinctive English-language resource
Without translations, researchers must limit their research projects to primary sources in languages they can read or rely entirely on secondary sources. No single analyst or researcher commands all of the languages in which the monitored broadcasts and publications were created. Translated as needed, these English-language materials—the vast majority of which originated in other languages—constitute a vital resource for students of international and area studies, political science and world history.

Insight into decades of world history
FBIS Daily Report Annexes, 1974-1996 provides international, national and local perspectives on Middle East crises and negotiations, the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, the secret acquisition of radar systems by the People’s Republic of China, and much more. An essential complement to FBIS Daily Reports, 1974-1996, the nearly 7,000 Annexes in this unique collection are an indispensable source for insight into decades of turbulent world history.