Clinton: In treason's shadow
http://www.newaus.com.au/asia121treason2.html

By Peter Zhang

China Report
TNA News with Commentary
Thursday 16 November 2000

This article was first published in issue No. 121, 31 May - 6
June 1999. It is being republished to remind Americans what
really is at stake in the present electoral situation, and to show
the kind of damage Clinton and Gore selfishly and callously
have done to national security.

Some months ago I put forward the view that Clinton's cooperation
with Beijing's intelligence operations were so extensive that it could be
decided in the interest of saving the presidential office to suppress
evidence that might directly incriminate Clinton and some of his
associates. I also stated that "the damage to American national security
is very deep and longstanding". The release of the Cox Report tends to
support the first statement and most certainly confirms the second. In
addition, FBI wire taps appear to confirm that Jiang Zemin approved
the cover stories for the PLA's money conduits. Whatever Jiang did
was done with the knowledge of Zhu Rongji and the rest of the
leadership. FBI investigations are also leading to the conclusion that
Clinton was fully aware of the details, including payments of what
amounted to nothing less than bribes.

As I said more than once: "The Americans gave Clinton the key to the
candy store and he sold it to Beijing." And this, readers, is basically
what the Cox Committee discovered. My old English teacher used to
say that "the devil is in the details". But I believe, in accordance with
my previous assessment, that it is these very details that will be
withheld from the American public. No matter what kind of spin
Clinton and his media friends try to put on this terrible situation, it still
boils down to treason. The Rosenbergs were executed for no less a
crime. And they didn't even do it for money.

Observing the Clinton propaganda machine, even from this distance, I
predict that, using its media allies, it will launch a multi-pronged attack:
1. It will claim that most of the damage was done during previous
administrations. 2. That most of spying occurred in nuclear facilities. 3.
In any case, the loss of American military secrets to China represent
only a marginal threat to national security.* None of these excuses can
withstand an honest appraisal of the facts, which a quick examination
will easily reveal.

Number one is simply not true. If it were, why was Chung given a top
security clearance and access to the White House at the suggestion of
Chinese officials? I made clear elsewhere that Beijing laid down
conditions that gave it access to all of America's secrets. To fulfil this
condition Clinton abolished Department of Energy internal controls that
restricted access to sensitive facilities thus allowing Chinese intelligence
operatives free reign. In addition, and this is of critical importance,
Clinton virtually abolished controls on exports to China of high-tech
equipment that had important military applications. Moreover, to make
it even easier to access this equipment and knowledge Clinton
transferred responsibility for technology exports from defence to the
Commerce Department. Why. Because this had the effect of removing
these technologies classified status. What is not classified cannot
therefore be secret. This is Clinton's devious legalistic mind at work.
"How could I have sold secrets", he can now claim, "when they
weren't secret?"

This allowed certain companies to sell formerly classified equipment to
the People's Liberation Army in return for making heavy donations to
the Democrats — especially one in particular. One would have to be
incredibly naive, or fanatically partisan, to think all of this was due to
administrative ineptitude. The important fact here is that previous
presidents did not sell their country's secrets.

Defence number two that espionage of any significance only occurred
in nuclear laboratories is made risible by a mountain of evidence to the
contrary. Such a defence is the fruit of desperation. The third defence
that any damage to US security is only marginal is worthless.
Marginal or not it would still have unnecessarily put at risk the lives of a
great many Americans. Moreover, this too is a hollow defence. By
selling this technology to the PLA Clinton strengthened the hand of
China's crude nationalists at the expense of more liberal forces. The
longer it took the PLA to develop these technologies the more time
Chinese liberals would have had to consolidate their influence. Clinton
has also saved Beijing an enormous amount of time and resources,
which can now be put to other military uses.

Even if the damage has been greatly over-stated, it should not be used
to conceal the fact that treason is treason. An American who did far
less by giving secrets to Israel is now serving a very long prison term.
Clinton should do no less. Unfortunately this will never happen. I fear
the American people could not live with the disgrace of knowing that a
president had betrayed them, even though the networks apparently
can.

*I had no sooner finished this article when I heard of these very
excuses being peddled by Clinton's media machine. Let me stress
this: everyone who mentioned this matter in my presence has
noted the enormous importance to Beijing of these intelligence
operations.

Peter Zhang