From: BOBWORN@aol.com
Subject: SNET: Arms scandal fears as top CIA man quits
Date: 18 Feb 2000 22:41:22 -0500
To: BOBWORN@aol.com


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London Telegraph
Sunday 26 October 1997 Ivo Dawnay

Not to be used for commercial purposes

Arms scandal fears as top CIA man quits
By Ivo Dawnay in Washington
THE mysterious resignation of a top CIA official has provoked charges
that
the United States Government is hushing up politically embarrassing
disclosures of nuclear skullduggery by China and Russia.

By the time China's President Jiang Zemin arrives in Honolulu today for
an
eight-day state visit, Gordon Oehler will have cleared his desk at the
Non-Proliferation Centre at the CIA's headquarters in Langley, Virginia.

Yet just a week ago, Mr Oehler, who was responsible for co-ordinating
all
American intelligence gathering on nuclear arms sales, was assuring
Congressman Curt Weldon, the chairman of the House National Security
Committee, that he had no intention of quitting. Less than 24 hours
later,
he had gone, claiming that he had been driven to resignation by plans to

cut the budget and responsibilities of his department and by endless
interdepartmental battles over what information should be passed on to
the
public and Congress.

The departure of Mr Oehler, a 25-year career CIA officer, may have
little
to do with President Jiang's visit directly. But it will certainly be
welcomed by military chiefs in Beijing and by China's burgeoning arms
export industry.

Also delighted will be America's arms manufacturers and civil
engineering
giants such as Westinghouse and Bechtel. They all hope that President
Jiang's visit will warm Sino-American relations enough to allow
President
Clinton to authorise the sales of weapons and US nuclear technology.

A 1985 US-China nuclear co-operation agreement has been blocked by
Congress, suspicious that Beijing's assurances on non-proliferation have

lacked credibility. In the past few months, the Chinese have made
conciliatory gestures, introducing new export controls and joining the
international Zangger safeguards committee.

However, evidence supplied to Congress by Mr Oehler provided plenty of
evidence that China has not honoured the spirit of the agreement. In
secret
testimony, he told how China provided Pakistan with sophisticated
missile
technology. More damaging were his disclosures about Iran's arms
build-up -
a programme aided by Russia and North Korea, the latter acting through
Chinese intermediaries.

Earlier this year, Congress was horrified to hear that, within 12
months,
Teheran will deploy a missile system that is capable of delivering
chemical, biological or even nuclear payloads more than 1,200 miles. At
that range it could hit US troops in Bosnia, while a new 2,000-mile
model
could reach Britain.

Congress is so concerned about the Iran arms build-up that it is
preparing
legislation for $400 million (£250 million) to speed the development of
countervailing missile technology.

It emerged yesterday that the State Department has sent a senior
official,
Susan Shirk, to China to discuss human rights issues. Critics branded
the
move "window dressing" aimed to defuse public criticism after efforts to

free political prisoners were ignored by Beijing.

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