In message <v03007800b09f865249e2@[172.17.1.150]>, Rick Smith writes:

...

I recently spoke informally with a couple of sub-Cabinet level officials

on

...

crypto policy. Their comments indicated that the FBI et al are dominating internal meetings on the subject with the same polarizing rhetoric

At 07:33 PM 11/26/97 -0500, Robert Hettinga wrote: they're

...

using in Congress. One official said that he was accused of intentionally aiding terrorists at one of these meetings.

During a recent application for crypto export approval, which should have

been routine, we were contacted by an individual from the *FBI* (not from BXA) who refused our export license because we didn't have a key recovery system *in place now*. This is despite the facts that:

- the export license was to use our strong cryptography products for communications between our international sales offices and head office; this used to be a rubber-stamp license, and

- we are in the process of implementing key recovery technology as part of a a seperate export approval for our DES-56 products.

I couldn't even get an answer as to why the FBI had jurisdiction over our export approval.

I guess the FBI has decided that it is going to be the secret police when the time comes. (And I had been thinking it was going to be the ATF!) I wonder if they could be egged into a turf war amongst themselves--if they are fighting each other, they have less time and energy to fuck with us... Free web-based email, Forever, From anywhere! http://www.mailexcite.com