RUSSIAN SPY CASE


DATE=12/9/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=RUSSIAN SPY CASE (L)
NUMBER=2-257003
BYLINE=GIL BUTLER
DATELINE=STATE DEPARTMENT
CONTENT=
VOICED AT: 
INTRO:  American counter intelligence officials have 
given more details of what they describe as a Russian 
intelligence operation aimed at the State Department. 
On Wednesday, Stanislav Borisovich Gusev, a Russian 
embassy attache, was detained in the case then 
released to the Russian embassy and told to leave the 
United States within 10 days.  V-O-A's Gil Butler has 
that story from the State Department.
TEXT: The State Department and the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation say Mr. Gusev was detained Wednesday 
morning near his car parked outside the State 
Department.  Assistant FBI director Neil Gallagher 
said the Russian embassy employee had been under 
surveillance for weeks.  What Mr. Gallagher described 
as a very sophisticated listening and transmitting 
device was discovered inside the State Department.  
Officials declined to say where it was located but 
said it was not in the executive suite of offices 
where Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and other 
senior officials work.
Stanislav Gusev had been in the United States since 
March of this year.  He was briefly detained, then, as 
an embassy employee with diplomatic immunity, told to 
leave the United States within 10 days.
Mr. Gallagher called the case a stark reminder, that 
despite easing of tensions, the United States is a 
target of Russian intelligence agents.
            /// GALLAGHER ACT ///
      I think this incident by itself sends a strong 
      message that there is a very aggressive Russian 
      intelligence presence operating inside the 
      United States.  That is an issue that the U-S 
      government continues to be concerned about.
            /// END ACT ///
The FBI and State Department security officials are 
continuing their investigation.  They want to know how 
and when the sophisticated device was placed inside 
the State Department building. The investigators are 
also assessing whether the intelligence operation got 
sensitive U-S information through the device.
After the listening device was located, State 
Department security officers looked for more, but 
didn't find any.  Assistant Secretary of State David 
Carpenter:
            /// CARPENTER ACT ///
      We have a program here that deals with this type 
      of issue.  Once this device became known to us, 
      we began a very, very aggressive sweep of our 
      principal offices in this building to ensure 
      that there was not another device.
            /// END ACT ///
U-S officials say there was no connection between this 
case and Russia's expulsion last week of an American 
diplomat they accused of spying. They said Mr. Gusev 
had been under surveillance for a long time. (signed)
NEB/MGB/JO
09-Dec-1999 13:12 PM EDT (09-Dec-1999 1812 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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