Source: Voice of America
VOA News Report
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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