Thursday, October 28, 2010

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress' request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week brings us reports on the military, environment, development, and much more. Although these reports are in the public domain, there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report, you can request it from your senator or representative. These reports were discovered by Open CRS and Secrecy News:
Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the LexisNexis Congressional database, which has reports dating back to 1916.

Not on campus but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Learner's Lunch: Learn about US data

This week on Wednesday at 12:30 and Thursday at noon, some of us from the Government Information Library will be talking about US data in E113 in the Norlin Commons. This is a presentation in the Learner's Lunch series that has been happening in the library. This month brings the last three presentations which focus on data, maps and statistics (some of our favorite topics). Everyone is welcome to attend and we hope to see you there. Please send us a comment below if you have any questions or specific requests!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

GAO Reports and Releases

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) which is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This past week GAO investigated foreign affairs, higher education, jobs growth, and other issues. If you would like to know more about GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports
Correspondences

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Propaganda, Pearl Harbor, and the Wartime History of the FBIS

Envisioning intelligence gathering in the mid-20th century can bring to mind noir-like images of trenchcoated operatives and men and women hunched over wireless radios and typewriters – in short, something out of the novels of Eric Ambler and Alan Furst. As stereotypical as that may seem, there’s some truth to the idea when looking at the United States’s effort to monitor foreign radio traffic with the Foreign Broadcast Information Service, or FBIS.

The FBIS got its start in February of 1941, when President Franklin Roosevelt created its WWII-era predecessor, the Foreign Broadcast Monitoring Service. As shown below – in an excerpt from the 1942 volume of the Government Manual – the role of the FBMS was to monitor foreign propaganda and to help predict policy shifts from foreign governments.


On July 29, 1941, five-months after President Roosevelt's order, and four months before a fateful change in America's own policy, FBMS Director Lloyd Free testified to the Senate Appropriations Committee on the necessity of monitoring broadcast communications, which then were primarily shortwave radio signals.


Director Free continued:


Free's push for increased funding and increased legitimacy for the FBMS was timely, as monitoring stations in Portland, Ore. (the first FBMS locale), San Juan, P.R., London and Kingsville, Tex. – some set up only months before – were helpful in capturing broadcasts and shortwave transmissions coming from parts of Asia unfriendly toward the U.S.

Indeed, in a manner that may strike a tone reminiscent of criticisms of intelligence gathering before the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, FBIS's first report, issued on December 6th, 1941, detailed Japan's increasingly aggressive tone toward the United States.* The next day, the Hawaiian port of Pearl Harbor was viciously attacked by Japanese air forces, and America entered as an active combatant into World War II.

From American Memory: The USS West Virginia on fire, bomed a day after the FBMS released its report on increasing hostility from Japan.



Joseph E. Roop, an FBIS editor from 1942-1966, wrote in his history of the FBIS (a book only recently declassified in 2009), "It must be said that when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor suddenly plunged the United States into war, FBMS was in position, but only partially prepared."

Not surprisingly, Roop found that after Pearl Harbor, the demand for the Service would come to surpass that of mainstream news outlets.



As America's participation in World War II expanded, so did the demand for the FMBS. Broadcast transcripts from Russia and China were in high demand in 1941, according to Roop, and by 1944, in his testimony to the House Committee to Investigate the Federal Communications Commission FBIS Director Robert Leigh presented a list to the House of more than 50 languages and regional dialects to which the FBIS provided translations, much of this in response to Nazi propaganda efforts.



Ironically, it was amid Congressional threats to reduce its budget that Leigh presented his information. The article "FBIS Against the Axis, 1941-1945," featured in the CIA's Studies In Intelligence journal gives an excellent and brief overview of the FBIS's continuing struggles for legitimacy, recognition, and, of course, funding, amid political bickering and a full-scale investigation of the FCC.

The article also succinctly captures the end of this complicated chapter in the FBIS's history, when Congress showed its willinesss to close the FBIS at the end of the World War:
With the Axis in ashes, people were ready to forget the world once more. OSS was disbanded in September 1945, the month that Japan signed the instruments of surrender. On 15 August, FBIS had monitored Emperor Hirohito’s announcement that Japan would surrender. Four months later, on 4 December, the last Daily Report appeared. The FCC terminated FBIS the following day. Thus ended the wartime service of Washington’s premier OSINT organization.

In January 1946, the War Department’s Military Intelligence Division took the baton from the FCC and assumed ownership of FBIS. The first issue of the new Daily Report was published that same month.

The FBIS continued under the Military Intelligence Division (and under the Central Intelligence Agency) until 1996, facing similiar challenges to its legitimacy along the way, but even today a version of the Service still exists. The result is a body of work from the FBIS that has become, in effect, one of the richest mines of primary source materials available in translation to scholars of history, poitics, foreign policy, foreign journalism and propaganda.

The results of this history are present in the FBIS Daily Reports. This database, whose coverage at UCB spans 1974-1996, demonstrates the wealth of original language news reports, interviews, and broadcasts captured, translated, and transcribed by the Service.

To encourage exploration and provide easy organization, the database has an "Events" tab that allows for a thorough look from non-U.S. media on dozens of historic events, including the 1990 Persian Gulf War, the 1994 election of South African President Nelson Mandela, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1998, the Indonesian invasion of Timor in 1975, and the Iranian capture of the U.S. Embassy in 1979 that led to U.S. hostages held captive for 444 days.

Students of journalism in particular may find that the presentation of history takes on a significantly different tone through the media of other nations, especially those with hostile relationships to the United States. The Soviet Union’s 1986 announcement of the massive Chernobyl nuclear meltdown is announced in this article by Moscow TASS in one line, followed by six paragraphs on "similar accidents" in the U.S.


What becomes clear, whichever region or event you explore, is that the FBIS Daily Reports provide a truly unique means to discover primary sources, in translation, about some of the world's most significant events. Add to that, the FBIS's own history is as complicated and fascinating as that of any government effort, with startling ties to the events and era that led to its creation. These are resources, both in front of and behind the scenes, that those interested in American history, espionage, propaganda and legitimate journalism, should not miss.

World Statistics Day

Happy World Statistics Day!
Now it is possible that not everyone thinks of every day as a time to play with statistics, but no matter what your feelings, why not celebrate with me this one day of the year.

Want to watch a video on how numbers play a role? Check this out from the Census Bureau:


Maybe you aren't as interested in videos, so why not check out the Random Samplings blog from the US Census Bureau, where they post on random numbers that are coming out from the Census Bureau from their many data sets.

Want more international coverage? Then check out the United Nations page celebrating this, the first World Statistics day. You can find basic statistics on the countries of the UN as well as learn why they decided it was time to give statistics their own day.

Still want more? Why not check out the library's guide to statistics. Or maybe, if you want to see some statistics in action, check out the learner's lunch tomorrow at noon in E113 in the Norlin Commons where you can learn all about geospatial data.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress' request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week brings us reports on the military, foreign relations, trade, and much more. Although these reports are in the public domain, there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report, you can request it from your senator or representative. These reports were discovered by Open CRS and Secrecy News:
Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the LexisNexis Congressional database, which has reports dating back to 1916.

Not on campus but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Pine Beetle Information

This morning while eating breakfast I heard this little segment on the local NPR news station: "New Bark Beetle Website Tracks Insects Effects Over 15 Years."

This, as many new stories do, prompted me to go check out the new web site. It has maps, safety and management information. Of particular interest to those of us here in Colorado are the project information on beetle killed trees in
Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests Pawnee National Grassland, Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests & Thunder Basin National Grassland, White River National Forest.

While there is pine beetle problems out here in the Rocky Mountain west, they also have been having this problem up in Canada. They have a more developed site at the Mountain Pine Beetle Project Program home. It not only contains the basic information like the US Forest Service web site, but also contains links to research done by the Canadian government on the mountain pine beetle.

Still want more? Why not check out the library's agriculture or parks, forests, and wildlife refuges guides.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Learner's Lunch: Learn about International Statistics

This week on Wednesday at 12:30 and Thursday at noon, some of us from the Government Information Library will be talking about international data in E113 in the Norlin Commons. This is a presentation in the Learner's Lunch series that has been happening in the library. This month brings the last three presentations which focus on data, maps and statistics (some of our favorite topics). Everyone is welcome to attend and we hope to see you there. Please send us a comment below if you have any questions or specific requests!

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

GAO Reports and Releases

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) which is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This past week GAO investigated woman's rights, defense, and other issues. If you would like to know more about GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports
Correspondences
Testimonies
  • Department of Homeland Security: Progress Made in Implementation and Transformation of Management Functions, but More Work Remains, by Cathleen A. Berrick, managing director, homeland security and justice issues, before the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. GAO-10-911T, September 30.
    http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-911T

    Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d10911thigh.pdf
  • Federal Courthouse Construction: Better Planning, Oversight, and Courtroom Sharing Needed to Address Future Costs, by Mark Goldstein, director, physical infrastructutre issues, before the Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy, House Committee on the Judiciary. GAO-10-1068T, September 29.
    http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-1068T

    Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d101068thigh.pdf
  • Propane and Heating Oil: Federal Oversight of the Propane Education and Research Council and National Oilheat Research Alliance Should Be Strengthened, by Mark Gaffigan, director, natural resources and environment, before the Subcommittee on Energy, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. GAO-10-981T, September 29.
    http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-981T
  • Department of Defense: Financial Management Improvement and Audit Readiness Efforts Continue to Evolve, by Asif A. Khan, director, financial management and assurance, before the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. GAO-10-1059T, September 29.
    http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-1059T

    Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d101059thigh.pdf
  • Export Promotion: Observations on the Export-Import Bank's Efforts to Achieve U.S. Policy Goals, by Loren Yager, director, international affairs and trade, before the Subcommittees on Oversight and Investigations and International Monetary Policy and Trade, House Committee on Financial Services. GAO-10-1069T, September 29.
    http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-1069T
  • Women in Management: Female Managers' Representation, Characteristics, and Pay, by Andrew Sherrill, director, education, workforce, and income security, before the Joint Economic Committee. GAO-10-1064T, September 28.
    http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-1064T

Monday, October 04, 2010

Circus or Spotlight? Celebrity Testimony Before Congress

Stephen Colbert's September 24th testimony before Congress has faded from the news, but one repercussion of the event has been a rekindling of the debate on the value of celebrity testimony before Congress.

As the article above points out, Colbert's appearance before congress is hardly the first time a well-known media celebrity has testified. The list of celebrities – well-known musicians, actors and actresses, professional athletes, and popular authors – who have appeared before Congress includes some surprising figures. More surprising, perhaps, are the varied reasons for their testimony.


Can you guess which one of these doesn't belong here?


In August of 1940, two years before he starred in the film Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart was called before the House Special Committee on Un-American Activities, to answer questions as to whether he was a practitioner, supporter, or affiliate of any known Communist organizations. In his testimony, Bogart comes across as direct and perhaps disbelieving any genuine affiliation between "Hollywood types" and organizations that were then considered radical.


James Cagney, appearing in the same hearings -- and who had co-starred with Bogart the year before in The Oklahoma Kid -- had a tougher go with the Special Committee, and is asked to explain multiple investments made to organizations and funds who, according to Congress, had a dual purpose in supporting Communist principals.


The experience, and indeed the very purpose of the House Un-American Activities Committee, is a far cry from the humor-filled atmosphere of Colbert's testimony in support of migrant farmers.

More typical examples of celebrity appearances before congress include efforts to encourage funding for research against a particular disease. Still others are to raise awareness about causes of international interest.

Ben Affleck, in July 2001, appeared before the Senate Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations as part of a Special Hearing on the "Promise of the Genomic Revolution.". The actor testified to the committee to increase awareness of the disease ataxia-telangiectasia, and to discuss his friendship with a boy whose ability to communicate verbally and in writing were both affected by the disease.

Like Colbert, Affleck injects a fair amount of humor into his testimony, in particular regarding his value as a witness. Hearing the qualifications of the speakers to precede him, Affleck characterizes his appearance before the committee succinctly:


Unlike Colbert, however, Affleck's approach also allows Congress in on the joke:


Though gauging the benefit of this Hearing to an external audience is difficult, the result within Congress itself is an attentive Committee and a mutually laudatory experience between the Senate and its witness.

Another example of Congress enjoying the company of one of its witnesses is when the muppet, Elmo, appeared before the House Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations in 2002 to advocate for music education.


The transcript shows that time was allotted for Elmo's puppeteer to prepare, and that no cameras were allowed during that set-up. This is perhaps the most blatant example that Congress was a willing participant in the performance, and that, in effect, the Hearing chamber became a kind of stage upon which a fictitious character was allowed to perform. To the Committee's credit, however, Elmo is not questioned by any Congressional member – the testimony is a dialogue between Elmo and co-presenter. Nevertheless, in typical Elmo fashion, the monster ends his testimony with those words his fans always hope to hear:


These examples are by no means all there is to be found from celebrity voices. Here is a brief list, in no particular order, of celebrities who have testified before either the House or Senate in recent years. An asterisk indicates that individual has appeared before more than one Committee.

Sam Waterston ... John Legend ... Kevin Richardson ... Sally Field* ... Olivia Newton-John ... David Crosby ... Tim Daly ... Billy Corgan ... Josh Groban ... Michael J. Fox ... Issac Hayes* ... Danielle Steele ... Jonathan Lipnicki ... Shawn Colvin ... Kerry Washington ... Jessica Lange ... Gina Gershon ... Todd Rundgren ... John Denver ... Bono ... Jean Wyclef ... Wynton Marsalis* ... Alec Baldwin ... Christopher Reeves ... Kelly McGillis ... Nancy Sinatra ... John Travolta ... Mary Tyler Moore* ... Julia Roberts ... Sissy Spacek ... Dee Snider... Charleston Heston ... Jesse Ventura ... Sheryl Crow ... Tony Bennett ... Michael Crichton ... Anita Baker ... Linda Ronstadt

And very recently, actor Kevin Costner made the news for his June 17, 2010 testimony to the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship as a financial supporter of Ocean Therapy Solutions, one of the few companies manufacturing equipment that had a positive effect on reducing the amount of oil in the recent Gulf Coast oil disaster.

If you are interested in finding more celebrities who have appeared before Congress, you can search LexisNexis Congressional. Instead of looking for witnesses by name, however, an easier way to search is by career. For example, searching for terms like "musician," "recording artist," “ballerina," "pianist," "composer," "author," and “actress” in the Congressional Hearings will bring up those whose careers are categorized by such terms. When searching for an "actor," however, be on the lookout for the term used to describe "one that takes part in any affair" versus strictly the performing kind.

What makes Stephen Colbert's recent testimony unique, or perhaps what puts him in closest company with Sesame Street's Elmo, is that these two are among the very few to "perform" before Congress, or make their appearance as overtly fictitious characters rather than as stated actors. That difference seems to have created, in Colbert's case, the greatest ire among observers of traditional Congressional etiquette.

The point is worth discussion: need a celebrity witness before Congress be friendly toward the group? Are Hearings legitimate platforms for performance, or even for performance art? Are celebrity testaments an oblique form of lobbying? And finally, what does celebrity status contribute to the value of a witness statement, and in which cases might that status work to a disadvantage for the proceedings or the participants? All good questions to ponder while we wait to see which celebrity Congress will entertain next.

[Thanks to Jennie Gerke and other staff in Government Information for help with this post.]

Friday, October 01, 2010

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress' request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week brings us reports on the environment, secrecy, economics, and much more. Although these reports are in the public domain, there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report, you can request it from your senator or representative. These reports were discovered by Secrecy News:
Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the LexisNexis Congressional database, which has reports dating back to 1916.

Not on campus but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.