LETTER TO WILLIAM L. ARMSTRONG FROM WILLIAM J. CASEY

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP87M00539R001501880007-9
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
K
Document Page Count: 
6
Document Creation Date: 
December 22, 2016
Document Release Date: 
November 6, 2009
Sequence Number: 
7
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
June 20, 1985
Content Type: 
LETTER
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PDF icon CIA-RDP87M00539R001501880007-9.pdf176.1 KB
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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2009/11/06: CIA-RDP87M00539R001501880007-9 DOCUMENTS CROSS-REFERENCED ATTACHED: I ~Z c- 19tl Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2009/11/06: CIA-RDP87M00539R001501880007-9 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2009/11/06: CIA-RDP87M00539R001501880007-9 STAT STAT Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2009/11/06: CIA-RDP87M00539R001501880007-9 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2009/11/06: CIA-RDP87M00539R001501880007-9 EXECUbVIE SECRETARIAT ROUTING SLIP ACTION INFO DATE INITIAL 1 DCI 2 DDCI X 3 EXDIR X 4 D/ICS X 5 DDI X 6 DDA 7 DDO X 8 DDS&T 9 Chm/NIC 10 GC 11 IG 12 Compt 13 D/OLL 14 D/PAO X 15 VC/NIC x 16 NIO BCW 17 D/SOVA x 18 1 D /OSW X 19 - 20 21 22 / un Remarks To 13 : p1 s have response prepared for DCI signature. STAT 3637 "?-81j Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2009/11/06: CIA-RDP87M00539R001501880007-9 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2009/11/06: CIA-RDP87M00539R001501880007-9 Iq Next 1 Page(s) In Document Denied STAT Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2009/11/06: CIA-RDP87M00539R001501880007-9 SoViets By Tom Diaz THE WASHINGTON TIMES S e Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2 `~ JLJl IAW _J%.LAAS %JLA '.MM MJ target areasi at the gigantic Shikhany Chemical 'lest Range located southeast of Moscow and ... such tests are appar- The Soviet Union is testing deadly ently continuing;' Quentin Crommelin Jr. chemical and biological weapons on, and David S. Sullivan charge in their unwilling human subjects "tied to book, "Soviet Military Supremacy," stakes" at a range near Moscow,- two which was released last week. defense analysts have charged. Angelo Codevilla, an aide to Sen. Mal- "In 1980, soon after the invasion of colm Wallop, R=Wyo., and a former staff Afghanistan, the Soviets conducted member of the'Senate Intelligence Com- lethal chemical and biological tests mittee, confirmed .that the Soviets are against men and women tied to stakes in known to have conducted such tests. TESTING From page IA But another source familiar with national intelligence matters, who' spoke on condition that he not be named, said U.S. intelligence offi- cials have "plenty of evidence" of such testing. "There is loads of photographic evidence plus human intelligence reports;' he said. He said he has seen satellite photographs and human intelligence reports documenting the tests. Otber sources in the intelligence community said the Soviets gener- ally know when U.S. spy satellites are in a position to observe their activities and doubted the Soviets would allow such tests to be observed. Mr. Sullivan, an aide to several conservative senators, worked as an analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency until 1978. Since then, he has worked on Capitol Hill, with the exception of a short stint with the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. Many regard him as an expert on the subject of Soviet vio- lations of strategic arms limitation treaties. Mr. Crommelin is a Washington lawyer who has worked on the staff of the Senate Armed Services Com- mittee, among others, and on the Defense Department transition team for the first Reagan adminis- tration term. ' The book, written as a project of the Defense and Strategic Studies program of the University of "That is true;' he said in an interview last week. He said he knew that "from regular intelligence briefings given to U.S. naval officers 15 years ago" - not, he emphasized, from information obtained while serving on the intelli- gence committee: Mr. Gbdevilla said, he doesn't know if the Soviets are.still condudting'tests on- humans. Experts in the field of chemical and Southern California, was cleared for He also said. "We've seen cre1n- publication by the Central Intelli- aforia nearby." gence Agency, because of Mr. Sul- "We know they cremate the 'Evan's past employment with the animals," he said. "We don't know agency. A CIA spokesman empha- how they dispose of the (humhn] sized, however, that CIA clearance is bodies. We assume they cremate concerned only with whether a book them." contains classified information, not The source said the United States with the accuracy of the allegations has been able to observe the alleged in it. testing "only fortuitously." The CIA declined to comment on But, he said, "We've.seen hun- the'allegations themselves. dreds [of people tied to stakes], end' "It [Soviet chemical and biologi- we have to assume that if we've seen cal weapons testing] is a very sen- hundreds they've tested many sitive subject, and we just haven't more." released any information on it at all;' Other analysts were cautious in the spokesman said. their reactions to the charges. I Spokesmen'for the DIA, the State "I have heard the allegations:' Department and the ACDA respond- said Brad Roberts, a fellow i at ed similarly. Georgetown University's Center for "I am unable to confirm the infor- ? Strategic and International Studies. mation;' a DIA spokesman said. "They are fairly widely known. But "We don't have any information on I don't know if they are accuratel' that at all;' said an. ACDA spokes- Mr. Roberts said the allegatioig, is than not incredible,"but that he woukij be But the source who claims to have "surprised" if it were true because seen the evidence of the tests the Soviet chemical warfare..p'~v- insisted that U.S. officials are well gram is so advanced there is little. aware of the tests. need for such experimentation. "We've seen the stakes, we've seen The Shikhany complex was built in the 1920s and is one of the Sovi- the people," hesaid. "We've seen just animals [tied to the stakes], we've ets' primary chemical weapons test seen just people, and we've seen both areas" according to a 1983 Defense together." Department report on Soviet chemical weapons capabilities. "They are testing the [chemical "It [the allegation] is sometin'tes and biological] agents to see how confused with the fact that the Sovi- long it takes to kill;' the source said. . ets train on a very large scale with "We've seen people down. We don't the real stuff and they sometimes know if they're dead or wounded." lose troops;' Mr. Roberts said. The source said "humint," or Robert H. Kupperman, director human intelligence reports, "told us of science and technology at CSIS, they [the victims] are political pris- said, "I've heard it, but I've seen! no Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2009/11/06: CIA-RDP87M00539R001501880007-9 testing are widely known, but they said they had of seen supporting evidence. Spokes en for the Central Intelli- gence Ag nCy, the Defense Intelligence' Agency, tie State Department and the Arms Co trol and Disarmament Agency declined to confirm the charge. Neither Mr. Sullivan nor Mr. Crom- melin would give details of the informa- tion on which their charge is based. see 1'ES'1'ING, page 10A Ui rn co Ln Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2009/11/06: CIA-RDP87M00539R001501880007-9 Iq Next 4 Page(s) In Document Denied STAT Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2009/11/06: CIA-RDP87M00539R001501880007-9