-Caveat Lector- >From originalsources.com > <Picture: Original Sources Scroll> > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > ORIGINAL SOURCES June 1999 HEADLINES > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > Bombshell Testimony on Clinton's Threats to National Security > Whistle-blowers > > The China Connection > > House Government Reform and Oversight Committee > June 24, 1999 > > Prepared Testimony of Congressman Curt Weldon > > Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I welcome the opportunity to testify today -- > not as a Republican looking for a target of opportunity to attack the > Administration, but as a Member of Congress concerned about the > politicization of national security matters and retribution against > government employees who stood up against it. In fact, it was my > efforts to bring bipartisanship to the national missile defense debate > that brought me here today. > > In 1995, the congressional leadership committed to passing legislation > that would mandate the timely deployment of a national missile defense > system. Unfortunately, that debate began on a highly partisan note -- > bolstered by the President's repeated public insistence that the > United States was no longer targeted by Russian missiles. Concerned > about the Administration's attempts to downplay missile threats and > the lack of alternative information on threats and systems to defend > against them, I established the bipartisan Congressional Missile > Defense Caucus with John Spratt, Peter Geren, and Duncan Hunter to > educate members and the American public about the issues. > > Through hearings and briefings, the regular distribution of > materials, and in speeches across the country, I worked aggressively > to increase awareness of threats and to counter misrepresentations > that were being made. Soon, people were coming to update me on threat > developments, asking that I follow through so that critical matters > were not overlooked. Sadly, I also became a conduit for agency > employees whose findings were being squelched by the Administration. > That is how I first learned about the Administration's aggressive > campaign of distortion -- when a former DOE employee came to my office > in 1995 to discuss the deterioration of Russian nuclear security. > > Jay Stewart > > In 1991, Jay Stewart, Director of DOE's Office of Foreign > Intelligence, commissioned a panel of DOE specialists to assess the > control, safety, and security of Soviet nuclear weapons. Later that > year, results indicating a loss of control were briefed to Secretary > of Energy James Watkins, and the CIA. Stewart made continued > monitoring of this urgent situation -- known as the "Russian Fission" > program -- the office priority. In December 1992, he led a classified > conference on this subject matter at the National Defense University > [NDU], which was widely attended by the military, intelligence and > policy communities. > > Hazel O'Leary was briefed on this situation in February 1993, and > asked that Secretary-General of NATO Manfred Woerner be briefed > immediately. Suddenly, after marshalling the highest levels of > support from the U.S. government and NATO, the program was terminated > by the newly appointed Director of DOE's Office of Intelligence and > Arms Control, Jack Keliher. All papers, briefings, agendas, > conference video and audio tapes were seized, locked up -- and > ultimately destroyed. Keliher said that the Secretary told him the > program was "politically sensitive" and could "embarrass the > President." He said that "if any materials from the NDU conference > ever leaked to the press, somebody would be fired." He then said > Stewart's work was "ill informed," contained "inaccurate assumptions > and conclusions" and should not be referred to because it "gave the > wrong impression of the situation in Russia." > > Refusing to buckle under to political pressure and tow the party line, > Stewart and his deputy were both removed from all DOE intelligence and > management duties. Facing a future in dead-end positions, both > quietly left DOE. Jay was an outstanding career employee of the > Department of Energy, who worked his way up the ranks to serve as the > First Director of Counterintelligence, and as Director of Foreign > Intelligence. Among the many professional awards he received were the > National Intelligence Meritorious Unit Citation, the Presidential > Meritorious Executive Rank Award, and ultimately, the National > Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal. Concerned that the > Administration would try to bury this information, and astounded by > the lengths to which it went to dispose of the findings, I initiated > an Armed Services Committee investigation of this matter. Most > Department employees "circled the wagons," preventing us from > obtaining physical evidence of politicization. However, Jay's story > was ultimately corroborated by three brave DOE employees, and was > later backed up in the book One Point Safe. I subsequently held > several hearings in the Armed Services Committee on this matter which > confirmed the validity of the Russian Fission effort -- including the > testimony of Brookings Scholar Bruce Blair, Russian Academician Alexi > Yablokov, General Alexander Lebed and former KGB agent Stanislav > Lunev. The Stewart case was my first foray into Clinton > Administration politicization of national security matters, and a > stunning lesson in just how far this White House would go to bolster > its own policy agenda. I still find it absolutely galling that > someone of Jay Stewart's caliber, just doing his job, could be so > effectively trashed by political appointees and run out of town. > > National Intelligence Estimate 95-19: > > Later in 1995, the Administration released , NIE 95-19 "Emerging > Missile Threats to North America During the Next Fifteen Years." This > assessment flatly ruled out a rogue missile threat to the U.S. for > the next fifteen years. On December 1, as the Senate was debating the > Defense Authorization bill which directed the deployment of a National > Missile Defense, the Administration in an unprecedented move released > a letter citing these conclusions. Two weeks later, President Clinton > vetoed the Defense Authorization bill, stating that the Administration > did not see a missile threat to the United States in the coming > decade. > > Previous intelligence estimates showed that threat could emerge much > sooner, and many Members questioned assumptions in the classified > assessment -- such as the exclusion of the missile threat to Alaska > and Hawaii. I knew from my own monitoring of Russian security > developments that the estimates ignored the disintegration of the > Russian military and the breakdown of command and control. Given these > doubts, my Committee tasked the GAO to evaluate the soundnes of NIE > 965-19. GAO determined that its conclusions were overstated, and noted > numerous analytical shortcomings in the report. Former Director of the > CIA Robert Gates, who headed an independent review of NIE 95-19 said > it was "politically naive" "rushed" and that the exclusion of Alaska > and Hawaii from the threat analysis was "foolish from every > perspective." After pursuing the Russian Fission matter and the much > more publicized NIE, Mr. Chairman, the floodgates literally opened. I > was routinely hearing of developments -- that Congress should have > every right to know about -- that the Administration was not likely to > share. In too many cases, professionals who had the gall to press the > point on matters that defied the Administration's "line" were being > penalized. Each of these cases is every bit as compelling as those > above. In the interest of time, I will try to summarize a few of them > for the Committee's consideration. > > Spooking the CIA: 2 Cases of Foul Play > > #1 - Just as the Russian Fission investigation was wrapping up, I > #learned that one of my staffer's relatives -- an employee of the CIA > #-- was suffering undue harrassment after presenting analysis that > #conflicted with the Administration's policy governing U.S. > #involvement in UN peacekeeping efforts. Assigned to the panel > #drafting Presidential Decision Directive 25 dealing with use of > #forces in peacekeeping efforts, this analyst revealed to his > #superiors an intelligence leak in Somalia that compromised U.S. > #security. > > After objecting to intelligence sharing in international peacekeeping > efforts and opposing U.S. troops involvement in civil wars, he was > pulled off the PDD panel and reassigned to a lesser job. Managers > complained about his writing and analysis, and he suffered continued > harrassment. After he requested binding arbitration, he was asked to > submit to a drug test, a medical exam for brain tumors, and a > psychiatric evaluation. Ultimately, it took a seasoned attorney to > bring an abrupt end to the harrassment, and to ensure his exoneration. > > > #2 - When Gordon Oehler, Director of CIA's Nonproliferation Center, > #provided Congress with detailed information on the scope of the > #Iranian missile threat, he effectively ended his twenty-five year > #career. Members were pressing for details on Iranian threat > #developments, concerned about their implications for our troops and > #Middle East allies. At the time, the Administration was maintaining > #that an Iranian medium-range missile capability was a decade away. To > #his detriment, Oehler provided Members with candid details about > #technology transfers from Russia and China to Iran that vastly > #accelerated the Iranian missile threat. His revelations not only > #undermined the credibility of the Administration's threat assessment, > #but challenged its policy with respect to Russia and China. In my > #view, Oehler's greatest sin was not in arriving at these assessments, > #but in sharing them with a critical Congress. > > Silver Bullets > > As the Committee was conducting numerous threat assessment hearings in > 1996, I was approached by some DOE lab employees who suggested that I > should get a briefing on some startling Russian strategic developments > that had recently come to light. Given the sensitive nature of this > brief, I would have to request it first. When the Department became > aware of my interest, it prevented the expert on this subject from > coming to brief me. Soon, I received a 3 sentence, unsigned note > urging me to pursue that briefing. Only after challenging the > Department repeatedly was I able to get that briefing -- accompanied > by agency message masters. Jack Daly > > On April 4, 1997, Lt. Jack Daly, a Navy intelligence officer serving > on a joint U.S.-Canadian surveillance mission near Seattle, was shot > in the eye with a laser beam while monitoring a Russian ship thought > to be tracking our submarine fleet. The incident prompted a search of > the ship days later, but our State Department provided twenty-four > hour warning of the investigation which may have enabled the removal > of the laser equipment. Only public areas were allowed to be > searched. > > Because this incident was perceived to be a potential stumbling block > in our relations with Russia, it was kept secret for weeks and efforts > were made within the Defense and State Departments to cover it up. The > State Department never issued a formal demarche. The Canadian pilot, > also injured by the laser, was never interviewed. This was not some > low-level affair - it was discussed in the White House and involved > National Security Assistant Bob Bell and Undersecretary Strobe > Talbott. Daly's superior told him "You don't know the pressure I am > under to sweep this under the rug." Fortunately, the story was broken > by Washington Times reporter Bill Gertz, who exposed more details > about it is his recent book Betrayal. While no acknowledgement has > been made to this day that the Russians attacked a U.S. military > officer, the fleet monitoring ships was ordered to wear eye protection > against lasers. When he wrote me pressing for further investigation of > this matter, Daly suffered professionally for pursuing this matter. > Prior to the incident, he had received his highest rating for > promotion ever. After the incident, that rating was reversed, and it > became the worst evaluation of his career. He is now approaching his > second review for promotion - and his career hangs in the balance. > Mr. Chairman, I ask that you bring Lt. Daly and the Canadian pilot in > for testimony following today's session, and that all Members join me > in expressing our support for a fair review of Lt. Daly's promotion. > > DOE analsyts/CTBT > > At a time when Congress was still questioning the validity of the > Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, I obtained a copy of a DOE "gag order" > on one of the labs preventing circulation of documents without > approval, and requiring notification prior to any congressional > interactions. I took Secertary Federico Pena to task for this > action, and called on him to protect the sharing of CTBT information > with Congress. > > Mr. Chairman, I could continue on with these horror stories, and I > know that each of the witnesses can speak for many others. But I want > to point out that I have been equally supportive of many agency people > doing great jobs in a manner satisfactory to the Administration -- and > I have not hesitated to applaud those individuals. I have on several > occasions written to agency heads to applaud the work of professionals > who help us do our job. > > But today we must hear those whose voices have been shut out of the > policy-making process. I know that none of our witnesses set out to > embarrass the Administration -- they would have much preferred to > quietly do their jobs with the professional support and courtesy they > deserve. I also wish that this Administration had the courage of its > convictions to justify its policies without resorting to the > destruction of all conflicting information and those who deliver it. > As long as our government snuffs out selective data, we will always > question the soundness of its policies. That is no way for a > democracy to survive. > > The spinmeisters are going to try and convince the public that this is > partisan political theater, because they want to deflect from the > message we are hearing. Every one of us has a responsibility to hear > what these professionals have to say, and more important, to support > them when they are being unjustly attacked. This is not the first > time Congress has heard the testimony of whistleblowers, nor will it > be the last. As Chairman of the Commerce Committee, for example, > Congressman Dingell frequently pursued similar cases and provided > whistleblowers a forum to make Congress aware of troubling agency > developments. I commend those efforts. Likewise, I think we should > lend strong, bipartisan support to such hearings in this Congress -- > because the message we are hearing is not partisan, it's just the > facts. > > I urge Members to listen to these stories, and to come together on a > bipartisan basis to establish additional protections for those who > suffer due to policy disagreements. I am now considering some options > to protect those dealing with classified matters and seek the support > and advice of each Committee member. Thank you. > > > > > To E-mail Original Sources - Click Here > > > Website: http://www.originalsources.com > To E-Mail Mary Mostert, Analyst - [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Fax # (801) 426-8315 > > > Return to Original Sources > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > -- > > > Webpage designed by > Unlimited Chances > > > You are visitor #192. Please visit us again! > Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.-7th) E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] WWW: www.house.gov/curtweldon Phone: (202) 225-2011 Fax: (202) 225-8137 Address: 2452 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 District Office: Upper Darby District Phone: 610-259-0700 Hometown: Aston Previous Occupation: Educator Education: BA West Chester Univ., 1969 Term: 7th Committees: • Select Committee on US National Security and Military Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China • Science • Armed Services A<>E<>R ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + A merely fallen enemy may rise again, but the reconciled one is truly vanquished. -Johann Christoph Schiller, German Writer (1759-1805) + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly. -Bertrand Russell + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + "Everyone has the right...to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." 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