BBC0003 - Evidence on BBC Monitoring

Written evidence submitted by Elizabeth Morley

I make this submission in a personal capacity as someone who worked in the Hungarian and French language teams at Caversham Park from April 1977 to December 1995.

I am shocked to learn that further cuts have been planned to this unique resource. Its value to the nation and the wider world has repeatedly been demonstrated since its commencement in WW2, perhaps never more dramatically than during the final week of the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. At a time when no "hot line" connected the Kremlin with the White House, Monitoring performed the critical role of communication between Presidents Khrushchev and Kennedy. As fear of nuclear confrontation over the Soviet missiles sited on Cuba pointing towards the USA grew day by day, the Soviet leader's message to JFK signalling a climb-down was read out on Radio Moscow. Russian monitors were ready and waiting. Khrushchev's letter was translated and transmitted to Washington within minutes, helping to avert the immediate danger of thermo-nuclear war.

During the years I worked in Monitoring, it provided immediate information on major historical developments such as the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s and events in the Eastern Bloc signalling the decline of Communism and the end of the Cold War. Now that the world seems to hover on the brink of a second cold war, how can it be right to tamper with the funding of BBCM? In the seventy plus years of its existence it has adapted to changes, undergone wave after wave of modernisations, accumulated experience and expertise that is surely irreplaceable. Much of its success can be put down to the intensive and rigorous training of new recruits, already highly qualified academically as linguists, some with a background in political journalism as well. When I was there the training lasted six months, followed by a six month period of probation. Monitors, especially in the less common languages, tended to be native speakers. Many were skilled in more than one language, which allowed for a high degree of flexibility, crucial at times of crisis when the work load could multiply tenfold overnight. Applicants often outnumbered vacancies, which meant there was a pool of potential monitors who could be recruited at short notice. Monitors worked in shifts, which in certain teams meant around the clock, in order to provide cover for all the time zones likely to be monitored in any given language, particularly Russian.

Working in the French team required skills over and above linguistic. Included in their remit were the Francophone countries of the former French colonies in Africa. Here the problems associated with dialects, accents, as well as poor reception quality, could present enormous challenges requiring the combined skills and perseverance of more than one colleague before even a short news item could be rendered into understandable English. An excellent Library manned by an outstanding corpus of Librarians was always on hand to help with research.

A highly dedicated body of men and women of great expertise and experience was the result, used to working individually or together at speed and under pressure, to a high level of accuracy, an organic whole much greater than the sum of its parts. I cannot comprehend how HMG can even contemplate damaging this resource. Not only should no further cuts be made to BBCM but responsibility for its funding should be returned to the Government immediately.

I would suggest that Government Departments and Parliament urgently begin sending groups of ministers and parliamentarians to Caversham Park so they can discover what they are in danger of losing before it is too late.

Finally, a word about the location. Most of my colleagues were very content to work there, many staying on until retirement or beyond. Housing was relatively affordable at that time. Reading had excellent shops, cultural facilities and transport links, with proximity to London and the M4 corridor obviously added advantages. The building itself and the park surrounding it provide an extremely pleasant environment that is also second to none.

28 October 2016