U.S. knew embassy was being bugged

Press, 24 April 1987, Page 11

U.S. knew embassy was being bugged

NZPA ■' Washington United States officials admitted to outraged congressmen yesterday that they knew the new United States Embassy in Moscow was being bugged years before the present sex and spy scandal involving Marine guards and female Soviet agents. At a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee inquiry into spying at both the old Moscow embassy and a new complex being built, the Assistant Secretary of State, ‘Robert Lamb, said the United States was aware of bugging going on as far back as 1979.

Mr Lamb, accompanied by other officials, contended that the United States had a strategy for finding eavesdropping devices, but conceded that the strategy tell short because the Soviets have used the structure of the new complex as a huge listening device. “The supervisory people knew the embassy was being bugged,” Mr Lamb said. “In fact the construction people contributed information to us about the bugs that were coming in ...” In reply to angry statements from members of Congress, Mr Lamb also acknowledged that the American supervisors of Soviet labourers at the building had not had security clearances “until the end of last year.” “I think the State Department acted with gross negligence, gross ineptitude, gross stupidity; you are playing with people’s lives. These admissions are disgraceful,” said Representative Lawrence Smith, a Democrat.