From: tcmay@got.net (Tcmay@got.net)
Date: Wed, 20 Sep 95 16:55:13 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: ECONOMIC ESPIONAGE?
Message-ID: <9509201546345376@ci.diamond-bar.ca.us>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Date: Wed, 30 Aug 1995 22:22:13 -0700
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
From: tcmay@got.net (Timothy C. May)
Subject: Economic Espionage?

At 1:25 AM 8/31/95, Tatu Ylonen wrote:
>> >It was said that Pres. Clinton had given a speech while
>> >visiting the  CIA HQ in Langley/Virginia. He allegedly
>> >said in this speech that obtaining  industrial
>> >informations has the highest priority and this were the
>> >new  task for the spies.
>
>There was a fairly large article about this in Helsingin Sanomat, the
>largest newspaper in Finland, some weeks ago.  It was quoted as being
>originally from the New York Times.  (I have the clip saved at home
>and can check the date if anyone is interested.)
>
>I do find it rather shocking that the most powerful country in the
>world sets industrial espionage as the primary task of their
>intelligence services.

What confirmation can you give us for this statement?

I'd like to see the actual comments, not just second-hand reports.

The issue of economic surveillance has come up several times, and I know of
no formal policy to institute such a program. The U.S., with generally
multiple competitors in each market, would have a hard time figuring out
who to tell "foreign secrets" to. Would Ford be told? Or just General
Motors? What about companies with operations in multiple countries?

Former DIRNSA (Director of the NSA) William Odom has said repeatedly that
economic espionage cannot plausibly be a central task of the NSA.

Before anyone accuses me of being an apologist for the NSA (usually these
claims arrive anonymously), I've been looking for evidence of an economic
intelligence role or mission of the U.S. intelligence agencies for more
than 7 years.

Let's see some evidence.

--Tim May

---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
tcmay@got.net  408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
Corralitos, CA              | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Higher Power: 2^756839      | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders are just speed bumps on the information superhighway."