Records of the Foreign Broadcast Intelligence Service (Record Group 262)

The Records of the Foreign Broadcast Intelligence Service at the Harry S. Truman Library consist of summaries of radio broadcasts from Germany, Japan, the Soviet Union, and other countries, mostly concerning the proceedings of the United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco.

Size: 2.5 linear inches (about 400 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: Records created by employees of the U.S. Government in the course of their official duties are in the public domain.
Processed by: Randy Sowell (2023).

The Foreign Broadcast Intelligence Service (FBIS) was established within the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by FCC order on July 28, 1942. Its function was to record, translate, and analyze radio programs that were broadcast from foreign countries. During World War II, the FBIS monitored radio broadcasts from the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) and from other countries, and reported to U.S. Government officials on their contents. The FBIS was transferred from the FCC to the Military Intelligence Division of the War Department General Staff on December 30, 1945. It was transferred again, to the Central Intelligence Group, National Intelligence Authority, on August 5, 1946. The FBIS was abolished on November 1, 1946.

The Records of the Foreign Broadcast Intelligence Service (FBIS) at the Harry S. Truman Library consist of summaries of radio broadcasts from foreign countries, mostly concerning the United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco. The summaries cover the period from March to June of 1945, and are arranged chronologically in a single series.

The FBIS summaries are written in the form of teletype messages and reports on radio broadcasts from Nazi Germany (prior to the collapse of that regime in early May of 1945) and Imperial Japan, two nations that were then at war with the United States. Also included are reports on broadcasts from U.S. allies such as the Soviet Union and France; neutral nations such as Spain and Switzerland; and other countries around the world. The summaries focus on criticisms of the United Nations Conference by foreign broadcasters and their comments on various controversies surrounding the proceedings in San Francisco.

These records were opened for research as part of the General Historical Documents Collection [GHDC 50, 52]. Related collections at the Truman Library include the President’s Secretary’s Files and the Official File (OF 85) of the Harry S. Truman Papers.