FAS | Intelligence | News | 2000 ||||

March 2000 Intelligence News

• EUROPE SPY Voice of America 30 March 2000 -- The European parliament plans to vote next month on a resolution condemning the U-S-led Echelon spy network for industrial espionage against European businesses.
• CONGRESS / COLOMBIA Voice of America 30 March 2000 -- The U-S House of Representatives has approved a controversial plan to help Colombia fight drug trafficking.
• COLOMBIA / U-S AID Voice of America 30 March 2000 -- The Colombian government is eagerly awaiting final approval of a U-S anti-narcotics aid package, but some Colombians are concerned over the military aspects of the program.
• COMPUTER SECURITY Voice of America 29 March 2000 -- U-S government and private industry computer analysts say U-S federal agencies must do more to protect their computer networks from hackers and others seeking unauthorized access.
• Fact Sheet: U.S. Outlines Proposal to Support Plan Colombia 23 March 2000 -- In response to "Plan Colombia," and in consultation with the Colombian government, the U.S. administration has proposed a $1.6 billion package of assistance to Colombia.
• CONGRESS-COLOMBIA Voice of America 23 March 2000 -- President Clinton's request for one-point- three-billion dollars to combat drug trafficking in Colombia is making its way through the U-S congress.
• RUSSIA ELECTION / BOMBINGS Voice of America 22 March 2000 -- Russia's independent television channel, N-T-V, is set to broadcast a program this Friday titled "Independent Investigations." The segment examines allegations that the F-S-B, the main successor to the Soviet K-G-B, covered up its role in an attempted apartment complex bombing last September.
• Top-Secret Kodak Moment In Space Shakes Global Security By Alexander Colhoun, Christian Science Monitor March 21, 2000 -- The images are clear and, according to John Pike, clearly troubling. Posted on the Web site of the Federation of American Scientists, the high-resolution satellite pictures reveal to civilian eyes for the first time a completed nuclear reactor and missile base in Khushab, Pakistan.
• CANDID CAMERA JAMES R. ASKER Aviation Week & Space Technology March 20, 2000 -- On the eve of President Clinton's trip to South Asia, two anti-nuclear weapons groups unveiled commercial, high-resolution satellite imagery. They say the pictures show Pakistan is working to put nuclear warheads on the mobile M-11 missiles it acquired from China.
• Clinton must court allies, prevent war VANITA GOWDA St. Petersburg Times March 19, 2000 -- Last week, the federation posted on its Web site satellite photos of a missile base and a plutonium reactor in Pakistan. The group expects to have photos of Indian warheads on its site in the upcoming weeks. From these photos, Pike said, it is obvious that both countries have made a significant investment in their programs.
• Spy-satellite pictures on offer to anyone, at a price By JOHN DONNELLY Sydney Morning Herald 18 March 2000 -- When John Pike began examining new satellite photos of Pakistan's nuclear missile site he expected to find "two warehouses inside a fence". Instead, he discovered a whole well-developed military base.
• Nuclear campaign targets missiles Sydney Morning Herald 17 March 2000 -- Amid deep concern about the potential for a nuclear showdown between two historic rivals, a US public policy group has released satellite photos of a missile site in central Pakistan that it said would probably be a prime target for India.
• 'Pak. n-warheads too will be discussed' By Sridhar Krishnaswami The Hindu 17 March 2000 -- Mr. John Pike of the ``pubic eye project'' of the Federation of American Scientists told a press conference here on Wednesday that previously nuclear powers and presumed nuclear powers, except the U.S., had only one organisation for making uranium and plutonium bombs because of the high costs involved. But, ``Pakistan has two.''
• Statement By The President, The White House, Office of the Secretary, 17 March 2000 -- "Today I have signed into law S. 376, the "Open-market Reorganization for the Betterment of International Telecommunications Act." S. 376 amends the Communications Satellite Act of 1962 to establish a statutory framework for the privatization of the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (INTELSAT) and the International Mobile Satellite Organization (Inmarsat)."
• Digital Spies Are Watching You by Bill Wallace, PC World March 16, 2000 -- "They are looking for thugs and drugs," says John Pike, expert on security and intelligence issues for the Federation of American Scientists.
• America's eavesdropper loses lead in a world it helped create By BOB DROGIN Los Angeles Times 16/03/00 -- "They've got a much broader drugs-and-thugs focus," said Mr John Pike, an intelligence specialist at the American Federation of Scientists in Washington. "So they're looking for smaller needles in a bigger haystack."
• AS DELIVERED - U.S. SECRETARY OF ENERGY BILL RICHARDSON CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16,2000 -- While we have torn down the iron curtain that once stretched from Stettin to Trieste, corners of the world's stage remain in shadow.... And one need only look at the commercial satellite images of Pakistan released yesterday, to understand that too.
• PREPARED REMARKS - U.S. SECRETARY OF ENERGY BILL RICHARDSON CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16,2000 -- While we have tom down the iron curtain that once stretched from Stettin to Trieste, corners of the world's stage remain in shadows..... One need only look at the situation in South Asia to understand that.
• Group Says Photos Show Pakistani Arms The New York Times March 16, 2000 -- A public policy group said today that it had obtained satellite photographs showing that Pakistan has built a dozen garages that can be used to house mobile missiles.
• SATELLITE SHOWS PAKISTAN'S MARCH TOWARD NUCLEAR CAPABILITY By John Diamond Chicago Tribune March 16, 2000 -- As President Clinton prepares for his trip to India and Pakistan, an arms-control group using commercial satellite imagery said Wednesday that Pakistan is developing the tools it will need to arm medium-range missiles with nuclear warheads.
• Satellite images for sale By John Donnelly, Boston Globe Staff, 3/16/2000 -- When John Pike began examining new satellite photos of Pakistan's nuclear missile site, he expected to find ''two warehouses inside a fence.'' Instead, he discovered an entire well-developed military base.
• More Nuclear Bombs For Pakistan CBS News 16 March 2000 -- "A lightweight plutonium bomb could be put on top of the mobile M-11 missiles they've gotten from the Chinese," said John Pike of the Federation of American Scientists.
• Scientists warn of nuclear temptation Sydney Morning Herald 16/03/00 -- Pakistan has "laid the groundwork" for a force of dozens of nuclear-tipped missiles that could strike India, a non-profit group of US scientists says. The Federation of American Scientists based its statement on newly released satellite images of Pakistan's two most important special weapons facilities.
• Pakistan laid 'groundwork' for N-missiles The Nation (AFP) March 16, 2000 -- Just days before President Bill Clinton's visit to southeast Asia, a report warned that Pakistan has 'laid the groundwork' for a force of dozens of nuclear-tipped missiles that could strike India. The Federation of American Scientists, a non-profit group founded by members of the Manhattan project to monitor global security, based its statement Tuesday on newly released satellite images of Pakistan's two most important special weapons facilities.
• Pakistan makes nuclear headway BY JOHN DIAMOND San Jose Mercury News 16 March 2000 -- As President Clinton prepares for his trip to India and Pakistan, an arms-control group using commercial satellite imagery said Wednesday that Pakistan is developing the tools it will need to arm medium-range missiles with nuclear warheads.
• Nuke-tipped missiles stationed across Pakistan: FAS The Hindustan Times - [16/03/2000] Pakistan has stationed M-11 missiles on trucks around the country after loading them with nuclear-weapons, the Federation of American Scientists said, adding that Islamabad can also arm its Ghauri missiles with uranium bombs.
• U.S. anti-nuclear agenda sure to fail in South Asia Holger Jensen Rocky Mountain News 16 March 2000 -- The photos, obtained from Space Imaging Inc. of Thornton, Colo., show that "Pakistan has invested a tremendous effort in these facilities, and I don't think we're going to talk them out of building these weapons anytime soon," said John Pike
• Think tanks jockey to be heard By Manoj Joshi The Times of India 16 March 2000 -- This is their 15 minutes of fame for which they have waited for more than a decade. An alphabet soup of outfits and a slew of foundations - the Kashmir Study Group, the Federation of American Scientists, the Asia Society, Brookings Institution, Rand, W. Alton Jones Foundation, Stimson Centre are a few names that come to mind.
• Website displays Pak N-sites' photos The Times of India 16 March 2000 -- A US policy group, which caused a stir when it published satellite photographs of a North Korean missile site, on Tuesday displayed pictures of Pakistani nuclear and missile facilities on the Internet only days before President Bill Clinton visits South Asia.
• Pakistan upgrades weaponry Paul Basken, BLOOMBERG NEWS March 16, 2000 -- A news briefing by the FAS and the ISIS was interrupted by Sohail Mahmood, first secretary at the Pakistan Embassy, who complained that the groups had focused on Pakistan's nuclear-weapons program while ignoring India's efforts.
• Pakistan's nuclear strength revealed; Rory McCarthy The Guardian (London) March 16, 2000 -- The Federation of American Scientists (Fas) said Pakistan had nearly completed work on a plutonium reactor at Khushab, near the Punjabi city of Lahore, and had built a dozen garages for missile launchers at a nearby airbase in Sargodha.
• Pakistan's Nuclear site images released Dawn 16 March 2000 The pictures were released on the eve of President Clinton's visit to Pakistan and India "to highlight the urgency of new initiatives to address the risk of nuclear escalation between these countries," the FAS said.
• Pakistan has ingredients for lighter nuke By PAMELA HESS United Press International 15 March 2000 -- "It was publicly unknown until now where that heavy water facility was located. It's been under construction for several years," said Corey Hinderstein of the Institute for Science and International Security, a non-profit arms control advocacy group that worked with FAS on the project.
• Pentagon regrets spread of nuclear weapons By Amir Mateen The News International [Pakistan] March 15, 2000 -- After his attention was drawn to photographs of Pakistan's nuclear facilities, details of which were distributed here besides being put on the internet, the Pentagon's Admiral Quigley, whose attention was drawn to this development at his regular briefing on Tuesday afternoon, regretted the spread of nuclear weapons.
• US organisation posts details of Pak N-facilities on internet By Ali Usman and Aamir Ghauri The News International [Pakistan] March 15, 2000 -- An American organisation has posted detailed pictures of Pakistan's nuclear weapons facilities on the internet on Wednesday claiming these new satellite images of Pakistan's nuclear and missile facilities provide fresh insight into the nuclear dangers on the subcontinent.
• Satellite Suggests Pakistan Makes Nuclear Ingredient Bloomberg News 15 March 2000 -- A news briefing by the FAS and the ISIS was interrupted by Sohail Mahmood, first secretary at the Pakistan Embassy, who complained that the groups had focused on Pakistan's nuclear weapons program while ignoring India's efforts.
• Pakistan has ingredients for lighter nuke By PAMELA HESS United Press International March 15, 2000 -- Just days before President Clinton takes an anti-nuclear weapon message to India and Pakistan, a think tank has produced evidence that Pakistan has the ingredients to put plutonium warheads in a Chinese-built M-11 missiles, and it has built a military facility at which to base them.
• New Satellite Images Fuel International Concerns Over Indian, Pakistani Nuclear Weapons David Ensor CNN MORNING NEWS 15 March 2000 -- Fresh satellite images are fueling international concerns over the world's two newest nuclear powers: Pakistan and India. Some say the United States needs to bridge the gap between the two neighboring countries before they stumble into a nuclear catastrophe.
• Clinton Sending India Mixed Message BARRY SCHWEID Associated Press March 15, 2000 -- The Federation of American Scientists has been distributing high-detail satellite images showing nuclear and missile plants in various countries.
• Web Site Gives Birds-eye View Of Pakistani Nukes Kevin Featherly; Newsbytes March 15, 2000, "Obviously, we'd like to influence the administration's (nuclear weapons) policy and get them on a more productive track," said John Pike, director of the Public Eye project of the Federation of American Scientists, the group that put the satellite images on its Web site
• Pakistan laid "groundwork" for nuclear missiles: US scientists Sharon Behn Agence France Presse 15 March 2000 -- The Federation of American Scientists, a non-profit group founded by members of the Manhattan project to monitor global security, based its statement Tuesday on newly released satellite images of Pakistan's two most important special weapons facilities.
• PRESS BRIEFING BY JOE LOCKHART March 15, 2000 -- Q Joe, a private group has posted pictures on the Internet of satellite -- MR. LOCKHART: Hold on a second. Anything that starts that way is a little dangerous.
• PRESS BRIEFING BY JOE LOCKHART March 14, 2000 Q: With the U.S. unable to persuade both India and Pakistan not to develop nuclear weapons, should the U.S. help both countries create safer mechanisms for the deployment of nuclear weapons and do it in a transparent way that builds confidence on both sides in both countries?
• U.S. must help India, Pak. shun 'disarming attacks' By Sridhar Krishnaswami The Hindu 14 March 2000 -- On the eve of the U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton's visit to South Asia, the Federation of American Scientists has said the country needs to work with India and Pakistan to reduce their temptation for ``disarming attacks''.
• Satellite images of Pakistan nuclear, missile facilities released in USA PTI news agency 14 March 2000 -- The pictures, which cover two of Pakistan's most important special weapons facilities - the plutonium production reactor at Khushab and the nearby medium-range missile base at Sargodha, have been acquired by the federation from the space imaging Ikonos satellite.
• NSA Blackout Reveals Downside Of Secrecy By Bob Drogin, Los Angeles Times March 13, 2000 -- "They've got a much broader drugs-and-thugs focus," said John Pike, an intelligence specialist at the American Federation of Scientists in Washington. "So they're looking for smaller needles in a bigger haystack."
• Text: U.S. Department of Justice on Cybercrime 13 March 2000 -- The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched a site on the Worldwide Web that is intended to serve as a clearinghouse for information on computer related crime, or cybercrime.
• U.S. Aid to Colombia Will Benefit Both Countries, Says Panel By Lauren Monsen Washington File 13 March 2000 -- President Clinton's proposed supplemental aid package to Colombia represents a sound investment in the well-being of the entire Western Hemisphere and "is just plain common sense," says Representative Benjamin Gilman (Republican of New York), chairman of the House International Relations Committee.
• Imaging Satellite To Keep Eye on Worldwide Weapons Production By Andrew Bridges space.com 12 March 2000 -- "What MTI is intended to do is develop a target signature database of known facilities using a space-based sensor that will correct for atmospheric interference," said John Pike, an analyst with the Federation of American Scientists in Washington, D.C.
• Sandia satellite launched successfully; technical difficulty worries MTI team Sandia Lab News 24 March 2000 - Vol.52, No.6 - The Multispectral Thermal Imager (MTI), the product of Sandia's first full satellite development program, was successfully placed into orbit early Sunday morning, March 12.
• COLOMBIA-US AID Voice of America 10 March 2000 -- The U-S House of Representatives will vote soon on a one-point-seven billion dollar emergency aid package to help fight drug trafficking in Colombia.
• NATO SPY Voice of America 10 March 2000 -- Top U-S Military officials say there is no evidence that a spy was lurking in NATO's headquarters at the beginning of the air war against Yugoslavia last year.
• NATO SPIES Voice of America 09 March 2000 -- A British television documentary says important targeting information was leaked to Yugoslavia during the first few weeks of the NATO's Kosovo offensive.
• MONEY LAUNDERING Voice of America 09 March 2000 -- The Clinton Administration is proposing new laws to crack down on money-laundering, the practice of channeling profits from crimes such as drug-trafficking into legitimate bank accounts.
• "Intelligence Gathering and Democracies: The Issue of Economic and Industrial Espionage" James Woolsey, Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency Tuesday, March 7, 2000 -- The United States does not engage in industrial espionage in the sense of collecting or even sorting intelligence that it collects overseas for the benefit of and to be given to American corporations. American companies have no need nor interest in stealing foreign technology in order to stay ahead. In the Campbell report, there are only two cases mentioned in which allegedly American intelligence, some years -- several years ago, obtained information, secret information regarding foreign corporations. One deals with Thompson CSF in Brazil, one deals with Airbus in Saudi Arabia. Mr. Campbell is intellectually honest enough that in both cases he devotes one line in each to the fact that the subject of American intelligence collection was bribery.
• CLINTON - COLOMBIA Voice of America 07 March 2000 -- Members of Congress in both political parties have expressed serious doubts about the administration's request for aid to Colombia. They fear the plan would draw the United States into a Vietnam-style quagmire.
• MIAMI / CUBA SPY Voice of America 06 March 2000 -- A high-ranking U-S immigration official has pleaded innocent to charges he passed secret information to Cuba.
• Spence Appoints Committee Panel to Assess Terrorist Threats, House Armed Services Committee, U.S. Congress, 02 March 2000 -- House Armed Services Committee Chairman Floyd Spence today announced the appointment of the new special oversight panel of the Committee on Armed Services to assess the nature of the terrorist threat facing U.S. armed forces and national security interests.
• CUBA DIPLOMAT Voice of America 02 March 2000 -- A Cuban diplomat accused of espionage in the United States has been given a hero's welcome upon his return to his native island, after spending five days in Canada.
• MIAMI / CUBA SPY Voice of America 01 March 2000 -- For the first time since his arrest on espionage charges two weeks ago, a high-ranking U-S Immigration official has spoken publicly about charges that he passed sensitive information to the Cuban government.
• U-S / DRUG LIST Voice of America 01 March 2000 -- The Clinton administration has certified that Colombia and Mexico are fully cooperating in anti-drug efforts, and will not be subject to U-S sanctions.
• NEW POLICY ON COMMERCIAL SECURITY PRODUCTS ANNOUNCED March 1, 2000 -- The National Security Telecommunications and Information Systems Security Committee (NSTISSC) has issued new guidance for acquisition of commercially available security products for national security systems across the U.S. government.