NSA CHIEF TAKES AIM AT LEAKERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00561R000100140022-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 8, 2012
• Sequence Number: 22
• Publication Date: September 3, 1987
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100140022-2
BALTIMORE SUN
3 September 1987
NSA chief
takes aim
at leakers
`Deadly losses'
cited in urging
prosecutions
By Vernon A. Guidry Jr.
Washington Bureau of The Sun
WASHINGTON - The general
who runs America's global electron.
ic-spying apparatus said yesterday
that he wants administration leak-
ers and the news organizations they
deal with to be prosecuted in federal
court when they reveal secrets about
this "signals intelligence."
Lt. Gen. William Odom. director
of the National Security Agency, said
the agency's ability to gather infor-
mation had been seriously harmed
by unauthorized disclosures, but he
supplied few details.
"You'll just have to take my word
for it." General Odom said during a
breakfast session with reporters.
"I see lots of leaking in the admin-
istration.... Occasionally I see some
leaks from the Congress." he said.
"I'm not necessarily for the news-
papers to be the first under the gun.
The first people who ought to be un-
der the gun on this are the leakers
Inside the administration. That's
where we should start," he said.
The general cited a law that spe-
cifically makes it a crime to reveal
communications secrets. He said he
has unsuccessfully urged the Justice
Department to bring prosecutions
under that law.
The late William J. Casey, as di-
rector of the CIA, specifically warned
some news organization that he
would seek prosecution, but no
cases materialized.
Justice Department lawyers have
said publicly that they could bring
such cases and make them stick,
but privately they say they have not
wanted to pick a public fight with
the press.
The NSA, headquartered at Fort
Meade, uses a worldwide network of
devices to eavesdrop on electronic
communications of all sorts.
In one of the few specific cases
cited by the general, he said his
agency suffered "deadly losses" in its
ability to gather intelligence relating
to Libya. but he did not elaborate. It
was not clear whether he was refer-
ring to the Reagan administration's
intentional disclosure of an intercep-
tion of a Libyan diplomatic message
concerning the bombing of a West
German nightclub.
The disclosure was made to sup-
port the aerial bombardment of Lib-
Yan targets last year by U.S. war-
planes in retaliation for the night-
club bombing.
The NSA director directed his an-
ger in particular at a 1982 book on
the agency entitled "The puzzle pal-
ace," written by James Bamford.
The book. General Odom said. was
"on the ready reference shelves" of
foreign Intelligence agencies that
sometimes used it as a guide for their
own spying efforts against the agen-
cy.
He asked reporters to refrain
from identifying the source of infor-
mation when it comes from signals
Intelligence and suggesW elements of the ongoing that
de-
bate about arms control should not
be discussed in public at all.
The United States and the Soviet
Union are moving toward an agree-
ment on eliminating intermediate-
range nuclear weapons from their
arsenals. A key element of that
agreement will concern verification
of its terms.
Some U.S. officials have ex-
pressed concern that the Soviets will
be able to cheat without being
caught. General Odom suggested
yesterday that discussion of the veri-
fication of any such agreement be
largely limited to such bodies as the
congressional intelligence commit-
tees.
"The more enlightened the verifl-
cation debate is, the weaker my ca-
pability to verify will be," he said.
without offering specifics. "A pru-
dent debate can be held ... - that's
why we have intelligence commit-
tees - ... to make those kind of
Judgments for you."
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/08: CIA-RDP91-00561 R000100140022-2