Overall, these stories are meant to demonstrate these 3 countries' menacing intentions toward the USA and/or the shameful failure of the Clinton administration to counter the threats to us emanating from them. The stories are all based on leaks from Gertz's very high-placed sources in the defense establishment. These sources are right-wing hardliners, often Clinton-haters. They give Gertz an amazing amount of classified material.
His new book "Betrayal" includes an appendix of 50-odd pages of extremely top-top-secret classified documents, many of which are quite embarrassing to the Clinton administration. Leaks happen all the time in Washington but Gertz' leaks are simply unprecedented. The FBI has been investigating for years to determine who his sources are.
In his book, he describes them as "dissidents and patriots" within the national security bureaucracy. President Clinton's "betrayal of American national security so angered some intelligence, defense, and foreign policy officials," Gertz writes, "that they responded in the only way they knew how: by disclosing some of the of the nation's most secret intelligence."
It is widely believed that Lt. General Patrick Hughes, who retired as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency (the Pentagon's in-house CIA) was one of Gertz' leading sources. The DIA is seen as institutionally right-wing, a useful alternative to the CIA for GOP congressman who want to prove that China is preparing to strike at any moment.
On a personal note, I was introduced to Bill Gertz when I was an intern on the foriegn desk of the Washington Times. He's a short, youthful, roly-poly, bespectacled little man. A nice guy. As I told my editor, I had expected Gertz to have a slightly more intrepid sensibility to him.
Seth
> ----------
> From: Ian Murray[SMTP:seamus2001 at home.com]
> Reply To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
> Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2001 3:42 PM
> To: Lbo-Talk at Lists. Panix. Com
> Subject: Constructing the China threat
>
> A former college roommate sent me this link:
>
> http://www.gertzfile.com/
>
> Michel P. you know about this guy?
>
> Ian
>