EXPERTS SAY SOVIETS LEARNED 'NOTHING NEW' FROM NBC SHOW

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100120051-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 3, 2012
• Sequence Number: 51
• Publication Date: May 21, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/03: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100120051-2
WASHINGTON TIMES
21 May 1986
Experts
sa Soviets learn
y ed 'nothing
new' from NBC show
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
U.S. submarines have collected in- submarines, the noises they emit as
telligence in Soviet waters for 25 they move underwater.
years, and NBC told the Kremlin After the 1975 disclosures, Penta-
nothing new by reporting the under- gon officials told The Associated
water eavesdropping, experts said Press that specially equipped U.S.
Yesterday. submarines gathered intelligence
CIA Director William Casey has off Soviet shores, but denied that any
asked the Justice Department to had penetrated the three-mile ter-
weigh criminal charges aginst NBC- ritorial limit.
TV for mentioning the intelligence Mr. Richelson, who describes the
program and identifying its code- Program in his book, "The U.S. Intel-
name as "Ivy Bells." ligence Community," said in an inter-
The NBC report in question, aired view that he did not believe the NBC
Monday on the "'Ibday" show, said report "is something the Soviets will
that accused spy Ronald William find valuable. The Soviets knew
Pelton, a former employee of the Na- about it.,,
tional Security Agency, is suspected Mr. Richelson speculated that Mr.
of giving Russia information on Casey's threat against NBC was
espionage-gathering by U.S. subma- "pre-emptive. I think he wants to
rines, which NBC correspondent prevent anyone from coming out
Jim Polk said may be code-named with more details of the project."
"Ivy Bells." Mr. Pelton is on"trial in Another expert on espionage, _
Baltimore. James Bamford described r.
U.S. subs began spying against the Casey's threat as "the other shoe
Soviet Union at the end of the Eisen- droppin "" aft CIA director
hoover administration, said Amer- warned earlier this month that he
ican University Professor Jeffrey would prosecute news organizations
Richelson, author of books on U.S. that report secrete about U S. elec
and Soviet intelligence. tropic eavesdropping.
In 1974, The Washington Post de- Mr. Casey may have been angered
scribed a similar espionage pro that NBC linked the submarine spy-
gram, which it said was called ing with the code name Ivy Bells,
"Holystone." That report angered said Mr. Bamford, author of "The
Pentagon officials, who later told re- Puzzle Palace," a history of the Na-
porters it had caused the Russians to tional Security Agency, the organ
__. _:... ization that decodes electronic intel-
The following year, The New York However, at Mr. Pelton's
Times published more detailed arti- arraignment last Nov 27, defense at-
cles on the Holystone program. torney Fred Warren Bennett asked
Among the intelligence coups in an FBI agent whether his client had
Holystone, the 1975 article said, was been questioned about Ivy Bells.
photographing the underside of a So- which the attorney later identified
viet E-class submarine, apparently as an electronic intelligence-
in Vladivostok harbor, the main na- gathering operation.
val port on the Soviet east coast. Also In a report on the arraignment
reported was the tapping into under- that same day, NBC correspondent,
sea cables on the Soviet coast, along Polk said: "There are indications'
which the Russians sent military that Ivy Bells refers to a Navy
traffic too sensitive to entrust to the eavesdropping operation. The Navy,
airwaves. is known to have submarines outside
Additionally, the article said, the Soviet harbors listening to what the
U.S. subs were able to observe Russians say."
closely test firings of missiles from Mr. Casey, in his statement, said
Soviet submarines. They were able he was referring Mr. Polk's report of
to intercept not only communica- Monday to the Justice Department
tions from the rockets after launch, for possible prosecution, but did not
but computations and orders mention the NBC report of Nov 27.
transmitted among Soviet vessels Justice Department spokesman
beforehand. The U.S. subs also com- John Russell said the department
piled detailed" signatures" of Soviet had no immediate comment on the,
case.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/03: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100120051-2