[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 81 (Tuesday, May 16, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1047]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                          ALDRICH AMES SPY CASE

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                           HON. LARRY COMBEST

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 16, 1995
  Mr. COMBEST. Mr. Speaker, on November 30, 1994, the Permanent Select 
Committee on Intelligence issued its report on the Aldrich Ames 
espionage case. Among the findings of that report was the fact that 
``the CIA failed to keep the oversight committees fully and currently 
informed'' about the case ``despite several instances of pointed 
questioning by Committee members. The lack of notification extended to 
the end: Neither the CIA nor the FBI advised the oversight committees 
of the investigation until shortly before Ames' arrest.''
  This chilling finding left unanswered the question as to why the 
oversight committees had not been kept informed, as the law requires: 
Was it a witting coverup or inadvertent? Although neither answer would 
be comforting, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence deemed it 
necessary to close out this unanswered question with regard to the Ames 
case.
  Despite the heavy press of business the committee's staff and Members 
made this a priority at the outset of this Congress. After extensive 
work by the staff and a review by the committee, the committee voted 
unanimously on May 11, 1995, to release the following statement:
          Congressional Oversight of the Aldrich Ames Spy Case

       On February 21, 1994, Aldrich Ames was arrested and charged 
     with violating U.S. espionage laws and spying for the former 
     Government of the Soviet Union and the Government of Russia. 
     Since that date, the Committee has conducted an aggressive 
     inquiry to determine what went wrong in the Ames case and how 
     to fix it. In November 1994, we issued an exhaustive report 
     that had specific recommendations for remedial action. The 
     Intelligence Community and the FBI have taken significant 
     steps to address problems we highlighted in our report. The 
     remedial actions have had a positive effect on 
     counterintelligence issues.
       One issue, in particular, surfaced during our inquiry that 
     necessitated additional follow-up: that is, whether the CIA 
     violated Section 502 of the National Security Act of 1947 and 
     whether that violation was intentional. Section 502 requires 
     that the Congress be informed of ``all intelligence 
     activities . . . including . . . any significant intelligence 
     failure.'' At a full committee hearing on February 7, 1995, 
     and in correspondence with this committee, Acting Director of 
     Central Intelligence Admiral Studeman has stated that the CIA 
     failed to meet this statutory obligation.
       The CIA's admission of its violation of Section 502 led us 
     to the next question, whether this failure was intentional. 
     The Committee has interviewed a wide range of current and 
     former CIA officials involved in the Ames case. We also 
     reviewed the voluminous reporting that we have received on 
     the Ames case. This examination produced no evidence that any 
     former Director of Central Intelligence, Deputy Director of 
     Central Intelligence, or Deputy Director for Operations made 
     a decision to withhold information about the loss of Soviet 
     assets in 1985 and 1986 and the resulting investigation from 
     this Committee.
       At lower levels of the CIA, where the counterintelligence 
     investigation was being conducted, it appears that no one 
     ever thought to bring this matter to the Committee's 
     attention. Five Members of this Committee asked precisely the 
     right questions about espionage problems at CIA during the 
     CIA's own investigation: former Chairman Anthony Beilenson; 
     two ranking Members, Representatives Henry Hyde and Bud 
     Shuster; and two Committee members, Representative Dick 
     Cheney and Larry Combest. At a minimum, what is clear is 
     that, at certain levels, CIA officials did not understand the 
     requirements of the law. The CIA is taking steps to ensure 
     that all employees are aware of Section 502. Moreover, it is 
     important to note that it is not the responsibility of the 
     Committee ``to ask the right questions.'' The onus lies with 
     the Intelligence Community to be forthcoming vis-a-vis its 
     oversight responsibilities.
       The Committee is taking the following additional actions:
       We have prepared a letter for the new DCI, John Deutch, 
     drawing his attention to Section 502 and the transcript of 
     the February 7, 1995 hearing. We are confident that the new 
     DCI will be vigilant in ensuring that the mandates of Section 
     502 are followed. Notification is not merely a matter of law, 
     but is also a matter of common sense. Senior CIA officials 
     must bring matters to the attention of the Congress when 
     there is any ``significant intelligence failure.'' This 
     raises the corollary issue of ensuring that all officers of 
     the CIA understand that they will be held accountable for the 
     management of their operations, as Admiral Studeman has 
     already informed personnel of the CIA. The new DCI has also 
     pledged to make accountability a focus of his management 
     policies.
       The Committee has a continuing interest in the Ames case. A 
     full briefing on the results of the Intelligence Community's 
     damage assessment will be received later this year. Following 
     that briefing, the Committee will determine if there is 
     additional legislative or other remedial action that is 
     required.
       The Committee will also continue to monitor the 
     counterintelligence reforms that have been put in place by 
     the CIA, the Intelligence Community and the FBI to ensure 
     that there is no backsliding on this matter.
     

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