TELEPHONE LINE IRRADIATED STOESSEL'S MOSCOW OFFICE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88B01125R000300120060-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 10, 2012
• Sequence Number: 60
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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Office
Aswei+ted Preu
An outside telephone line
has carried' radiation di-
rectly into the office of
Ambassador Walter J.
Stoessel Jr. at the U.S.
Embassy in Moscow, a
State Department source
says.
The radiation conducted
along Stoessel's own phone
wire was discovered sever-
al weeks ago, the source
said, during a new round of
technical tests to investi-
gate microwaves apparent-
ly being beamed z;t the
Moscow embassy by the
Soviets.
The now tests, run by CIA
electronic specialists.
showed radiation levels
considerably higher than in
earlier tests by the State
Department's bureau of se-
curity, the source said.
The source said tha CIA
team also detected radia-
tion being carried into
Stoessel's office along wires
.connected to an overhead
light.
minimize radiation from
both the telephone line and
overhead light wires. the
source said.
The reason behind the
Soviet microwaves remains
unclear. Most speculation
has focused upon possible
use of the beams to counter
U.S. electronic snooping or
for other Soviet intelligence
purposes.
The CIA is reported to be
enlisting a "top-notch ex-
pert" on radiation medicine
to conduct an on-the-spot
examination of possible
health effects linked to the
microwaves in Moscow.
THE CIA-HIRED spe-
cialist will be charged with
independently re-running,
re-evaluating and supple-
menting medical checks al-
ready performed on
embassy employes by State
Department physicians.
CIA personnel operate
much of the embassy's
highly sophisticated com-
munications equipment,
housed in upper floors of
the 10-story structure.
SINCE EARLY Febru-
ary, aluminum screening
has been installed on the
embassy's windows to help
block cut radiation.
However, even after the
screening wes installed, the
CIA found that Stoessel's
outside telephone wire was
"bringing the radiation
right into his office on that
line because of the exposure
-- the way the line is hcok-
cd up," according to the
State Department source.
In recent weeks, steps
have been taken to try to..
Those same floors -- which
also contain the offices for
Stoessel and other top U.S.
diplomats - have been the
main target of the
searchiight-l~e microwave
beams.
The State Department
source said Stoessel was
"beside himself" after
being informed of the new
radiation tests and express-'
ed his concern in classified
cables to Deputy Undersec-
retary of State Lawrence K.
Eagleburger.
'State Department
spokesman Robert Funseth,
asked about the situation,
said it was "untrue that
Soviet microwave trans-
missions are considerably
higher than in earlier
tests."
"Conditions at the
embassy are substantially
improved." he said. Fun-
seth declined to elaborate
despite persistent question-
ing by newsmen. The
spokesman also denied that
there has been any separate
testing of . the radiation
problem by the CIA.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/05/10: CIA-RDP88B01125R000300120060-5
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/05/10: CIA-RDP88B01125R000300120060-5