European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 10, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 columns Jim Fain the stars and stripes thursday september 10,1987 Reagan administration prime source of leaks the head of our largest intelligence service says news leaks Are endangering . Security. It. Gen. William Odom who commands the National Security Agency cited just deadly losses in our ability to gather intelligence on Libya As an example. Odom admits most leaks come from the administration but says he s stuck with the consequences no matter what the origin. His solution the familiar one of hanging the messenger lie wants to prosecute news outfits that publish leaks. In the libyan Case he prime leak spigot is a More Apt word was president Reagan. To justify bombing Qadhafi Reagan disclosed that we had intercepted Mes sages Between Libya and its diplomatic posts showing Qadhafi had ordered the april 5, 1986. Bombing of a West Berlin discotheque. Libya immediately reworked its cryptographic system. From what Odom . Rosenthal says we Haven t cracked the new code. Asked at the Lime Why re Jan blabbed then while House press Secre tary Larry up cakes said ii was a judgment we made to declassify hat in did intelligence agencies protest Well i think those Type of discussions were held. But he final determination was that in was in the National interest to provide the information to the Public he said. Presumably Odom would jail whoever broadcast or published the president s statement. Not thai there weren t other leaders. The first was Richard Burt Reagan s ambassador to West Germany. Two Days after the disco bombing he went on abcs today show to announce there Are very Clear indications thai there was libyan involve Reagan was studying the question of military action even As he spoke. Bun added. During the next few Days the administration flooded the Media with similar leads most of which were cited by sen. Daniel Nouye a Hawaii during the inn con Ira hearings after Ollie North made his absurd charge that leaks from senators had Cost the lives of the two . Airmen killed in the attack. Nothing new about any of this though he Reagan people have leaked More frequently and with More political Impact than any recent administration. In 1982, icy released reconnaissance photos As proof that Nicaragua with cuban and soviet support was helping the guerrillas in Al Salvador in 983, they gave out transcripts of intercepts Between a soviet fighter Pilot and his command controllers during the shooting Down of the korean Airliner in which 269 people died. Doom s Asa is primarily in the business of signal intercepts. He must have suffered Over thai one. The executive Branch has the right to declassify secrets of course. In also has the right to classify. Unfortunately it sometimes abuses both rights for Politi Cal convenience. One reason Security is Tan is that administrations traditionally use their secret Stamps to hide matters that Are politically embarrassing but of no consequence to National Security. News organizations have a duly o Fer ret out As much of such self serving non sense As we can. We ought not publish valid Security secrets but the line is hard 1q draw from the outside. Thai s the executive s Job. The worst abuse is when an administration seeks to Feather its nest by leaking distorted information a la Reagan s spin doctors when we sucker for them and mislead the Public that s the Lime to throw us in the Slammer and loss away the key. Cuomo should Start saying unpleasant things Mario Cuomo certainly can make a Beautiful speech. He did again the other Day talking about soviet american relations a speech full of Hope and a motions about the future soaring above double and detail. The governor of new Vork can make an even belter speech in private about what he really had in mind when he spoke in Public. Ambiguities Are cleared up. Problems answered or Al least acknowledged deep moral differences stated instead of leaped Over the lean prose of reality confronted replacing the plump poetry of the dream rated. Before a Large soviet american discussion group in Chautauqua n.y., the governor called for a new realism Between the two countries. He spoke of the stupidity of spending trillions while millions around the world live in desperation acknowledged certain differences in attitude Between the two societies and said the time was at hand for an end to the cold War the great Powers had endured for so Long. Americans and russians Rose applause swept the Hall. There was almost nothing in the speech Wilh which a russian or american could disagree thai is the trouble. The time May indeed be Al hand for a Fine first step in arms reduction thanks to three things a Long standing american proposal for eliminating medium Range missiles Gorbachev s recognition of soviet internal problems and his creative under standing of the opportunities offered his country through International diplomacy and president Reagan s readiness to bring the initial american proposal into reality Al last. But if this is to be inc beginning and not the end in will be of no help to avoid the difficulties in the Way or wave aside the ethical barriers Between the countries As a Mailer of taste. It is interesting thai when Reagan spoke to the same audience made an important move toward removing the inspection problem standing in the Way of a medium Range missile agreement and brought up such topics As Afghanistan and soviet military secrecy the soviet spokesmen who had so praised the governor immediately gave the presi Dent the Back of their hand hard. Soviet diplomats do not much care for an Ameri can version of glasnost that involves mailers mos cow does not yet wish to discuss. But in is a Good guess that they would remember Cuomo i speech longer if it had contained one or two things they could nol have applauded. Cuomo is not a Butterball. When he spoke on the phone about his speech he said he understood the Money saved on arms reduction could not be transferred automatically to helping the poor and that he had not said so. Right he just kind of left that impression. And Cuomo after the speech said that Many things would have to be faced before More important arms reduction Steps could be taken Afghani Stan human rights emigration from the soviet Union Angola. He just did not mention them in hit speech. When he spoke at Chautauqua he said thai what russians might regard As a Well ordered society we might consider an oppressive one Are the Kab and a police state conceivably merely a Welt ordered society he seemed to be saying what will you have i la take and in the speech the cold War seemed 10 be something that jus happened somehow. The occupation of Poland the Baltic countries Czechoslovakia Hungary Bulgaria and Romania were never mentioned. They were wrapped in the cold War unpleasantness and in was the iwo mightiest nations that had to endure in nol the victims. The governor says he did not Deal with them be cause he Only had 13 minutes was addressing soviet guests and was looking to build Bridges nol pick fights. Speaking plainly about things the russians know of be True is not picking unnecessary fights but Deal ing Wilh them As equals not As children to be called on the head it is impossible logo on to the new realism without examining the full truth about the old. Cuomo May never run for president. He May. Either Way he is an attractive and important figure in the democratic Pany and therefore will influence debate and Agenda in the United slates. So his visa to Moscow next month will be important. If Gorbachev is smart enough to meet Mario Cuomo perhaps the governor will be smart enough not to worry Loo much about Gorbachev s feelings. And when he returns. 1 Haw Cuomo Aski for More than 13 minutes. Then he can talk about soviet american reality new old and current. And he can give us All the full unabridged unannotated Public and private minds of Mario Cuomo. M to com m or Tryr i in Jig it Tittl in Sven u
