PENTAGON ORDERS INQUIRY ON GUARDS AT U.S. EMBASSIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000604960001-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 4, 2012
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: March 29, 1987
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT _
`~ Declassified in Part ~ Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/04 :CIA-RDP90-009658000604960001-9
~? ~
PENTAGON ORDERS
INQUIRY ON GUARDS
AT U.S. Eh1BASSIES
~?~;~ By ROBERT PEAR
~ ~~ ~~ Special to The New York Times
WASHINGTON, March 28 - They
Deputy Secretary of Defense said to-~
day that he had ordered a thorough in-~
vestigation of the training and deploy-
ment Marine Corps security guards in`
the wake of allegations that two guards'
at the American Embassy in Moscow
had cooperated with Soviet spies.
The official, William Howard Taft
4th said in an interview that so far nol
one beyond the two guards, who are
under detention, had been disciplined
as a result of the incident in Moscow,
which was described by Reagan Ad-
ministration officials as a severe;
breach in security at the embassy.. i
The Marine Corps said Friday that
'the two guards had allowed Soviet
agents to spend hours roaming through
some of the most sensitive sections of
the embassy on "numerous occasions'?'.
last year. ~,
Anger at the Embassy
In Moscow, a mixture of anger and
depression has spread through the 29-
man Marine contingent at the embassy
as the allegations against their col-
leagues have put them in the spotlight.
Among the questions being raised were
whether young, inexperienced marines,
~ were more vulnerable to Soviet influ-~
ence than other American representa-
~. fives serving there. [Page 14.] .
Mr. Taft ordered the investigation of~
procedures in a memorandum tq Navy
Secretary John F. Lehman Jr. 'The Ma-~
rine Corps is part of the Department ofi
the Navy.
'The memorandum said: "Please
have a full investigation undertaken)
immediately of the methods and prose-
dures for the selection, training and su-
pervision and security oversight of Ma-~
rine Corps personnel assigned to guard'
duty with United States embassies out-
side the United States." '
'Independent' of Discipline
"This investigation should be ~om-
pletely independent of any disciplinary
or court martial proceedings presently,
under way in relation to such person-'
nel," it said. The memorandum was,
drafted by the Defense Department's:
chief lawyer, H. Lawrence Garrett 3d.
.The two Marine Corps guards sus-,
29 March 1987
petted of espionage, Cpl. Arnold Bracy, ~
21 years, old, and Sgt. Clayton J. Lone- ~ F
tree, 25, are being held in military cus-
tod~ at Quantico, Va: The Marine Corps
asserts that .they worked as a team,
with one serving as a.lookout while the
other tprned off alarms as they were
activated by Soviet intruders.
Administration officials said the
guards had been separately recruited
by Soviet women who worked- in the
embassy. The women seduced the
guards, then introduced them to Soviet
intelligence officers, the American offi-
cialssaid.
Diplomatic Chain of Command
Mr. Taft said marines working in
American embassies abroad "do not
report to the Commandant of the Ma-
rine Corps." In effect, they work for the
American Ambassador in charge of the
diplomatic post and take instructions
from the embassy's security officer,
who is a State Department employee.
Defense Secretary Caspar W. Wein-'
Berger said today that "we're very,
very distressed in every way at the fact
that these Marine guards" had been
accused of such serious offenses.
"We're not making any conclusions
yet, but we are indeed going to investi-
gate just as thoroughly as we can, and
not just these two, but the whole sys-
tem," Mr. Weinberger said in an inter-,
view broadcast by the Cable News Net-'
work. "We're going to look at the whole
thing, the way they're chosen, the
training and the way the Soviets will
continually try to subvert them."
~ The embassy in Moscow is the com-
mand post for some of the Centra! In-
telligence Agency's most sensitive in-
telligence-gathering operations.
Sergeant Lonetree has been charged
with two counts of espionage among
other charges, while Corporal -Bracy is
being held on suspicion of espionage.
Sergeant Lonetree's lawyer has said
that the sergeant denies the allega-
tions.
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/04 :CIA-RDP90-009658000604960001-9