FAS | Intelligence | News | 1998 ||||

March 1998 Intelligence News

• PENTAGON SPOKESMAN'S REGULAR BRIEFING MARCH 31, 1998 -- Saudi Arabia/investigation of the Khobar Towers bombing, Cuba/significant threat to U.S. national security
• CUBA THREAT? VOA 3/31/98 SOME NEW ASSESSMENTS OF CUBA'S ARMED FORCES SAY THEY NO LONGER POSE A THREAT TO THE UNITED STATES.
• U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 1998 -- SAUDI ARABIA Status of Al-Khobar Bombing Investigation US Assessment of Iran-Saudi Arabia Relationship US-Saudi Cooperation in the Al-Khobar investigation
• CONGRESS-COLOMBIA DRUGS VOA 3/31/98: THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION SAYS IT IS WORKING ON A NEW STRATEGY TO FIGHT NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING IN COLOMBIA.
• Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap, Alice SpringsASTRO NEWS Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif. March 27, 1998
• DDPO reveals its secrets after 22 yearsASTRO NEWS Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif. March 27, 1998
• CHINESE SCIENTIST VOA 26-Mar-98 A FEDERAL JUDGE SENTENCED SCIENTIST PETER LEE TO ONE YEAR IN A HALFWAY HOUSE JAIL FACILITY FOR HAVING PASSED SECRETS TO CHINESE SCIENTISTS. LEE'S ATTORNEYS HAD ARGUED FOR A LESSER SENTENCE BECAUSE THE INFORMATION LEE GAVE TO CHINESE SCIENTISTS, MORE THAN A DECADE AGO, WAS DECLASSIFIED SOON AFTERWARDS AND RESULTED IN NO HARM TO U-S SECURITY.
• [EXCERPTS] PENTAGON SPOKESMAN'S REGULAR BRIEFING 26 March 1998 -- Mexican military/counter-narcotics
• U-S DRUGS / MCCAFFREY VOA 3/26/98 MCCAFFREY OUTLINED A SERIES OF INITIATIVES, INCLUDING EXPANDED SURVEILLANCE AND SECURITY ALONG AMERICA'S SOUTHWEST BORDER.
• SENATE-MEXICO VOA 3/26/98 - THE U-S SENATE HAS UPHELD PRESIDENT CLINTON'S DECISION TO CERTIFY MEXICO AS AN ALLY IN THE DRUG WAR, DESPITE CHARGES THE MEXICAN EFFORT IS LAX AND CORRUPT.
• LATAM/DRUGS VOA 3/26/98 BYLINE=MICHAEL DRUDGE : A SENIOR AMERICAN ANTI-NARCOTICS OFFICER SAYS THE UNITED STATES IS WORRIED ABOUT DRUG-RELATED CORRUPTION WITHIN SENIOR RANKS OF THE MEXICAN ARMY.
• LATAM/DRUGS VOA 3/25/98 THE U-S DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY SAYS THERE IS NO EVIDENCE COLOMBIAN GUERRILLAS ARE INVOLVED IN INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING.
• DOJ, FBI SEEK TO IMPROVE TELECOM INDUSTRY STANDARDS ON CALEA MARCH 27, 1998 -- The Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation today asked the FCC to require telephone companies to preserve law enforcement's ability to conduct court-ordered electronic surveillance in the digital age. The two agencies filed a petition with the FCC seeking additions to the interim standard adopted by the telecommunications industry to meet requirements of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA).
• U.S. OFFICIAL CONCEDES THAT "KEY RECOVERY" ENCRYPTION IS INFERIOR TO ALTERNATIVE PRIVACY TECHNIQUES Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) RELEASE Wednesday, March 25, 1998
• S.J. Res. 42 -- Disapproving the President's Certification Under Section 490(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act ("Mexican Drug Decertification") March 24, 1998 - S. J. Res. 42 is a resolution disapproving President Clinton's certification of February 26, 1998, that Mexico "cooperated fully" with U.S. efforts to combat international narcotics trafficking during 1997. If enacted, it would require the United States to withhold from Mexico U.S. bilateral assistance as well as to oppose assistance to Mexico from multilateral institutions such as the World Bank.
• UNITED NATIONS REPORT 23 March 1998 -- Libya tells Security Council that sanctions are moot in wake of International Court of Justice ruling.
• ISRAEL: IRAN'S STANCE ON TERROR IS UNCHANGED ISRAEL LINE MONDAY, MARCH 23, 1998 - Israeli security officials are convinced that there has not been any change in Iran's support for terrorism.
• SAF / CLINTON / SECURITY Voice of America 3/23/98 SOME PEOPLE HAVE VOICED CONCERNS ABOUT PRESIDENT CLINTON'S SAFETY WHEN HE VISITS SOUTH AFRICA LATER THIS WEEK. BUT SOUTH AFRICA'S NATIONAL PROTECTION SERVICE SAYS IT HAS EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL.
• UNITED STATES, BRITAIN CALL ON LIBYA TO SURRENDER BOMBING SUSPECTS 20 March 1998 (Pan Am families attend Security Council meeting on Libya)
• UN/LIBYAN SANCTIONS 3/20/98 Voice of America THE UNITED STATES TOLD THE U-N SECURITY COUNCIL THAT SANCTIONS MUST REMAIN IN EFFECT AGAINST LIBYA UNTIL LIBYA SURRENDERS TWO SUSPECTS IN THE BOMBING OF PAN AM FLIGHT 103.
• TEXT: BILL RICHARDSON REMARKS TO UNSC ON LIBYA MARCH 20 (UN sanctions are not hurting Libyan civilians)
• NICARAGUA / C-I-A 3/20/98 Voice of America THE CUBAN-BORN AMERICAN AMBASSADOR TO NICARAGUA LED AN INTERNATIONAL GROUP TO BEGIN THE SEARCH FOR THE REMAINS OF CUBAN EXILE PILOTS WHO DIED DURING THE BAY OF PIGS OPERATION.
• Dr. Bernard D. Rostker, Special Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses DoD News Briefing Thursday, March 19, 1998 - 1:30 p.m.
• ISRAELI CITIZEN ARRESTED IN ISRAEL FOR HACKING UNITED STATES AND ISRAELI GOVERNMENT COMPUTERS MARCH 18, 1998 -- The Department of Justice, in conjunction with the FBI, the Air Force Office of Special Investigation, the National Aeronautic and Space Administration and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, announced today that the Israeli National Police arrested Ehud Tenebaum, an Israeli citizen, for illegally accessing computers belonging to the Israeli and United States governments.
• Hamre Acts to Hamper Hackers By Linda D. Kozaryn American Forces Press Service 3-18-98 -- As U.S. troops, combat aircraft and warships gathered in the Persian Gulf in February, the U.S. military was quietly attacked on a second front. Defense officials detected systematic, sophisticated intrusions into DoD computer networks.
• STATEMENT BY THE DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE GEORGE J. TENET ON THE RECOVERY OF B-26 REMAINSNo. 02-98 16 March 1998 The Central Intelligence Agency is funding an effort to locate, recover, and return to the United States from Nicaragua the remains of B-26 crew members who died in 1961 when their aircraft crashed during a CIA-sponsored, Bay of Pigs-related mission.
• KOREA / INTELLIGENCE Voice of America 3/15/98 SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT KIM DAE-JUNG -- A FORMER POLITICAL EXILE -- IS USING HIS NEW POWER TO CURB HIS NATION'S INTELLIGENCE AGENCY.
• BRITISH TRAWLERS HELP IN INTELLIGENCE GATHERING: INFORMATION MADE PUBLIC UK Ministry of Defence News Release March 13, 1998 Armed Forces Minister Dr John Reid today made public a paper describing the contribution of British trawlers to intelligence gathering during the Cold War period.
• RUSSIA / NORWAY Voice of America 3/13/98 RUSSIA'S RELATIONS WITH NORWAY HAVE BEEN SETBACK BY WHAT IS BEING CALLED THE MOST SERIOUS SPY CASE BETWEEN THE TWO NEIGHBORS SINCE THE END OF THE COLD WAR.
• IRAQI DEPORTATIONS Voice of America 3/12/98 - IN LOS ANGELES, SIX IRAQIS WHO CLAIM TO HAVE WORKED FOR THE U-S CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY IN AN EFFORT TO TOPPLE IRAQI LEADER SADDAM HUSSEIN ARE FACING DEPORTATION.
• U-S/CUBA SANCTIONS Voice of America 3/12/98 SOME U-S LAWMAKERS ARE CRITICIZING THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION FOR NOT FULLY IMPLEMENTING A LAW AIMED AT TIGHTENING ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST CUBA.
• [EXCERPT] DoD News Briefing -- 12 March 1998 - The FBI and by the Defense Protective Service decided there should be a one notch increase in the security posture of the Pentagon.
• 112th Signal provides commo for Purple Dragon '98 (Army News Service, March 12, 1998) -- The 112th Special Operation Signal Battalion (Airborne), was a hub for communications during the Joint Task Force Exercise 98-1, also known as Purple Dragon.
• Pakistan calls attention of the United Nations to Indian-sponsored cross-border terrorism 12 March 1998
• U.S. REACHES AGREEMENT WITH FORMER FBI LAB SUPERVISOR MARCH 11, 1998 -- The federal government agreed today to pay Frederic Whitehurst, a former supervisor in the FBI's crime laboratory, $300,000 for attorney's fees and damages in exchange for Whitehurst dropping all pled and unpled claims against the government
• SHIN BET CHIEF SAYS HAMAS PLANNING MASS TERROR ATTACKS ISRAEL LINE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 1998 Chief of the General Security Service, Ami Ayalon, appearing before the Knesset Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense on Tuesday, issued a stiff warning about the possibility of renewed terror attacks in Israel, HA'ARETZ reported.
• U-S IRAN / LAWSUIT Voice of America 3/11/98: A FEDERAL JUDGE IN WASHINGTON HAS ORDERED IRAN TO PAY 247-MILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGES TO THE FAMILY OF AN AMERICAN WOMAN KILLED IN A TERRORIST ATTACK ON AN ISRAELI BUS THREE YEARS AGO.
• PROTECTING PRIVACY Voice of America 3/11/98: IT IS MORE DIFFICULT FOR AMERICANS TO KEEP THE PERSONAL DETAILS OF THEIR LIVES OUT OF THE PUBLIC DOMAIN THAN IT IS FOR CITIZENS IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.
• U-S/DRUG STRATEGY Voice of America 3/11/98 : A PROMINENT REPUBLICAN SENATOR HAS SHARPLY CRITICIZED PRESIDENT CLINTON'S DRUG POLICY AS INEFFECTIVE
• TRANSCRIPT: STATE DEPARTMENT NOON BRIEFING, MARCH 11 Initial judicial finding that 6 Iraqis are ineligible for immigration relief in the U.S. / Evacuation of Iraqi Kurds and opposition members in 1996 / USG relationship with the Iraqi opposition
• Protest lodged with India for sponsoring terrorist acts in Pakistan 11 March 1998
• Indian sponsored terrorist acts in Pakistan 10 March 1998
• Army's 'Secret Service' trains to protect leadership by Sgt. 1st Class Lisa Hunter FORT BELVOIR, Va.(Army News Service, March 9, 1998) Criminal Investigation Command's Protective Services Unit
• S. 1668 -- The Disclosure to Congress Act of 1998 March 9, 1998 - The Disclosure to Congress Act will make Intelligence Community employees aware that they may disclose certain information to Congress, including classified information, that they reasonably believe is specific and direct evidence of a violation of law, rule or regulation.
• ISRAELI HACKER VOA 3/8/98 THE U-S FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION IS ON THE TRAIL OF A "HACKER" WHO ILLEGALLY ENTERED THE COMPUTER SYSTEMS OF ABOUT 200 INSTITUTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT.
• RUSSIA/SPY CASE VOA 3/7/98 HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS ARE RAISING CONCERN ABOUT A RUSSIAN NAVY OFFICER AND JOURNALIST IN PRISON ON CHARGES OF TREASON.
• CRIMINAL INFORMATION FILED AGAINST JOHNNY CHUNG MARCH 5, 1998 -- The Justice Department's Campaign Financing Task Force filed an information today charging Johnny Chung with using straw donors and his own donations to exceed federal limits in contributing to the Clinton/Gore reelection campaign, and to U.S. Senator John Kerry's 1996 reelection campaign.
• ISRAEL / MOSSAD VOA 3/4/98 ISRAEL'S PRIME MINISTER HAS CHOSEN A NEW DIRECTOR FOR ISRAEL'S SECRET SERVICE, THE MOSSAD.
• A TWO-HEADED MOSSAD (Commentary by Ron Ben-Yishai, Yediot Ahronot, 4 March 98, p.A7) The Prime Minister's immediate and primary objective is to restore the Mossad and its agents to their normal performance.
• HALEVY, LEVIN TO HEAD MOSSAD ISRAEL LINE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 1998
• TEXT: DOD PRESS RELEASE ON FIRST FLIGHT OF GLOBAL HAWK USIA 03 March 1998 (Newest reconnaissance aircraft)
• Last U-2R goes to depot for re-engining Released: Mar 3, 1998 by Staff Sgt. James Brabenec 9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) -- Beale's last U-2R reconnaissance aircraft flew out recently to the Lockheed-Martin Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, Calif., where it will be upgraded to an S model.
• U-S CARIBBEAN DRUGS VOA 3/2/98 WHEN IT COMES TO THE WAR ON DRUGS, THE U-S AND THE CARIBBEAN ARE COOPERATING FULLY.
• ARGENTINA TORTURE VOA 3/2/98 A CONTROVERSY IS RAGING IN ARGENTINA OVER WHETHER TO DESTROY A BUILDING THAT IS A GRIM REMINDER OF ATROCITIES COMMITTED DURING THE MILITARY DICTATORSHIP.
• FRANCES FRAGOS TOWNSEND PICKED TO HEAD OFFICE OF INTELLIGENCE POLICY AND REVIEW AT JUSTICE MARCH 2, 1998 -- Attorney General Janet Reno today announced the appointment of Frances Fragos Townsend, Counsel in charge of the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review (OIPR) at the Department of Justice. OIPR provides legal advice and recommendations to the Attorney General regarding national security matters; reviews executive orders, directives and procedures relating to the intelligence community; and approves certain intelligence-gathering activities.