DEFECTOR WAS TOP OFFICIAL IN INTERNATIONAL AGENCY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000504160020-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 9, 2012
• Sequence Number: 20
• Publication Date: July 23, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/09: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504160020-7
ARTME APPEARED
ON r
WASHINGTON TIMES L
23 July 1985
Defector was top offici ?
al in
international
agency
By William Matthews
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
An East German nuclear scientist who
defected to West Germany last week was
"a top echelon" official for the Interna-
tional Atomic Energy Agency, an official
of the agency said yesterday in New
York.
Peter Adler, 42, was a section head in
the agency's technical assistance pro-
gram and had been an East German
representative in the IAEA since early
1979, said Marlene O'Dell, an IAEA liai-
son officer stationed at the United
Nations. A U.S. government agency that
is keeping tabs on the defection
described him 'as "a senior science
adviser."
The West German government con-
firme r.AdIer s detection yesterday.
A West German newspaper, Die Welt,
reported that Mr. Adler and his wife and
11-year-old son traveled from Vienna,
Austria, where the International Atomic
Energy Agency is headquartered, to
West Germany to seek political asylum.
The newspaper called Mr. Adler a
leading East German nuclear scientist.
Die Bilt newspaper reported that Mr.
Adler defected to the West for political
reasons and to keep East German
authorities from forcing his son to leave
an Austrian school and attend school in
East Germany. Mr. Adler's wife report-
edly was a secretary at the East German
embassy in Vienna.
In Vienna, a spokesman at IAEA told
Deutsche Presse-Agentur that Mr. Adler
had "an important but not political post"
as an administrator heading an advisory
body for acquiring equipment in the
agency's main department for technical
aid. The spokesman said Mr. Adler was
regarded as a conscientious administra-
tor with wide specialist knowledge.
The IAEA's main job is to monitor
nuclear power plants, research reactors
and other civilian nuclear installations to
assure that they aren't being used to pro-
duce nuclear weapons.
According to the IAEA spokesman,
Mr. Adler's activities had nothing to do
with the agency's role in supervising the
peaceful use of atomic energy.
Officials at the State Department said
they were aware of Mr. Adler's defection
but declined to comment on its signifi-
cance.
Miss O'Dell described Mr. Adler as a
member of "the very top echelon" of
IAEA employees. She said his job
involved helping developing countries
prepare to use nuclear technology in
power plants, medicine, agriculture and
industry. The agency provides technical
experts, training and equipment for
developing countries that want to make
peaceful use of nuclear energy.
There are 112 member countries in
the IAEA, and representatives from each
country work for the agency. East Ger-
many had five representatives there,
Miss O'Dell said.
Records at the United Nations show
East Germany has five nuclear reactors
for generating electricity, five others for
research and one unspecified "nuclear
facility," she said.
Miss O'Dell said news of Mr. Adler's
defection had not reached the IAEA
office at the United Nations by yesterday
afternoon. "We haven't heard a thing
about it, but we're not involved in person-
nel," she said.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/09: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504160020-7