Reagan Approved Plan to Sabotage Soviet Economy

[Newsjock]

Friday's Washington Post; no link yet.

Reagan Approved Plan to Sabotage Soviet Economy
By David E. Hoffman
(c) 2004, The Washington Post

WASHINGTON — In January 1982, President Ronald Reagan approved a CIA plan to sabotage the economy of the Soviet Union through covert transfers of technology that contained hidden malfunctions, including software that later triggered a huge explosion in a Siberian natural gas pipeline, according to a new memoir by a Reagan White House official.

Thomas C. Reed, a former Air Force secretary who was serving in the National Security Council at the time, describes the episode in ``At the Abyss: An Insider's History of the Cold War,'' to be published next month by Ballantine Books. Reed writes that the pipeline explosion was just one example of ``cold-eyed economic warfare'' against the Soviet Union that the CIA carried out under Director William J. Casey during the final years of the Cold War.

... ``In order to disrupt the Soviet gas supply, its hard currency earnings from the West, and the internal Russian economy, the pipeline software that was to run the pumps, turbines, and valves was programmed to go haywire, after a decent interval, to reset pump speeds and valve settings to produce pressures far beyond those acceptable to pipeline joints and welds,'' Reed writes.

Reed said he obtained CIA approval to publish details about the operation. The CIA learned of the full extent of the KGB's pursuit of Western technology in an intelligence operation known as the Farewell Dossier. Portions of the operation have been disclosed earlier, including in a 1996 paper in Studies in Intelligence, a CIA journal. The paper was written by Gus W. Weiss, an expert on technology and intelligence who was instrumental in devising the plan to send the flawed materials and served with Reed on the National Security Council. Weiss died Nov. 25 at 72.

more to come

[lastknowngood]

1. And Bush Approved Plan to Sabotage American Economy

n/t

[joeybee12]

2. Yeah, what's going to blow up first? Can't be a pipeline here--too many

donors would be pissed.

[dArKeR]

6. Seriously, think of all the murderous secret actions Bush has approved

which we won't find out for 20 years! Besides the Anthrax mailing to the Democrats and the Wellstone and Baxter assassinations.

[Taeger]

3. It makes you wonder ...

... about all the manufactured goods we are importing from the East at the cost of American jobs. Many components used by defense contractors are now imported from the East and even .... CHINA!!!!!

Could China silently sabotage our military???????

[papau]

4. Called TurboTax to point out a problem - and got India! :-)

with a non-understanding / non solution / fellow - but very polite!

:-)

It would be funny if it was not so sad.

[Fovea]

5. Asking the next questions.

Who profited from the sudden shortage in Nat. Gas supplies?


http://www.rense.com/general45/violnt.htm

http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=1472

Was his stragegy also being adapted for other natural gas facilities?

[dArKeR]

7. People laughed when I made a post that I believe the NSA/CIA/FBI has

programs to get into and read our PC's, via the internet, untraceable.

[Just Me]

9. I may have been stunned,...

,...but, I certainly would never have laughed.

Just remember, dArKeR,...people really do want to feel "safe" and resist the notion that they have placed their "safety" into the hands of despotic culprits. Such things are very hard to swallow and even with a sugar-coat are grossly big to digest.

[dArKeR]

10. 60 Minutes had a show about CIA spy technology with a retired agent

in charge of this section. The focus of the discussion was 60s, 70s, 80s. The agent explained it was their job to make technology/techniques work in ways that that seemed so incomprehendable/impossible/insane/foolish... that the other party would feel 'safe' that it was impossible for them to be targeted in this manner.

I guess an example would be the reaction one would get if one would say the CIA had a time travel machine. We all would agree that is such a foolish stupid impossible technique.

I think this was 60 Min. but maybe another show.

[ithacan]

8. sounds like terrorism to me

but then Reagan was really a huge supporter of terrorists in Central America too (among other places)...

[indepat]

11. It's terrorism only if the other guy does it to you: thankfully none of

the Reagan/Casey specials resulted in punitive retaliation.

[Kitsune]

12. They're still trying this "Ronald Reagan won the Cold War!" meme?

Double Whammy October Surprise: Osama + Reagasm? *shudder*