that the willingness of the country and its awareness to fight terrorism is at an all-time high, and we are just taking part in that. Ms. LEE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Chairman HYDE. Thank you.

We have reached the end of the questions for this panel.

I want to say, Under Secretary Beers, you did a great job under extremely hazardous conditions.

We have one more distinguished panel to go. I am going to declare a 4-minute recess, and we will start right up in about 4 minutes. So if the second panel will take your place, and, Secretary Boucher, thank you as always. Thank you.

[Recess.]

Mr. ROYCE. [Presiding.] All right. The Committee will come to order at this time.

We welcome the Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, Mr. Marc Nathanson; and active board member Tom Korologos. Mr. Nathanson was confirmed as the Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors in 1998. The Broadcasting Board of Governors is an independent government agency responsible for all of the national broadcasting of the U.S. Government; and under the Board is the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, and Broadcasting to Cuba.

In addition to his duties of board Chairman, Mr. Nathanson is also the Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee of Charter Communications, which is the nation's fourth largest cable TV operator. He brings extensive experience in the area of broadcasting which is invaluable to the Board.

Also with him is Tom Korologos, a long-time member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. He is Chairman of Timmons and Company; and he has been involved in the Advisory Commission of Public Diplomacy and served in the Reagan and Bush Administrations. We welcome both of you.

Also on the second panel is Ambassador Kenton Keith, the Senior Vice President of Meridian International Center. Prior to assuming this position, Ambassador Keith had a long and distinguished career as a Foreign Service Officer with the former U.S. Information Agency. He now has responsibility at Meridian for management of the professional exchanges activities associated with the State Department's international visitor program.

While in the Foreign Service, Ambassador Keith directed USIA's Office of North African, Near Eastern, and South Asian Affairs, managing field operations and public diplomacy activities for this large geographic area. We have asked him to provide his thoughts on public diplomacy challenges in this region at this critical time. Gentlemen, please proceed; and we ask that you summarize your statements, 5 minutes each, if you will. Thank you.

STATEMENT OF MARC NATHANSON, CHAIRMAN,
BROADCASTING BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Mr. NATHANSON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee. I want to thank you for your opening comments. They were very insightful. I will shorten my remarks but submit my entire statement for the record.

My name is Marc Nathanson; and, as you said, I am Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Sitting next to me is Tom Korologos, also a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. In the audience we have Governor Ted Kaufman, Governor Mark Ledbetter, and Governor Norm Pattiz, in addition to the heads of U.S. international broadcasting entities.

I want to assure you that U.S. international broadcasting has responded as never before in its history to this horrible act of terrorism and are working together with you, the Administration, and other government agencies. We welcome the opportunity to do much more.

Mr. Chairman, even as I speak, millions of people throughout the Middle East, Central and South Asia and the Arab world have radios, televisions and Web browsers set for frequencies and Web addresses of U.S. international broadcasting.

Our reach has been extraordinary. Immediately after the attack, we increased our broadcast hours in critical languages, including Arabic, Dari, Farsi, Pashto and Urdu. Most of our broadcast services, which include many of the languages of the world, have switched to an all-news format. The International Broadcasting Bureau's transmitter network is at maximum power. Our international Web sites are taking millions of hits each day.

We have carried the exact words of our national leaders. President Bush's speech to the joint session of Congress on September 20 was broadcast around the world in all of our languages, as was his October 7 speech. The Voice of America translated the President's speech into Dari and Pashto so that the people of Afghanistan could hear the President's unfiltered message.

As Ari Fleischer said in Monday's afternoon press briefing, the White House and the State Department believe that the Voice of America will continue to provide information to the Afghan people so they have full knowledge about what is happening in their country from sources other than the repressive Taliban regime that has not shared all the information with the people it seeks to represent.

The Voice of America has recently interviewed over 40 Members of Congress, senior policy officials of the State Department, and distinguished leaders of the private sector. We have carried penetrating discussions with well-recognized religious scholars who have made clear that the death of innocent people in a terrorist attack is a perversion of Islam.

This has been a team effort. The Voice of America broadcasts to the Arab world, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Radio Free Europe has blanketed the former Soviet Central Asian republics. RFE and VOA broadcasts to Iran and Iraq. Radio-free Asia and VOA have kept Asian listeners informed on the fast-breaking events, and the Martis speak to the people of Cuba about what is going on.

Once again, on the evening of October 7, U.S. international broadcasters surged their programming, explaining to people in the region the reasons for the military action and describing our humanitarian assistance. VOA's English, Farsi, and Arabic services broadcast the President's speech live, and the Pashto service interviewed Richard Boucher of the State Department, your previous guest, and simultaneously translated his comments.

VOA as a stand-alone entity has been on the air for some 5,000 hours since the tragedies of September 11. Mr. Chairman, I will candidly acknowledge that, in the pursuit of this historic story, there have been some problems and mistakes as we have ramped up our coverage, which I have discussed in my longer text. But, overall, the vast majority of VOA programming has been excellent. From September 11 to October 2, 829 separate reports were done, 103 background stories, 43 summaries of editorials in American papers around the world. Overall, our reporters on the front line are doing the job and are true to the principles that Congressman Lantos paraphrased when he quoted Edward R. Murrow. We deliver the truth about terrorism to the people of Afghanistan; and, as we have been told and our research has indicated, these people are listening.

VOA's Pashto service is heard by an astonishing 80 percent of the male population of Afghanistan on a weekly basis. Eight out of 10 of those surveyed said foreign broadcasting was a principal source of news about their country.

Mr. Chairman, I wish I could tell you that our reach was just as effective in the Middle East. Public opinion in the Middle East will be increasingly important as the struggle against terrorism continues to escalate. Last year, the Board surveyed our ability to reach the Middle East and found very disappointing results. Our transmitters in the Middle East for the most part are around the periphery of the region and are mostly shortwave. We need to reach the area on AM, FM, and satellite.

As many of you said in your opening statements, we have almost no youthful audience under the age of 25 in the Arab world, and we are concerned that independent research has shown this important segment of the population has a growing as well as enormous distrust of the United States. In our view, the present crisis only underscores the importance of moving ahead on our Middle East broadcasting initiative as proposed in our 2002 budget.

As Governor Tom Korologos has repeatedly reminded us, international broadcasting is the most cost-effective weapon in our foreign policy arsenal. Low cost and high yield make it a great bargain. Our annual budget of less than $500 million is a fraction of the cost of major weapons systems.

Finally, Mr. Chairman, let me speak plainly. U.S. international broadcasting, this Board, is fully committed to playing a crucial role in public diplomacy in support of U.S. foreign policy, working with Congress and the executive branch. We will continue to tell the truth about terrorism and the United States' response to it. We cross all borders, broadcasting in over 60 languages to tens of millions of people around the globe who desperately need to hear American's story.

These are my abbreviated remarks. Governor Korologos and I will be happy to answer questions when you are ready for that. Mr. ROYCE. Thank you.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Nathanson follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF MARC NATHANSON, CHAIRMAN, BROADCASTING BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Chairman Hyde, Members of the Committee:

I want to thank you very much for the opportunity to speak with you today about the role of international broadcasting in this time of crisis. My name is Marc Nathanson and I have been on the BBG for six years and I have been chairman for the last three years. I was raised in Illinois and reside in California.

My fellow Governors and I are private citizens who have other jobs even though as a board we are ultimately responsible for running the Agency. I have spent 30 years in the communications business and I am currently Vice Chairman of Charter Communications and I own 20 radio stations in California and Oregon. Next to me is my fellow Governor who has also been on the BBG board for six years, and a distinguished American, Tom Korologos of Virginia.

In the audience we have the rest of our Governors, Cheryl Halpern of New Jersey, Ted Kaufman of Delaware, Mark Ledbetter of Mississippi and Norm Pattiz of California. In addition, the heads of our U.S. international broadcasting entities are here, Tom Dine, President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Dick Richter, President of Radio Free Asia, Myrna Whitworth, Acting Director, Voice of America (as you know President Bush has named Robert Reilly to be the next VOA Director), and Brian Conniff, BBG Chief of Staff. Salvador Lew, the New Director of Radio and TV Marti could not be here today.

I want to assure you that U.S. international broadcasting has responded, as never before in its history, to this heinous act of terrorism. And working together with you, the Administration and other agencies, we welcome the opportunity to do much

more.

Mr. Chairman, even as I speak, millions of people throughout the Middle East, Central and South Asia and the Arab world have their radios, televisions and Web browsers set to the frequencies and Web addresses of U.S. international broadcasters, waiting for direct, up-to-date, unbiased, unfiltered news and information about the attack on terrorism.

With the most powerful network of satellites and transmitters on the face of the earth, we are able to skip across international borders. Our clear, accurate, timely reports provide an alternative to the rigidly controlled and hate-filled broadcasts of tyrannical regimes in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. According to a September 24 report by Guardian News reporter Ian Traynor from Bagram, North of Kabul, "Street urchins in the villages of the valley accost strangers with yelps of 'America, America'." Their parents stroll around with tiny radios glued to their ears listening to the BBC, Voice of America or Iranian Radio, desperately seeking clues to what may be about to befall them."

The U.S. simply has no better way of making this connection, directly with the people of Afghanistan then through U.S. international broadcasting. As the U.S. seeks to build coalitions to combat terror, people need to know what we are doing and why. They need to know that this country is not the enemy of Islam, but will not tolerate terrorism.

Since September 11 until today, U.S. international broadcasting has been working around the clock to expand our coverage and reach to the critical areas of the region to tell America's story and encourage freedom and democracy.

Our reach has been extraordinary. Immediately after the attack, we increased our broadcast hours in critical languages, including Arabic, Dari, Farsi, Pashto, and Urdu. Most of our broadcast services, which include many of the languages of the world, have switched to an all-news format. The International Broadcasting Bureau's transmitter network is at maximum power. Our international web sites are taking thousands of hits.

We have given a human face to the victims, telling the heart-breaking stories of people who came to America from scores of nations. Our reports have made it clear that the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacks on freedom and democracy throughout the world.

We have carried the exact words of our national leaders. President Bush's speech to a joint session of Congress on September 20 was broadcast around the world in all our languages, as was his October 7 speech. The Voice of America translated the President's speech into Dari and Pashto, so that the people of Afghanistan could hear the President's unfiltered message. As Ari Fleishcer said in Monday's afternoon press briefing, the White House and the State Department believe that the Voice of America will continue to provide information to the Afghan people so they can have full knowledge about what is happening in their country from a source other than a repressive Taliban regime that has not shared all the information with the people that it seeks to represent.

The Voice of America has recently interviewed over 40 members of Congress. Senior policy officials of the State Department and distinguished leaders of the private sector have been asked to give comments. We've also carried penetrating discussions

with distinguished religious scholars, who made clear that the death of innocents in a terrorist attack on civilians is a perversion of Islam.

This has been a team effort. The Voice of America broadcasts to the Arab world, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Radio Free Europe has blanketed the former Soviet Central Asian republics. Radio Free Asia and the VOA have kept Asian listeners informed of the fast-breaking events.

Once again on the evening of October 7, U.S. international broadcasters surged their programming explaining to the people of the region the reasons for the military action and describing our humanitarian assistance. VOA's English, Farsi, and Arabic services broadcast the President's speech live, and the Pashto service interviewed Richard Boucher of the State Department, your previous guest, and simultaneously translated his comments. VOA currently has two reporters in Islamabad and a stringer in Northern Afghanistan providing up-to-date coverage of this fast breaking story.

VOA alone has been on the air for some 5,000 hours since the tragedies of September 11. Mr. Chairman, I will candidly acknowledge that in the pursuit of this historic story, there have been some problems and mistakes as we ramped up our coverage. But, overall, the vast majority of VOA reporting has been excellent.

There were two reports, however, that in retrospect, I wish had been handled differently. In the days just after the attacks, one report, of about two minutes in length, quoted an Egyptian exile living in London who has been associated with the Islamic Group, one of Egypt's most violent terrorist organizations. The group's leanings, and the fact that the man was under death sentence in Egypt, should have been made clear in the sourcing. That was a serious omission.

The reporter who filed the story has been reassigned. The editors who handled the story have been admonished. The Voice of America has put in place a set of rigorous guidelines to ensure that this kind of mistake won't be repeated.

In another case, the Voice of America carried 12 seconds of the voice of Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban, as part of the reaction to President Bush's September 20 speech to the Congress. The process by which this report was received, edited and aired was not seamless. There were passionate debates within our own organization and within the Board of Governors about the wisdom of putting Mullah Omar's voice on the air. Some were against it, arguing that VOA was being used by the Taliban. Others argued it was worthy of news coverage.

I welcome this opportunity to publicly put this controversy into perspective. Less than three minutes of broadcast time is involved, out of thousands of hours. Focusing on these incidents runs the risk of obscuring the critical role U.S. international broadcasters have played in this crisis.

In the end, we learned lessons about sure-footedness and the need for constant internal communication. We have issued extensive guidelines in an effort to follow the clear intent of the legislation-which charges us with broadcasting consistent with the broad foreign policy objectives of the U.S., while also exemplifying the highest standards of journalism. We will work to eradicate all mistakes and communicate better about the role of the Board in these critical times.

But overall our reporters on the front lines are doing an excellent job and are true to our principles-to deliver the truth about terrorism to the people of Afghanistan. And, as I indicated, they are listening. VOA's Pashto service is heard by an astonishing 80 percent of the male population of Afghanistan on a weekly basis. Eight out of ten of those surveyed said foreign broadcasting was their principal source of news about their own country.

Listeners know full well that the VOA is funded by the U.S. Government. And they depend on it as a beacon of clear, accurate information on human rights in their own country and the policies of the United States Government.

We are closely monitoring the programs of the Pashto, Dari, and Farsi services. And we have commissioned outside experts to examine earlier allegations of bias. Those studies have found that our programming has been accurate and fair, but in some cases could use improvement in journalistic training. The Board and leadership of VOA have carefully followed the suggestions of our outside experts.

Mr. Chairman, I wish I could tell you that our reach was just as effective in the Middle East. Public opinion in the Middle East will be increasingly important as the struggle against terrorism in Afghanistan continues to escalate. Last year, the Board surveyed our ability to reach the Middle East, and found disappointing results. Our transmitters are, for the most part, on the periphery of the region, and mostly on shortwave. We need to reach the area on AM, FM and satellite.

We have almost no youthful audience under the age of 25 in the Arab world and we are concerned that independent research has showed that this important segment of the population has enormous distrust of the United States.