LETTER TO GEORGE P. SHULTZ FROM DAVID L. BOREN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP92M00732R000300010012-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 3, 2014
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: December 20, 1988
• Content Type: LETTER

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2014/04/03: CIA-RDP92M00732R000300010012-1
DAVID L. BOREN. OKLAHOMA. CHAIRMAN
WILLIAM S. COHEN. MAINE VICE CHAIRMAN
LLOYD BENTSEN. TEXAS
SAM NUNN. GEORGIA
ERNEST F. HOUDEGS. SOUTH CAROUNA
BILL BRADLEY. NEW JERSEY
ALAN CRANSTON. CAUFORNIA
DENNIS DECONCINI. ARIZONA
HOWARD M. METZENBAUM. OHIO
WILLIAM V. ROTH. JR.. DELAWARE
ORRIN HATCH. UTAH
FRANK MURKOWSKI. ALASKA
ARLEN SPECTER. PENNSYLVANIA
CHIC HECHT. NEVADA
JOHN WARNER. VIRGINIA
ROBERT C. BYRD. WEST VIRGINIA. EX OFFICIO
ROBERT OOLE KANSAS. EX OFFICIO
GEORGE J. TENET. STAFF DIRECTOR
JAMES H. DYKSTRA. MINORITY STAFF DIRECTOR
KATHLEEN P. MEGHEE, CHIEF CLERK
anittdf$tats ,5enatt
The Honorable George P. Shultz
Secretary of State
Department of State
2201 C Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20520
Dear Secretary Shultz:
SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELUGENCE
WASHINGTON. DC 205104175
December 20, 1988
88-4219
As you know, the Senate Intelligence Committee
recommended in April 1987 that the new Moscow embassy building
(NOB) should be demolished and a secure facility constructed.
President Reagan reached the same conclusion in October 1988.
To review the situation, Committee staff has been
consulting with State Department and intelligence community
experts and made a visit to Moscow earlier this month to
assess the prospects for construction of a secure NOB at the
existing location or elsewhere. Indeed, we appreciate the
cooperation our staff has received from policy coordinator Joe
Hulings and other Department officials. A full report will be
submitted to the Department in the near future for comment;
however, we believe certain issues deserve your immediate
attention.
The principal finding is that a secure NOB can and should
be rebuilt, but that extraordinary fiscal and administrative
measures must be taken to achieve this objective. The State
Department has put in place the initial elements of a secure
construction system at the working level, but has not formed
an organization to develop and implement a coherent plan which
provides timely and authoritative decisionmaking at a senior
level. Symptomatic of this weakness in the current system is
the absence of final decisions on key aspects of the
renovation of the existing Moscow office building (EOB).
In 1987, the Committee recommended structural and
security modifications in the EOB to allow long-term occupancy
pending NOB reconstruction. Congress provided funds for this
purpose in FY 88-89. As of Decmh-l: I?R8, however, plans for
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2014/04/03: CIA-RDP92M00732R000300010012-1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2014/04/03: CIA-RDP92M00732R000300010012-1
The Honorable George P. Shultz
December 20, 1988
Page Two
the EOB renovation remain incomplete. Even at this date,
decisions have not been made on such issues as certain
security features of the EOB, the secure transportation and
storage of building materials to be used ih renovation, the
housing of construction workers, and the feasibility of
simultaneous large-scale EOB renovation and NOB dismantlement.
Disputes among State Department elements have not been
resolved, and the decision process appears to foster conflict
among parochial viewpoints rather than development of a
comprehensive and balanced strategy. Indeed, we are concerned
that such decisions may take the form of compromises between
competing bureaucratic elements, rather than reflecting a
comprehensive strategy for carrying out this task in a secure
and effective manner. The transition between Administrations
seems likely to increase the risk of such compromises being
made while the new political leadership takes charge.
The EOB renovation is nearing a critical stage. The
decisions made by State will affect the security and functions
of the Moscow embassy well into the 1990s, before a new
building can be completed. Therefore, we urge you to take
action before you leave office to make absolutely certain that
those crucial decisions are made in a timely manner and at a
sufficiently senior level to ensure accountability and serve
the national interest, pending creation of a strong Moscow
project organization.
Wi iam S. Cohen
V e Chairman
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