DATE=2/8/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=DEUTCH LOSES CLEARANCE (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-258964
BYLINE=JIM RANDLE
DATELINE=PENTAGON
CONTENT=

VOICED AT: 


INTRO: The chairman of the Senate Committee that 
watches over U-S intelligence activities says there 
may have been favoritism and a cover-up in the case of 
former C-I-A Director John Deutch.  The one-time 
spymaster was barred from seeing classified 
information after allegations he failed to properly 
protect some of Washington's most closely-guarded 
secrets.  V-O-A's Jim Randle reports from the 
Pentagon.

TEXT: Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard 
Shelby of Alabama says his panel wants to hear from 
former C-I-A Director John Deutch, as well as the man 
who currently heads the U-S Intelligence community, 
George Tenet, the Justice Department, and the Federal 
Bureau of Investigation.  Senator Shelby says he may 
call hearings to look into the case.

Tuesday, C-I-A legal officials briefed the committee 
on the Deutch matter in a secret session, but left 
Senator Shelby with a lot of unanswered questions.

            /// SHELBY ACT ///

      I think that will be one of the real central 
      questions.  Was there a cover up?  Was there 
      potential, well not potential - was there 
      preferential treatment?  We are getting into 
      this; we are not satisfied at this moment with 
      the explanations.

            /// END ACT  ///

Senator Shelby spoke to reporters about the time Mr. 
Deutch's attorney contacted top Pentagon officials to 
request that his last security clearances be 
`discontinued.'

As a former top official at the Pentagon and the C-I-
A, Mr. Deutch had been allowed continued access to U-S 
secrets for his work advising defense contractors and 
in university research.

Last August he lost the high level, broad access to 
secret information after allegations he used an 
unguarded computer in his home to work on extremely 
sensitive materials.  The computer was also used to 
access Internet web sites and for e-mail, which 
experts say might have might have allowed skilled 
adversaries to steal the sensitive information stored 
in the machine.  

In the past few days, Pentagon officials said Mr. 
Deutch still had access to some secrets about military 
equipment.  Monday, Defense Secretary William Cohen 
said he was considering revoking Mr. Deutch's last 
access to government secrets. But Mr. Deutch's 
voluntary action made it unnecessary to continue that 
process.

Meantime, top C-I-A officials hinted that the scandal 
might spread beyond Mr. Deutch.  In a letter to the 
President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory board, 
agency officials called the matter an `unprecedented' 
case involving a former Director of Intelligence and 
`a number of former and current senior Agency 
officials.' (Signed).  

NEB/jr/gm



08-Feb-2000 19:09 PM EDT (09-Feb-2000 0009 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
.