Ukraine sold ballistic missiles to Libya 1997
May 15, 1997 12:04 PM
Drudge: Who Leaked Nuke Ship Info?
https://www.wired.com/1997/05/drudge-who-leaked-nuke-ship-info/
Columnist Matt Drudge on the leaky Defense Department, Ted Turner stocks, and the Bee Gees.
Who's leaking Russian nuke stories?
A Russian cargo ship spying on a US nuclear submarine in waters off Seattle, Washington, last month fired a Star Wars-like laser beam at a Canadian helicopter, injuring its pilot and a US Navy officer, and prompting a US diplomatic protest and military probe. A classified CIA study finds that recent malfunctions of equipment controlling Russia's nuclear arsenal have switched missiles to "combat mode" on several occasions, increasing the risk of mistaken attack on the United States.
Welcome to the world of reporter Bill Gertz.
One of the biggest intrigues going in Washington (besides what's in Kenneth Starr's briefcase) has to be: Who exactly is leaking to Washington Times Defense Department correspondent Bill Gertz? And what will he pull out of his laptop next?
Gertz, with his super-secret CIA and Pentagon documents and gossip, is the talk of the city and the envy of every other reporter in town. The man has single-handedly turned top US spooks into confused fools by leaking their secrets. Gertz has also turned the Washington Post into the second read.
Gertz's access to highly classified Pentagon documents is completely unnerving the White House. Reportedly, the Justice Department recently considered the idea of prosecuting Gertz for unlawful possession of classified material. (Typical Clinton reflex.)
In the past few weeks alone, Gertz has had stories about Ukraine's sale of ballistic missiles to Libya and Russia's sale of missiles to Iran. There was also the Gertz gossip about Russia continuing to build bunkers in case of nuclear attack. The reports fly in the face of administration hyperbole about Russian-American nuclear trust. The leaks by Gertz have been completely damaging to a White House that now considers them to be ideologically motivated. Even more troubling, the depth and regularity of Gertz's reporting and access looks to be intensifying. It's as if someone, somewhere, is trying to settle a score - and is using Gertz to do it.
But for those who feel the government is keeping too many secrets from the taxpaying public, Gertz has become an underground hero.
Wednesday's Russian laser story was a blockbuster. At the time of the incident, as Gertz reports it, quoting from a classified Pentagon report of course, the Russian ship was sailing in US waters north of Washington's Puget Sound, at the same time the USS Ohio, a nuclear missile submarine, was heading out. On that night, 4 April, a military helicopter was dispatched to provide routine surveillance of the ship, including photographs. At some point, the Russian ship apparently fired a red laser beam at the helicopter, causing temporary eye damage to the pilot and a US Navy officer on board. The Russian ship's crew denied having any lasers aboard, but photographs taken by the injured officer showed a beam of red light being fired from the bridge of the ship - a total of 30 photo frames were taken, with frame number 16 showing definitive evidence of an emanation, says Gertz.
Footnote: While there are some timeline problems, it is now suspected that the Russian laser episode may have resulted in last month's unprecedented NORAD alert in Colorado. Located in the Cheyenne Mountain, the manmade cavern - nerve center for US and Canadian air defenses - spent days on high security because of an unspecified security threat. The complex tracks missile launches around the globe, identifies and monitors manmade objects in space, and collects intelligence information from military satellites. A Pentagon official refused to comment Wednesday.