Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 24, 1990 TAG: 9005240658
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A/10 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
The experts' appeal for 13 new laws was warmly received by the Senate Intelligence Committee, whose chairman, David Boren, D-Okla., and vice chairman, William Cohen, R-Maine, set them to work nine months ago.
Nevertheless, as the experts presented their report Wednesday, Democratic and Republican senators indicated they might revise the proposals to introduce additional protections for civil liberties.
Many of the proposals would allow government investigators to intrude much more deeply into the personal finances of the 700,000 government and weapons industry employees who hold top secret clearances.
To get those jobs, they would have to agree to allow investigators to examine their bank and commercial credit records anytime up to five years after they leave the secret work.
They would be required to report any foreign travel and any contacts with citizens of foreign countries.
The 25,000 to 30,000 employees who work with codes and code machines would be subject to random polygraph tests. But the questions would be limited to whether they spied or sold secrets and would not cover - as Sen. Boren put it - "how many cocktails they drank or X-rated movies they saw."
Sen. Cohen asked whether the lawmakers ought to write in assurances that a polygraph test alone could not result in firing. The informal chairman of the experts, Eli Jacobs, a venture capitalist and government defense policy adviser, assured him the experts agreed that the polygraph "should not be the sole indicator of suitability."
Sen. Howard Metzenbaum, D-Ohio, asked how many investigators would have access to travel records and whether they could be prevented from misusing information about a trip for an abortion or for an extramarital affair.
Columbia University law professor Harold Edgar told him only 1,000 investigators would see such information. Retired Navy Adm. Bobby Ray Inman, a former deputy CIA director, said Congress could require that information unrelated to spying be destroyed.
The experts also recommended making it a crime to possess spy tools, like secret writing devices, with intent to commit espionage.
Inman presented an analysis of 19 well-known cases in the last 20 years. Money was a motive in 14.
Sen. Boren praised the experts for pointing out "a blind spot" in U.S. defenses. Once workers obtain security clearances, "we know less about them financially than if they're applying for an auto loan," Boren said.
by CNB