To: kbacon@pagate.pa.osd.mil From: jya@pipeline.com Date: Tues 15 September 1998, 09:51 AM Subject: Interview Request Kenneth H. Bacon Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs OASD (PA) 1400 Defense Pentagon Washington D.C. 20301-1400 Dear Mr. Bacon, Three points of Secretary Cohen's informative talk[*] at the Council on Foreign Relations last evening would benefit by amplification, and I ask your assistance in arranging an interview with the Secretary to focus on the Department's policy on information security technology. 1. The first concerns his view on the interdependency of military and economic affairs for assurance of national security. 1.1 What does he see as the prospect for further declassification of restricted defense technology for use by industry for protection of information against economic espionage, as exemplified in the declassification of the Skipjack encryption algorithm. 1.2 And what other services and/or technology the defense supply and intelligence agencies may provide non-governmental customers in competition with other nations where closer cooperation between such agencies and industry is more common. 2. The second concerns the need for international cooperation for US defense policy and how that is impacted by publicity and criticism of the Echelon electronic intercept program and other national technical means not customarily discussed in public by the Department. 2.1 What are Secretary Cohen's views of programs such as Echelon political and international trust issues and what he is his view of European calls for investigation of Echelon. 2.2 What are Secretary Cohen's views as a constructive response to charges that Echelon and other national technical means are offensive military and economic espionage against those from whom the US desires defense cooperation. 3. In the Q&A on the topic of terrorism and encryption, Secretary Cohen remarked that the American people will have to decide how much privacy they are willing to give up in order to be protected from terrorist threats. 3.1 What are the Secretary's views on how disputes on encryption policy could be resolved in light of his calls for closer connection between military and economic interests and for international cooperation for defense policy. Your office has always been exemplary in responding to requests for information. Thank you very much. Sincerely, John Young JYA/Urban Deadline 251 West 89th Street, Suite 6E New York, NY 10024 E-mail: jya@pipeline.com Tel: 212-873-8700 Fax: 212-799-4003 * See: http://jya.com/dod091498.htm