Source: Voice of America VOA News Report
News

DATE=03/17/97
      TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP
    NUMBER=6-10071
     TITLE=ANTHONY LAKE'S BID FOR THE C-I-A
    BYLINE=ANDREW N. GUTHRIE
 TELEPHONE=619-3335
  DATELINE=WASHINGTON
    EDITOR=NEAL LAVON

CONTENT=

INTRO:   SENATE CONFIRMATION HEARINGS CONCERNING THE SELECTION OF
         ANTHONY LAKE TO HEAD THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY 
         RESUME IN WASHINGTON THIS WEEK.  MR. LAKE SERVED AS 
         NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR DURING PRESIDENT CLINTON'S 
         FIRST TERM AND, AS SUCH, HAS BEEN QUESTIONED HEAVILY 
         ABOUT TWO MATTERS THAT DISTURBED THE U.S. SENATE. 

         ONE WAS THE ADMINISTRATION'S DECISION NOT TO TELL 
         CONGRESS IT WAS ALLOWING BOSNIA TO OBTAIN ARMAMENTS AND 
         MILITARY ADVISERS FROM IRAN DURING THE CIVIL WAR. THE 
         OTHER WAS THE ALLEGED CHINESE BID TO CONTRIBUTE FUNDS 
         ILLEGALLY TO MR. CLINTON'S RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN. MR. 
         LAKE SAYS HE KNEW NOTHING DESPITE AN F-B-I BRIEFING OF 
         HIS SUBORDINATES.  

         NOW MR. LAKE FINDS HIS EFFORT TO HEAD THE NATIONS 
         PREMIER INTELLIGENCE GATHERING AGENCY DRAWING OPPOSITION
         IN THE PRESS.  
         
         WE HAVE A SAMPLING NOW, FROM ________________ IN TODAY'S
         U-S OPINION ROUNDUP. 

TEXT:    THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY HAS COME IN FOR MUCH 
         CRITICISM IN THE PAST FEW YEARS FOR A NUMBER OF ISSUES. 
         FIRST WAS WHAT SOME SAY WAS THE BELATED DISCOVERY OF A 
         RUSSIAN MOLE (SPY IN HIGH-LEVEL AGENCY OFFICES) IN THE 
         C-I-A; SECOND WAS THE AGENCY'S CONNECTIONS TO SEVERAL 
         LATIN AMERICAN MILITARY PERSONNEL ACCUSED OF GROSS HUMAN
         RIGHTS VIOLATIONS.  ALSO CITED WAS A FAILURE TO INFORM 
         THE U.S. ARMY OF IRAQI CHEMICAL WEAPONS SITES WHICH WERE
         SUBSEQUENTLY DESTROYED BY U-S FORCES, EXPOSING THOUSANDS
         TO POISONOUS AGENTS. 

         THE AGENCY IS ACCUSED AS WELL OF FAILING TO RESPOND 
         QUICKLY TO THE END OF THE COLD WAR AND TO RE-DIRECT ITS 
         INTELLIGENCE GATHERING OPERATIONS TO REFLECT THE NEW 
         GEO-POLITICAL CIRCUMSTANCES.  

         WE BEGIN WITH THE MIAMI HERALD, WHERE NATIONALLY 
         SYNDICATED COLUMNIST MOLLY IVINS SAYS ANTHONY LAKE IS A 
         DECENT MAN WITH A CONSCIENCE AND THAT IS NOW BEING HELD 
         AGAINST HIM.

VOICE:   ".... BARRING SOMEONE FROM PUBLIC OFFICE FOR HAVING 
         RESIGNED HIS JOB OVER A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE IS BOTH 
         WICKED AND NUTS [CRAZY].  THE CITIZEN IN POINT IS 
         ANTHONY LAKE ..... A QUARTER OF A CENTURY AGO, [MR.] 
         LAKE WORKED FOR THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL DURING THE
         NIXON ADMINISTRATION; HE OBJECTED BOTH TO THE ILLEGAL 
         BOMBING OF CAMBODIA, WHICH HAS HAD UNUTTERABLY TRAGIC 
         CONSEQUENCES, AND TO THE ILLEGAL WIRETAPPING FOR 
         REPORTERS.  SO HE QUIT.  TO MOST OF US, THIS WOULD 
         APPEAR TO BE A HIGHLY COMMENDABLE ACTION AND A SPLENDID 
         RECOMMENDATION FOR A FUTURE HEAD OF THE C-I-A.  IMAGINE,
         SOMEONE IN CHARGE OF THE C-I-A WHO RESPECTS THE LAW AND 
         HAS A CONSCIENCE - -  THANK YOU, JESUS!  BUT, NO - -  
         ACCORDING TO SOME ON THE RIGHT, THESE VERY QUALITIES 
         MAKE [MR.] LAKE UNFIT TO HEAD THE C-I-A."

TEXT:    IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, THE SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER 
         WRITES OF MR. LAKE'S APPARENT FAILURE TO KNOW WHAT WAS 
         TAKING PLACE IN THE CLINTON WHITE HOUSE.

VOICE:   "WHAT WE SEEM TO HAVE HERE IS A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE. 
         PRESIDENT CLINTON DIDN'T KNOW OF THE F-B-I WAS 
         INVESTIGATING A PURPORTED PLOT BY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT
         TO BUY INFLUENCE IN THE AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM.  NO 
         ONE TOLD HIM.  ATTORNEY GENERAL JANET RENO CALLED TONY 
         LAKE, THEN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR, TO TELL HIM, BUT 
         SHE 'WASN'T ABLE TO REACH HIM.'  [MR.] LAKE DIDN'T TELL 
         CONGRESS ABOUT THE IRANIANS SMUGGLING ARMS TO BOSNIAN 
         MUSLIM SOLDIERS IN 1994F, AN OVERSIGHT HE VOWS TO 
         CORRECT IF HE'S CONFIRMED TO HEAD THE CIA.   HE 
         APPARENTLY DIDN'T KNOW, AND WASN'T ASKED, ABOUT 
         LESS-THAN-SAVORY VISITORS TO THE WHITE HOUSE, INCLUDING 
         A CHINESE ARMS MERCHANT.  HE WAS UNAWARE THAT PART OF 
         THE LONG BEACH [CALIFORNIA] NAVAL SHIPYARD WAS BEING 
         LEASED TO CHINA OCEAN SHIPPING COMPANY, A COMPANY 
         CONTROLLED BY THE PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY THAT WAS 
         IMPLICATED IN A SCHEME THAT SMUGGLED 2-THOUSAND ILLEGAL 
         CHINESE WEAPONS INTO THIS COUNTRY.  HE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT
         THE APPOINTMENT OF TWO WEALTHY DONORS TO THE FOREIGN 
         INTELLIGENCE REVIEW BOARD, [FOR WHICH] HE IS 
         RESPONSIBLE. ..... FOR A GUY WHO IS SUPPOSEDLY PRIVY TO 
         SECRETS, LOTS OF THINGS ESCAPED HIS ATTENTION."    

TEXT:    TAKING A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT APPROACH, THE PHILADELPHIA 
         INQUIRER FINDS MR. LAKE'S QUALIFICATIONS INADEQUATE FOR 
         THE JOB.

VOICE:   "THE NATION'S 30-BILLION-DOLLARS-A-YEAR INTELLIGENCE 
         EMPIRE, EMPLOYING TENS OF THOUSANDS, IS DEEPLY TROUBLED.
         WHOEVER BECOMES THE NATION'S NEW TOP SPY WILL HAVE TO 
         RESTRUCTURE THE INTELLIGENCE APPARATUS, NOT TO MENTION 
         CONVINCE AMERICANS THE NATION STILL NEEDS ONE.  SADLY, 
         THE PRESIDENT'S CHOICE ..... ANTHONY LAKE, JUST ISN'T 
         THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB.  ..... HE DOESN'T HAVE THE 
         INTIMATE FEEL FOR THE C-I-A NEEDED TO MOLD IT TO THE 
         NEEDS OF A NEW ERA.  NOR DOES HE HAVE THE MANAGEMENT 
         TRACK RECORD TO SUGGEST HE CAN RUN A HUGE INTELLIGENCE 
         EMPIRE."

                              [OPT]

TEXT:    NEWSDAY, ON LONG ISLAND (NEW YORK) AGREES, AND RAN A 
         HEADLINE OVER ITS MONDAY (3/17) EDITORIALS THAT READ: 
         "IGNORANCE IS NOT A QUALIFICATION TO HEAD THE CIA." THE 
         PAPER CITES LAST WEEK'S SENATE  TESTIMONY BY MR. LAKE 
         ABOUT HIS LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE ATTEMPT BY CHINESE 
         OPERATIVES TO CHANNEL MONEY INTO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY'S 
         PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN AS PROOF HE WAS NOT MANAGING HIS 
         LAST POST WELL.

VOICE:   "[MR.] LAKE INSISTED ... HE KNEW NOTHING .... ABOUT A 
         MEETING LAST JUNE BETWEEN THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF 
         INVESTIGATION AND TWO OF HIS OWN STAFFERS AT THE 
         NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL, IN WHICH THE AGENTS PASSED 
         ALONG INTELLIGENCE ABOUT CHINESE ATTEMPTS TO INFLUENCE 
         U-S POLICY WITH ILLEGAL POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS.  ..... 
         DID [MR.] LAKE SO MISMANAGE THE N-S-C THAT VITAL 
         INFORMATION NEVER TRICKLED UPWARD?  OR ..... DID HE WANT
         TO AVOID HEARING BAD NEWS?  ABOUT THE BEST THAT ANYONE 
         CAN SAY OF THAT SORRY PERFORMANCE IS THAT [MR.] LAKE IS 
         NOT ALONE."

                            [END OPT]

TEXT:    COMMENTING ON THE HEARINGS SO FAR, THE NEW YORK TIMES 
         SAYS THAT MR. LAKE HAS SPOKEN ELOQUENTLY ON THE ISSUE OF
         ACCOUNTABILITY AT THE C-I-A.  BUT THE PAPER DESCRIBES 
         HIS ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT ALLEGED CAMPAIGN-FUND 
         RAISING ABUSES LAST YEAR, WHEN HE WAS NATIONAL SECURITY 
         ADVISER, AS "ANEMIC."

VOICE:   ".... IT IS REMARKABLE THAT THEY [MR. LAKE AND HIS 
         DEPUTY SAMUEL BERGER] DID NOT RAISE AN ALARM ABOUT 
         CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES THAT WERE SO CLEARLY IMPINGING ON 
         THEIR TERRITORY.  IT IS HARD NOT TO CONCLUDE ... [THEY] 
         ...WERE EITHER OUT OF TOUCH OR NEGLIGENT AS THE CLINTON 
         CAMPAIGN SHOULDERED ITS WAY INTO THE SENSITIVE 
         RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND BEIJING."

TEXT:    ON THAT NOTE, WE CONCLUDE THIS SAMPLING OF EDITORIAL 
         COMMENT ON ANTHONY LAKE, PRESIDENT CLINTON'S NOMINEE TO 
         BE HEAD OF THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY.  

NEB/ANG/NL

17-Mar-97 2:55 PM EST (1955 UTC)
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