Also last week, the Navy disclosed it had charged a petty officer with espionage for allegedly providing Russia with highly classified information about U.S. eavesdropping. Among the divisive diplomatic and security issues between the two nations is the Clinton administration's proposal to amend the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty to permit development of a U.S. missile defense system. The United States says it needs the system to protect against potential nuclear threats from Iraq and North Korea, but Russian military officials believe the real target is Russia. As for Gusev, after his initial sighting, the FBI and State Department security agents discovered that he would turn up outside the department on roughly a weekly basis, leading to suspicions that he was receiving transmissions from a device planted inside the building, using equipment installed in his car. Finding such a device was no small task, considering that the building, located a short distance from the Lincoln Memorial, is eight stories high and covers two square blocks.
Thousands work there.
Dave Carpenter, the department's top diplomatic security official, said the device was not planted in the offices of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright or any other senior official. He declined to say where it was found, but other sources said the location was one of the department's many conference rooms. After the device was found, word was passed to department officials not to discuss sensitive information in the room. The device was left in place so that the FBI and the department's security personnel could firmly establish a Russian link Officials offered no hint as to what information may have been transmitted to Gusev's car before the discovery. Gallagher said there was no suggestion the Russian timed his arrivals to coincide with important meetings.