WASHINGTON: The US Central Intelligence Agency, acting on a secret “finding” or authorization by President George Bush, has targeted India, Pakistan, Iran, Libya and North Korea for increased surveillance of their military weapons programs in both conventional and nonconventional areas, the “Los Angeles Times” has reported.
Without specifically confirming the list of targeted countries disclosed by the paper, a CIA spokesperson said the new Inter Agency Non-Proliferation Center, established last September to improve US intelligence capabilities “has a broad non-proliferation mission.”
The mission aims at covering the worldwide development or acquisition of production technology designs, components or complete military systems in areas of mass destruction and advanced conventional weaponry.”
The “finding” by Bush a former CIA Director, authorizes the CIA to develop plans and engage in covert action to secure its objectives,
Bush signed the “finding” after being stung by disclosures following Operation Desert Storm about the magnitude and capabilities of Iraq’s arsenal.
The presidential finding required that the CIA and other intelligence agencies (for example, the Defence Intelligence Agency) make arms proliferation one of their priorities.
It also opened the way in principle, for covert operations “ranging from recruiting or subverting scientists from Third World countries involved in weapons development to sabotage weapons research, production or storage facilities” as well as more extensive satellite electronic and human espionage, sources told the Los Angeles Times.
The paper said the presidential “finding” or order was of groundbreaking, even historic, significance because it effectively acknowledged the change in the nature of the threat facing the US-from a single major ideological and military rival (the former Soviet Union) to a host of smaller counties (in the Third World) with growing weapons capabilities. The paper said because of the quiet spread of weapons development programs in the 70s and 80s, at least 10 developing countries either had or were working on nuclear weapons as of 1990, At least 22 have or are working on chemical or biological weapons, while 25 have or are working on ballistic missiles, according to the sources.
US arms experts said that since the collapse of the Soviet Union last year, the most serious long term arms threat has shifted to these countries.
India cannot be said to be undemocratic. There the excuse for increased CIA intelligence and covert activities is the possibility of regional conflict with Pakistan, analysts say.
Since United Nations teams uncovered the scope of Iraq’s arsenal after the end of the Gulf war, the US has heightened both overt and covert efforts to discourage the spread of nuclear, chemical, biological and missile technology in Third World countries, including India,
However, the Los Angeles Times said, the year-old intelligence effort had produced only limited results because of limited funding$20 million for the CIA’s non-proliferation center after the finding was signed. But this is changing. The House of Representatives has approved $100 million for the Defence and Energy Departments for the Same purpose.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 3, 1992
