OSA / Guide / Fonds / HU OSA 300-60

HU OSA	300-60 C
Authority entry:	Romanian Unit

Date(s) and Place(s) of existence 1951-1994

Mandate, functions and sphere of activity

The main task of the Romanian Unit was to provide the Romanian Broadcasting Department with background information, documentary material and interpretation by checking, analyzing, classifying, and indexing incoming information on Romania, and thus to assist in preparing its radio commentaries. For cross-reporting purposes, the Unit also provided information and analysis on Romania to the other broadcasting departments. At the same time, the Unit provided assistance to the Central News Room and the RFE field offices, and answered requests from outside RFE.

Its staff contributed to RFE's regular publications, like Situation Reports (i.e. summaries of current developments in Eastern Europe), Background Reports (i.e. special studies providing perspectives on current events and trends in the then communist countries), Press Surveys, and special studies and analyses, such as biographies. The Romanian Unit also contributed a section to the Information Newsletters sent to the field offices.

Administrative structure

The Romanian Unit began operating on June 11, 1951 as part of the Evaluation and Research Section of the News and Information Department. On January 1, 1960 it became part of the Evaluation and Analysis Department, which in 1962 was renamed the Target Area Research and Analysis Department, and later, in 1965, the East Europe Research and Analysis (EERA). In 1974 the Unit was called the Romanian Unit of the Research and Analysis Department (RAD). The Research Institute of RFE/RL was established in 1990, and the Romanian Unit became part of its East European Archives.

Other significant information

The Romanian Unit started with one emplyee (it’s then chief); in the next fifteen years this number increased to six, while during 1988-1990 the Unit had ten employees. The Directors of the Romanian Unit were: Ion Gheorghe (from the beginning until early 1980), George Cioranescu (1980-1984), Anneli Ute Gabanyi (1984-1987), and Michael Shafir (1988-1994).

Rules or conventions

ISAAR(CPF): International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families General Intenational Standard Archival Description; OSA Internal Rules.

Dates of description

Description prepared by Csaba Szilagyi on October 7, 1999; revised by Csaba Szilagyi on April 11, 2002.
Online version updated 18 December 2008