SIGHTINGS


 
US Super Computers
For Russia And China
By Charles Smith <softwar@us.net>
www.worldnetdaily.com
4-17-99
 
 
 
Starting in 1994, Russian and Chinese military units began to purchase U.S. made super-computers for nuclear weapons research. It may shock America to find out that Bill Clinton allowed super-computers to be sold to Russia and China weapons research facilities. However, the exports to Russian and Chinese military labs came as no surprise to Clinton insiders.
 
In 1995, Tony Podesta, a powerful D.C. based lobbyist and brother of John Podesta - the White House advisor, had a consortium of top U.S. computer CEOs attend secret meetings inside the White House. The meetings were on computer hardware and software exports to China and Russia. The meetings occurred just before Clinton changed super-computer policy. Within weeks, the Russian and Chinese were buying computer power that now surpasses the U.S. Defense Dept.
 
In 1995, the Computer Systems Policy Project (CSPP) - according to documents from the Commerce Dept. - was represented by Tony Podesta, brother of White House official John Podesta. The CSPP is a group of computer companies, that in 1995 included Apple, AT&T, Compaq, Cray, Data General, Digital Equipment, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Silicon Graphics, Stratus Computer, Sun Microsystems, Tandem and Unisys.
 
Officials working for Apple, and Silicon Graphics are documented by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to be very large Clinton donors.
 
One 1995 secret meeting in the White House was attended by Podesta Associates employee, Ken Kay, the Director of the CSPP. The meeting with Tony Podesta's employee took place while John Podesta was also employed at the White House. John Podesta left the employ of the White House and went directly to work for his brother, Tony Podesta, in July 1995.
 
Former NSA (National Security Agency) Director Admiral McConnell stated that "John Podesta" was the Clinton advisor in charge of computer encryption policy. Various documents from the National Security Council (NSC) and the Commerce Dept. prove that John Podesta was charged with computer policy such as export restrictions. In fact, a December 1993 letter to Secretary Ron Brown from the United States Council for International Business was "cc'd" to John Podesta.
 
White House advisors are prohibited from working on matters in which they have a direct financial interest. This law also prohibits them from lobbying on matters they worked on while in government and prohibits them from lobbying for a period of one year after they have left service.
 
John Podesta and Tony Podesta were engaged in activities that may constitute conflict of interest under USC title 18, sections 203 through 208. John Podesta was employed at the White House and charged with the very same policy that his brother, Tony Podesta, was engaged in lobbying the Government.
 
In 1996, two of the Podesta companies, IBM and Silicon Graphics, sold super-computers directly to Russian nuclear weapons labs Arzamas-16 and Chelyabinsk-70 under so-called "commercial" contracts. IBM has since settled for a fine of $8 million on the $7.5 million dollar sale to Arzamas-16. Silicon Graphics, however, has not been charged.
 
The 1996 CSPP computer exports took place under the guise of "commercial" sales. Those exports took place during the period of time when the both companies were represented by Tony Podesta. In 1996, John Podesta was also working for his brother Tony as a lobbyist for Podesta Assocates. Thus, John certainly had a large paycheck tied to his brother's success for IBM and Silicon Graphics.
 
The 1996 sales to Russia were not the first exports to foreign military units during Tony Podesta's work for the CSPP. In 1994, CSPP member Tandem Corp. exported computers to China Great Wall Corp., a company owned by the Chinese Army, during a Ron Brown trade trip.
 
A Commerce Dept. 1994 Presidential trade trip document on James Treybig states "Tandem and China Great Wall Industry will announce in August their joint venture". Another document found in the files of former Commerce Secretary Ron Brown states that Treybig "negotiated a $100 million dollar joint venture for Tandem Computers while in China".
 
The Commerce Dept. does not have the authority to authorize export of super-computers to foreign military units such as Russian nuclear weapons labs and PLA owned Great Wall Industries. Transfers of any equipment for the development of nuclear weapons to military units constitutes a "defense service" as per the United States Munitions List (USML) and the International Trade in Arms Regulations ITAR 22 C.F.R. Part 120.9 and is strictly under the authority of the State Dept. and the Defense Dept.
 
Yet, the CSPP and Tony Podesta sought out the Commerce Dept. for access to the White House. According to a May 1995 CSPP document sent to Ron Brown, "controls on computer exports to Russia and China for commercial, civil end-users should be eliminated; controls on exports for actual military end-uses may be appropriate until there is greater certainty that neither country poses a threat to U.S. national security."
 
The Commerce Dept. is illegally withholding data on the CSPP in order to conceal possible criminal activity. According to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) the Commerce Dept. was required to make public disclosure if a government agency consults advisors who are not government employees. FACA was established to force Federal officials to hold formal policy meetings in public, instead of meeting with special interests, lobbyists and industry behind closed doors.
 
The Commerce Dept. was legally obliged to offer open access to the public, media and other qualified individuals the same access as the members of the CSPP - who are NOT members of the Federal Government. Instead, the Commerce Dept. engaged in a cover-up of the secret meetings with the CSPP and Podesta Associates employees at the White House. No notification was issued for the secret meetings, nor the classified materials offered to any other company.
 
Nor is John Podesta the only top Clinton official involved in potential criminal activity with super-computers and Ron Brown. According to documents provided by the Commerce Dept., White House official Robert Rubin and U.S. Trade Rep. Ambassador Celia Barshesky were both involved in policy meetings with the CSPP. A May 1994 "CONFIDENTIAL" letter to Ron Brown, partially withheld by the Commerce Dept., states the CSPP held a meeting with Brown, "Robert Rubin" and "Amb. Barshesky" where super-computer exports to China and Russia were discussed.
 
However, Rubin was soliciting campaign donations from CSPP members at the same time. In November 1994, DNC million dollar donor Sanford Robertson wrote a letter to President Clinton, thanking him for the August 1994 trade trip to China and he included a "P.S." about Robert Rubin.
 
Robertson wrote to Clinton the smoking gun of Chinagate, a letter directly implicating the President in trade trips in exchange for money. The Robertson letter states "PS - Bob Rubin came to our home on Thursday for a Dianne Feinstein dinner, which raised over $100,000 for her campaign. Bob, of course, turned out the financial community and Silicon Valley."
 
Nor is the scandal limited simply to Democrat administrations. According to a June 1995 memo from William Reinsch to Ron Brown, the secret CSPP meeting in the White House included Podesta Associate employee Ken Kay, and Charles Levy, a known DNC donor and a representative of the law firm Wilmer, Cutler and Pickering.
 
According to C. Boyden Gray of the law firm Wilmer, Cutler and Pickering (former legal council for President George Bush) the CSPP did not "engage" the Commerce Dept. on the issues covered in the June 1995 memo until November of 1995. Clearly, Mr. Gray was incorrect about the CSPP. In addition, according to Mr. Gray, CSPP Director/Podesta employee Ken Kay not only donated money to the DNC but he also obtained a "painting" of unknown value from the DNC in exchange for $1,250!
 
In 1996, the picture that Russian and Chinese Generals wanted to paint is a home-made nuclear bomb exploding over American cities. The fastest and cheapest way to do that is with a computer from a CSPP member. The proof is in the successful efforts of busy weapons makers in Moscow and Beijing.
 
CSPP computers sold to China helped People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) units design and build their first super-sonic nuclear bomber, the Hong-7. In Russia, Arzamas engineers announced in January 1999 that they had deployed a new 550 kiloton (KT) thermonuclear warhead on the SS-27 Topol-M strategic missile. The Arzamas engineers noted they had tested the new design using super-computers running nuclear bomb simulations.
 
A single Arzamas warhead detonated over New York City would kill over 3 million people instantly and leave a crater spanning Long Island. Russia has deployed about 60 of the planned 500 Topol-M strategic missiles with the Arzamas nuclear warhead. Right now Russia can smash sixty cities into sixty smoking, radioactive craters. Soon it will be 500 with the brave help of Bill Clinton and the CSPP computers.
 
The White House secret meetings with the CSPP are of the same magnitude as Hillary Clinton's secret meetings on health care, except the subject here is global thermonuclear war. Perhaps the American public might consider the "fall-out" from the political access of the CSPP before purchasing an Apple, IBM, or Compaq computer.
 
The Commerce Dept. serviced the original CSPP request by this reporter in October 1998 with a "final" response. However, Commerce left out all materials with any reference to "Podesta Associates". This reporter appealed the Commerce Dept.'s inadequate "final" response, and included examples of "missing" documents on Podesta Associates.
 
In March 1999, the Commerce Dept. discovered an additional "33" documents. The Commerce Dept.'s 1999 discovery included hundreds of new pages of materials not found during the "final" search done in 1998. Commerce also denied access to some of these newly discovered documents for a variety of FOIA exemptions.
 
It is time for the truth and time for answers. The Podesta brothers and Robert Rubin must provide the truth about export policy and cash for the DNC election machine. The companies of the CSPP must answer for their secret meetings and closed door access. Therefore, this reporter has been left with no choice but to file suit in Federal Court to force the Clinton administration to tell the truth and follow the law.
 
Russia recently threatened to re-target nuclear tipped missiles on America and Europe. The time for secrets and lies is over. The Chinese and Russians know what they begged, borrowed, bought or stole. It is time for the free world to know as well. Clinton must tell how and why he allowed China and Russia to buy U.S. super-computers for nuclear weapons which threaten every man, woman and child on Earth.





SIGHTINGS HOMEPAGE