FAS | Intelligence | News | 2000 ||||

November 2000 Intelligence News

• Kennedy Urges Effective Action to Prepare for Potential Biological Attack, USIS Washington File, 30 November 2000 -- New legislation signed into law earlier this month by President Clinton aims at boosting the ability of the U.S. public health network to cope with the growing threat of potentially devastating terrorist attacks with biological weapons.
• State Department Noon Briefing - USS Cole Investigation, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesman, 29 November 2000 -- Q: No, different. I think you'll be interested in this one. The US and Yemen have signed an agreement on the parameters of the investigation into the COLE?
• State Dept. on Colombian Rebel Connection to Mexican Drug Cartel, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesman, 29 November 2000 -- The U.S. Department of State issued a press release November 29 announcing that "Mexican and Colombian officials have exposed a major link" between the Arellano Felix drug trafficking organization in Mexico and the Revolutionary Armed Forces guerrillas (known by the Spanish acronym FARC) in Colombia.
• State Department Noon Briefing - Colombia, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesman, 29 November 2000 -- Q: And on Colombia, there is some reports that members of FARC are working in Mexico. Do you have anything on that? They are talking about connections between Mexican narco-traffickers and FARC's.
• Lockerbie Trial, Voice of America, 29 November 2000 -- Judges at the Lockerbie trial have thrown out a defense lawyer's request for acquittal of one of the men accused of blowing up Pan Am Flight 103.
• State Department Noon Briefing - USS Cole, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesman, 29 November 2000 -- Q: ...The US and Yemen have signed an agreement on the parameters of the investigation into the COLE?
• U.S. Says People of Colombia Still Have Faith in Democracy, USIS Washington File, 28 November 2000 -- Despite ongoing problems with narco-traffickers, guerrilla warfare, and the high level of "common mayhem," the people of Colombia "still have not given up" their belief in democracy as a system, and continue to hope for civil order, says General Barry McCaffrey, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
• U.S. Drug Policy Director McCafffey Speaks on Colombia, The White House, Office of the Secretary, 28 November 2000 -- The United States believes its $1,300 million aid package for Colombia supports efforts to bring about a "just peace" in that Andean nation, says General Barry McCaffrey, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
• Pentagon Regular Briefing - Deutch Case, U.S. Department of Defense, 28 November 2000 -- Q: Ken, on a different subject: I read a published report today that contained quotes from the Pentagon inspector general's report on the laptop used by former deputy secretary John Deutch. Can you tell us what's either - can you either tell us what was in that IG report or what conclusions it came to? Or better yet, can we get a copy of the report?
• IRIN Special Report on Rapprochement with the Taliban, Integrated Regional Information Network, U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 27 November 2000 -- There is a recent change in attitude towards the Taliban among Afghanistan's Central Asian neighbours and, for those who speculate, perhaps also among some western governments.
• Panel urges NRO to step up research, outsourcing, EE Times, 28 November 2000 -- A commission created to examine the future of the National Reconnaissance Organization (NRO) has recommended that the agency set up a highly classified office to spearhead advanced research.
• US. Embassy Team in Oman Recognized For Cole Support , American Forces Press Service, Nine U.S. military members working in the Omani embassy were recognized today for their efforts in providing support for over 200 service members evacuated from the USS Cole after the Oct. 12 bombing.
• Colombia/U-S, Voice of America, 20 November 2000 -- In Colombia, top U-S military and government officials have given their assurances that U-S government support for the anti-drug fight in Colombia will remain firm, regardless of who wins the disputed U-S presidential election.
• U.S. Drug Policy Chief Addresses Diplomats in Colombia, Office of National Drug Control Policy, 20 November 2000 -- The Colombian government's comprehensive plan to eliminate illicit drug production has a good chance of long-term success, says General Barry McCaffrey, director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy.
• Chilean Foreign Ministry Comments on US Declassified Documents, People's Daily, 15 November 2000 -- Chilean government commented Tuesday with care the content of the declassified documents by the United States' agencies regarding events occurring in Chile between 1968-1992.
• Wide Support Expressed For Comprehensive Convention To Combat 'Scourge' of International Terrorism, UN Press Release , 15 November 2000 -- Broad support was given to the proposal to draft a comprehensive convention on terrorism to complement the existing network of various crime-specific counter-terrorism treaties as speakers in the Sixth Committee (Legal) this morning pointed to how terrorism had become "globalized".
• State Department-FBI Statement on USS Cole Investigation, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesman, 14 November 2000 -- "The United States Embassy in Sanaa, the Department of State, the Department of Justice, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation continue to work closely together in the on-going investigation into the bombing of the USS Cole on October 12. We are bound by the same primary goal of seeing that those responsible for this attack are brought to justice."
• State Department Noon Briefing - Chilean Document Release, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesman, 14 November 2000 -- Q: Yesterday, the executive director of the National Security Archives praised the State Department for its phenomenal disclosure of 90 volumes of documents on the 1973 coup in Chile and subsequent events...Can you comment upon that?
• Pentagon Spokesman's Regular Briefing - USS Cole, U.S. Department of Defense, 14 November 2000 -- Q: Could you talk to us a little bit about what we read today in the Washington Post with regard to the rules of engagement and the orders that were given to the crew of the Cole on deck? Are you able to confirm that those sailors were correct in their characterization of their crew direction?
• Statement By The Press Secretary - Release of CIA Chile Documents, The White House, Office of the Secretary, 13 November 2000 -- "This third and final release consists of more than 16,000 documents, including approximately 13,050 from the Department of State, 1,550 from the CIA, 620 from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 370 from the Department of Defense, 310 from the National Archives, 110 from the National Security Council, and 50 from the Department of Justice."
• Anti-Leak Veto Catches Sponsors Off Guard, Washington Post, 13 November 2000 -- The chairmen of the House and Senate intelligence committees howled in betrayal earlier this month after President Clinton vetoed secrecy legislation that would have made it easier to prosecute government officials for leaking "properly classified" material.
• Central Asia and the Taliban, Voice of America, 13 November 2000 -- Mounting evidence links Osama bin Laden to acts of terrorism against the United States, which is putting more pressure on the Taleban to surrender him.
• State Dept. Noon Briefing - Middle East Terrorism Threat, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesman, 13 November 2000 -- Q: On Thursday, the arrest of four Kuwaitis had just happened and Richard didn't have anything, but it was later found out that they were planning to attack US military installations. Do you have any follow-up on that?
• State Dept. Noon Briefing - USS Cole, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesman, 13 November 2000 -- Q: On the Cole investigation, how close is the memorandum of understanding between the two countries for the remainder of the investigation? How close are we to that agreement, and would you still characterize the cooperation of the Yemeni Government as good?
• KAZAKHSTAN: President given green light to fight Islamic extremism, Integrated Regional Information Network, U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 10 November 2000 -- Kazakhstan's parliament voted on Thursday to give President Nursultan Nazarbayev the power to send the country's armed forces into Central Asian states facing threats from Islamic extremism
• Ingalls Shipbuilding Selected to Repair USS Cole , DOD News Release, 09 November 2000 -- The Navy announced today that Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., will repair USS Cole, which was damaged in a Oct. 12 terrorist attack while in the port of Aden, Yemen.
• State Department Noon Briefing - USS Cole, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesman, 09 November 2000 -- Q: Can I go back to Yemen for a second? Can you give us a status on the cooperation between the US and the Government of Yemen and whether or not you are any closer to an agreement, written or otherwise, of cooperation?
• White House Sees Progress on U.S. Counter-Drug Efforts, The White House, Office of the Secretary, 09 November 2000 -- The following fact sheet on U.S. efforts to reduce the domestic demand for illegal drugs was issued November 9 by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP):
• Pentagon Spokesman's Regular Briefing - Kuwait Arrests, U.S. Department of Defense, 09 November 2000 -- Q: Do you have anything on several people in Kuwait being arrested for having some - having - being connected to some folks who were threatening to take - to carry out attacks against U.S. interests in the Gulf and being connected with Osama bin Laden? Pentagon Spokesman Ken Bacon briefed.
• State Department Noon Briefing - Kuwait Arrests, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesman, 09 November 2000 -- Q: Have you seen the report about the Kuwaiti Government announcement on the arrest of three suspects wanted for planning a terrorist attack?
• Japan / Red Army Arrest, Voice of America, 09 November 2000 -- A leading figure in the Japanese Red Army terrorist group has been apprehended after nearly three decades on the run.
• Bahrain threat level downgraded, Stars and Stripes, 09 November 2000 -- The U.S. military decreased the terrorist threat condition for military members serving in Bahrain back to Threatcon Charlie, down from the highest possible level of Threatcon Delta, which was imposed days after the Oct. 12 terrorist attack that killed U.S. sailors in the Middle East, Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon said Tuesday.
• Pentagon Spokesman's Regular Briefing - Terrorism Threat, U.S. Department of Defense, 09 November 2000 -- Q: Ken, can you update us - it's been four weeks since the bombing of the Cole. Are U.S. ships all still deployed in the Gulf? Has anybody been allowed yet to pull into a port for refueling or any other reason? And how long do we think it will be before that happens?
• Pentagon Spokesman's Regular Briefing - USS Cole, U.S. Department of Defense, 07 November 2000 -- Q: Ken, is the Cole headed south, to come around the tip of Africa, to come - is it on its way home first?
• Shelby blasts administration over leak veto, Alabama Live, 07 November 2000 -- U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby is accusing President Clinton of buckling to media pressure with his veto of a bill that would have criminalized the disclosure of most classified information.
• Pentagon Spokesman's Regular Briefing - Anti-Leak Statute, U.S. Department of Defense, 07 November 2000 -- Q: The president, on Saturday, vetoed the Intelligence Authorization Act, citing the anti-leak provision. Where did the Pentagon come down on that in terms of the internal deliberations? Were you for a veto or against a veto? Pentagon Spokesman Kenneth Bacon briefed.
• Pentagon Spokesman's Regular Briefing - Middle East Threat, U.S. Department of Defense, 07 November 2000 -- Q: Has there been any change in the threat conditions in the Gulf, either up or down? Any of the countries that were on Threat Condition D - have they gone off that, or any - are there any countries where -- that have gone to a higher threat condition since the last one?
• The forgotten 'spy' case of a rocket scientist, By Peter Grier, Christian Science Monitor, 07 November 2000 -- Viewed from afar, the McCarthy-era case of Tsien Hsue-shen stands as an eerie precursor to the Wen Ho Lee storm. Yet neither Dr. Lee's proponents nor his prosecutors can draw easy lessons from this chapter in history.
• State Department Noon Briefing, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesman, 06 November 2000 -- Q: New subject. Yemen. Today, Yemeni officials say that, not only will they not let Americans interview suspects; they won't even relay questions from the Americans to the suspects. Are we still saying we're getting good cooperation from them?
• Defense Minister Says Central Asia Is 'Center of World Terrorism.', RFE/RL Security Watch, Vol. 1, No. 16, 6 November 2000 -- During a visit to Tajikistan, Defense Minister Igor Sergeev said that "the center of world terrorism is shifting to Central Asia and that Russia, with its allies, should immediately begin to form a joint force to cope with this development."
• wHITE hOUSE Daily PRESS BRIEFING - Anti-Leak Statute, The White House, Office of the Secretary, 06 November 2000 -- Q Jake, did you talk to the President at all about why he decided to veto that intelligence authorization bill?
• Clampdown on 'leaks' vetoed, by David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, 05 November 2000 -- President Clinton on Saturday vetoed a bill that would have sharply expanded the government's power to prosecute anyone who revealed official secrets, including whistle-blowers or even ambassadors who briefed news reporters.
• Cole panel to focus on force protection issues, By Chuck Vinch, Stars and Stripes, 04 November 2000 -- A top-level commission appointed in the wake of the Oct. 12 terrorist attack on the USS Cole will focus solely on broad force protection issues and will not "sit in judgment" of anyone aboard the ship or in its chain of command, the panel's leaders said Thursday.
• Statement by the President on the Veto of HR 4392, The White House, Office of the Secretary, 04 November 2000 -- "Although well intentioned, that provision is overbroad and may unnecessarily chill legitimate activities that are at the heart of a democracy."
• Cole Commission Focuses On Force Protection Measures , American Forces Press Service, 03 November 2000 -- DoD's Cole Commission will review and evaluate current force protection policies and procedures for troops traveling to and from the Middle East, and possibly recommend changes, the commission co- chairmen said.
• Anti-Leak Bill Splits Clinton Aides, By Walter Pincus, washingtonpost.com, 03 November 2000 -- Top Clinton aides failed to reach agreement yesterday on a controversial measure that makes it easier to prosecute government officials for leaking classified information, leaving it up to the president to weigh differing recommendations on whether he should sign or veto the legislation.
• Attorney General Reno's Weekly Press Conference - Leak Statute, The Department of Justice, Washington, DC, 02 November 2000 -- Q: Ms. Reno, there's a bill at the White House on an intelligence authorization bill that has come under attack from both the left, right and the news media because of provisions on classified secrets. Can you explain to us why these expanded penalties are needed and why it's necessary now, and what your discussions have been with the White House regarding whether or not they will sign this bill? I understand there's been some reconsideration on their part.
• Attorney General Reno's Weekly Press Conference - Wen Ho Lee, The Department of Justice, Washington, DC, 02 November 2000 -- Q: Ms. Reno, are we any closer to getting a public statement on the internal review of whether Wen Ho Lee was singled out for investigation because of his ethnic background?
• DoD News Briefing - USS Cole, dod, 02 November 2000 -- Special briefing on the Cole Commission - Gen. William W. Crouch, USA (Ret.) and Adm. Harold W. Gehman, USN (Ret.)
• DoD News Briefing - USS Cole, dod, 02 November 2000 -- Q: Craig, is the Blue Marlin underway yet? And if not, when will it get underway, and which way will it head?
• U-S Ship Attack, Voice of America, 02 November 2000 -- Two retired senior military officers appointed by the Defense Department to study the bombing of the destroyer U-S-S Cole say they will look for possible lessons that can help prevent future attacks.
• Attorney General Reno's Weekly Press Conference, Nov. 2, 2000, The Department of Justice, Washington, DC, 02 November 2000 -- Q: Ms. Reno, can you describe for us whether there are additional efforts being made; what's the state of play right now in trying to secure additional cooperation from the government of Yemen?
• The case for leaks, By Fiona Morgan, Salon.com, 01 November 2000 -- Journalists are urging President Clinton to veto a bill that would make it a felony to disclose any classified information to the media.
• Colombia to Begin Coca Elimination Program in Putumayo Region, USIS Washington File, 01 November 2000 -- In December, Colombia will launch a program to eradicate the coca plant in the guerrilla-dominated Putumayo region, says Brad Hittle, drug-source country support branch chief for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
• Clinton Reports to Congress on Drug-Producing Countries, The White House, Office of the Secretary, 01 November 2000 -- President Clinton has sent to Congress his annual report on major illicit drug-producing or drug-transit countries.
• Cole Investigation, Voice of America, 01 November 2000 -- The United States says it wants to see more cooperation from the government of Yemen in the investigation into last month's terrorist attack on the Navy destroyer, the U-S-S Cole, that killed 17 American sailors.
• DoD News Briefing, Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen - USS Cole, U.S. Department of Defense, 01 November 2000 -- Q: What is the Defense Department doing to prevent another attack like the one on the USS Cole?
• State Department Noon Briefing - USS Cole, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesman, 01 November 2000 -- Q: Richard, do you think the Yemeni Government is inhibiting the investigation into the Cole?