From: baldwin@csservera.scs.usna.navy.mil (J.D. Baldwin)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc,alt.politics.clinton
Subject: Re: Kremlin_Gate: Bill Clinton in Moscow during Viet Nam.
Date: 9 Oct 92 14:24:41 GMT
Followup-To: talk.politics.misc
Organization: Comp. Sci. Dep't., U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD
In-reply-to: demon@desire.wright.edu's message of 08 Oct 92 15:53:50 -0400

demon@desire.wright.edu (Stupendous Man) writes:
>In article <1992Oct7.212635.29350@seq.uncwil.edu>,
>   session@seq.uncwil.edu (Zack C. Sessions) writes:
>> demon@desire.wright.edu (Stupendous Man) writes:
>> 
>>>	Actually, it is a likely scenario for a potential spy.  If
>>>Clinton, as John Doe, applies for a security clearance with such a
>>>background it would be denied.
>> 
>> Oh really? I think not.
>
>	From our quartely security briefing:
>
>	"All contacts with residents of [list of countries, including all
>former communist], or persons travelling to said countries should be reported
>to the [security office] for possible followup.  History has shown that most
>spies come into contact with resident/agents of said countries while never
>actually spending a large amount of time there."

All absolutely true.

>	Such contacts will also result in your security application
>being denied.  In fact, the government routinely denied clearances to
>refugees from those countries (until it was ruled to be illegal).

Not implied by what you quoted and absolutely false, besides.  I have
had a variety of clearances ranging from SECRET to TOP SECRET/SPECIAL
COMPART- MENTED INFORMATION and including CNWDI (Critical Nuclear
Weapons Design Information, popularly known as "Q" clearance).  I have
had occasion to collect and handle some very sensitive information.

All this in spite of my trip (on my own) to China (just before
Tienanmien Square) and having had Thanksgiving dinner with a KGB agent
(long story).  All I had to do was debrief these trips with an
intelligence officer and I was covered.

Never mind that, though.  A close friend of mine, though a U.S.
citizen, was a refugee from Viet Nam (got out during the fall of
Saigon) and still has a number of relatives in that country.  I'm sure
his background investigations have been quite interesting, but it
hasn't prevented him from getting cleared.

>	My father, when he was working with the government on various black
>programs was simply not allowed to travel to Eastern Europe (much less USSR)
>because of the nature of his work.  If he had gone, he would have lost his
>clearance.  Even though our family root trace back to Hungary, Poland, and
>parts of former E. Germany.  We simply couldn't go.

It's true that there have been certain categories of EXTREMELY
sensitive information whose holders' travel was restricted ("black"
technology and some crypto stuff spring to mind).  That still doesn't
justify a statement like "a trip to Moscow will prevent you from
getting a security clearance."  That's just nonsense.

>	Remember, this is military intelligence we're talking about.

Well, at least you get credit for refraining from that tired old
"oxymoron" joke.
--
 From the catapult of:              |+| "If anyone disagrees with anything I
   _,_  J. D. Baldwin, Comp Sci Dept|+| say, I am quite prepared not only to
 _|70|___:::)=}-  U.S. Naval Academy|+| retract it, but also to deny under
 \      /   baldwin@usna.navy.mil   |+| oath that I ever said it." --T. Lehrer
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