Powell Aide Gave Papers To Taiwan, FBI Says

The Washington Post ^ | Sep. 16, 2004 | Jerry Markon

[Tai_Chung]

A former high-ranking State Department official who is one of the nation's leading experts on China passed documents to Taiwanese intelligence agents and was charged yesterday with concealing a trip to Taiwan, court papers say.

Donald W. Keyser, who was elevated to principal deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs this year, made the trip last year, according to an FBI affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria. Keyser, 61, who advised Secretary of State Colin L. Powell on China issues, met with one of the agents in Taipei last September during an official trip to China and Japan, the affidavit says.

Tailed by the FBI in recent weeks, Keyser and two Taiwanese agents conducted a series of covert meetings around Washington. At a meeting July 31 at the Potowmack Landing restaurant, the affidavit says, Keyser handed the Taiwanese two envelopes "that appeared to bear U.S. government printing.''

On Sept. 4 at the same Alexandria restaurant, on the Potomac River with a view of downtown Washington, FBI agents saw Keyser pass a document captioned "discussion topics,'' the affidavit says. FBI agents stopped the three men outside the restaurant and took the six-page document, described in the affidavit as something "derived from material to which Keyser had access as a result of his employment with the Department of State."

The court documents do not say that Keyser accepted money and do not otherwise ascribe a motive. Neither Keyser nor his attorney returned phone calls yesterday.

Keyser told the FBI that the document he gave the two Taiwanese agents contained "talking points" that he often would prepare for his meetings with the two agents, according to the affidavit. He said that his trip to Taiwan had been for sightseeing and that he had not notified anyone about it, including his family. His wife is a CIA officer.

State Department spokesman Richard A. Boucher said the department is cooperating with the FBI, but he declined to comment further. The affidavit does not describe the documents Keyser allegedly handed over as classified, and it is unclear whether any damage could have been done to national security.

Keyser is charged with concealing the trip to Taiwan by lying in May on State Department forms for security clearance that required him to disclose foreign travel.

News of Keyser's arrest stunned some in diplomatic circles, in which he is highly regarded as a China analyst. Keyser, a Foreign Service officer for three decades, speaks fluent Mandarin and is knowledgeable about the former Soviet Union. He has served in high-ranking positions in the U.S. embassies in Beijing and Tokyo, and was deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs when he allegedly made the trip to Taiwan.

Keyser retired in July as the No. 2 person in the State Department's East Asia bureau, but he is still assigned to the department's Foreign Service Institute in Arlington.

"He is an absolutely superb specialist on China and a fine Foreign Service officer. I've never had the slightest reason to question his loyalty to the United States,'' said J. Stapleton Roy, a three-time U.S. ambassador who was Keyser's boss when Keyser was deputy director of the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research.

Roy quit his job in protest in 2000 after then-Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright suspended Keyser for 30 days and reassigned him because of lax security stemming from a missing top-secret laptop computer. Keyser was one of at least six State Department employees disciplined over the loss of the computer, which contained thousands of pages of information about weapons proliferation issues and was never found. Roy said yesterday that Keyser had nothing to do with the computer's disappearance.

This is the second recent instance of a federal official being implicated in passing documents to countries friendly with the United States. The FBI is investigating whether Lawrence A. Franklin, a Pentagon policy analyst, provided a draft presidential directive on Iran to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and whether that committee passed the information to Israel, law enforcement sources have said. No charges have been filed.

The United States has a longstanding "one China" policy, under which it maintains diplomatic relations only with China, not with Taiwan. But Chinese officials recently have expressed frustration over the Bush administration's willingness to sell arms to Taiwan. China and Taiwan are adversaries, with China insisting that Taiwan reunite with the mainland.

According to court documents, Keyser traveled to China on official State Department business about Aug. 31, 2003. He then went to Tokyo on official business, but while in Tokyo took a three-day "side trip" to Taiwan, the documents say.

While in Taiwan, Keyser met with someone referred to in court documents as "Foreign Person One." He is described as a Taiwanese intelligence agent stationed at the Taipei Economic Cultural and Representative Office on Wisconsin Avenue in the District.

Court documents say James A. Kelly, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and Keyser's superior at the time, told the FBI that Keyser was not permitted to travel to Taiwan on official business because the United States and Taiwan don't have diplomatic relations and that he would have vetoed such a trip.

Experts were surprised that Keyser would travel to Taiwan right after visiting China.

"The whole idea that he could take a trip like this that was not authorized while he was deputy assistant secretary is ludicrous to me. People in that position don't just move around anonymously,'' said a former high-ranking State Department official who specialized in Chinese affairs and who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the case's sensitivity.

Keyser appeared in federal court in Alexandria yesterday and later was scheduled to be released on $500,000 bond.

[Smokin' Joe]

Another Clinton era leak?

[truthkeeper]

after then-Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright suspended Keyser for 30 days and reassigned him because of lax security stemming from a missing top-secret laptop computer. Keyser was one of at least six State Department employees disciplined over the loss of the computer, which contained thousands of pages of information about weapons proliferation issues and was never found.

Sounds like he should have been fired then.

[Tijeras_Slim]

The State Dept needs fumigating.

[mabelkitty]

Then he wouldn't be a Clinton aide, now would he.
He would be a problematic State Department flunkie, who was disclinplined by Madelaine Albright.

[OldFriend]

Will Buchanan figure out how to blame the Polardites for this.

[embedded_rebel]

Colin Powell is doing one heck of a great job at State.

[OldFriend]

Clearly, Powell, like Albright was not inclined to fumigate the State Department.

[rabidralph]

For an old-timer, you should know the Post is to be excerpted.

[dasboot]

If he were Clixtonita, he'd have been meeting with China's, and not Taiwan's, agents.

[Khurkris]

ping

[traviskicks]

http://www.aei.org/events/eventID.274/transcript.asp

Gingrich's speech about the state department. It's about halfway down. slammin'

[skinkinthegrass]

"Madelaine Albright" = "Maddie Halfwit" :)

[Liberty Valance]

The State Dept. apparently leaks like a sieve. It really does need a good house cleaning.

[Alia]

Not necessarily. Remember, the missing "lap-top" made the Clinton "people" look, um, chaotic. Irrelevant whether or not he was an insider of the pro-Clinton ring. In shortform, I see this as "albright" predisastering him, in case he could be useful for some other purpose. two cents.

[Alia]

Can you think of a better way to discover who is a genuine "enemy of the state"? Keep 'em close..

[SunkenCiv]

Hey, at least he leaked to the right one. :'D Probably a double agent. Execution.

[Leroy S. Mort]

For an old-timer, you should know the Post is to be excerpted.

Actually, if you check the link, it's taiwansecurity.org quoting the Post verbatim. Does that make it fair game? Dunno....

[Alia]

Thank you for the link. What a superb analysis. And I can see where the anti-American Americans are glossing over the meat of this article -- just to carry their "Everybody Hates Us" rhetoric. They don't get it; they don't want to get it. They are simply unable to comprehend higher intelligence in the matter of the WOT. I'm convinced; they are simply unable. Of course, unable, because they are quagmired in their own self-loathing.

[FreeReign]

FBI agents stopped the three men outside the restaurant and took the six-page document, described in the affidavit as something "derived from material to which Keyser had access as a result of his employment with the Department of State."

So the documents are not classified and it's not even clear if this is a leak since nobody has stated that Keyser was giving the documents to Taiwan without appropriate approval from his superiors.

Keyser is charged with concealing the trip to Taiwan by lying in May on State Department forms for security clearance that required him to disclose foreign travel.

Keyser took the trip to Taiwan in 2003 and then EITHER forgot OR lied about the trip to Taiwan when applying for an unrelated clearance in 2004. But leave it to the Washington Post to accuse Keyser of lying.

I can come to no conclusion of wrong doing based from what is pushed the this WP article.

[rhombus]

His wife is a CIA officer.

Did she just get "outed"?

[kcvl]

(l to r): Donald Keyser, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State

State Department Documents Found in Moscow
By Reed Irvine and Cliff Kincaid | February 28, 2001

Records of the U.S. Communist Party that were found in Moscow have turned up some interesting revelations. Stories about the conversion of this material to microfilm, where it's available at the Library of Congress, have recently been carried by the New York Times and UPI. But one of the most fascinating discoveries -- not mentioned by the Times -- was evidence of Communist infiltration of the U.S. State Department.

Professor Harvey Klehr of Emory University says that when he and historian John Haynes went through the Communist Party material in Moscow back in 1993 they found two top-secret State Department memos which had obviously been removed from the department and turned over to Moscow. One of them was a report from an American Ambassador in Germany and the other was a report from an American Ambassador in France. They had gone to President Roosevelt and the U.S. Communist Party had access to them. "We were never able to determine who had stolen [the documents,]" he said. "Quite frankly, one of the candidates was Alger Hiss, who was in the State Department." Hiss was found guilty of perjury for denying he was a Soviet spy, but was considered innocent by many liberals.

The story is relevant today because the State Department continues to be plagued by security problems. However, the media don't seem to be interested. On one of his first days in office, Secretary of State Colin Powell was visited by a delegation from the Council on Foreign Relations and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who urged him to spend more taxpayer dollars on the State Department bureaucracy. The Washington Post heartily endorsed the lavish spending in an editorial titled "Reviving the State Department." The Post said that State needed more money for a lot of things, including the need to "upgrade computers."

The Post was being funny without realizing it. Computers have been a symbol of lax security at the State Department. In April 2000 the State Department disclosed that a laptop computer had disappeared with highly sensitive information, including intelligence sources. This followed the revelation that the Russians had been using a listening device in a State Department conference room to gather information. Last December the State Department took disciplinary action against six employees involved in the disappearance of the computer.

One employee who was said not to be personally involved but who took early retirement anyway was J. Stapleton Roy, a former Ambassador to China. His deputy at the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Donald Keyser, was disciplined in the computer security scandal. Ironically, Roy's name has now surfaced as a possible U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. in President Bush's Administration.

Roy is a noted apologist for John Stewart Service, one of the old China hands in the State Department who helped the Communists take power in China. During an "Open Forum" at the State Department last year, Roy had defended Service as a patriotic dissenter who had been victimized by "McCarthyism." In fact, Service was arrested for passing classified information to the editor of a pro-Communist magazine. He wasn't prosecuted because Soviet agent Laughlin Currie, a top aide to President Roosevelt, arranged to get him off.

Reed Irvine is the Publisher and Cliff Kincaid is the Editor of the AIM Report. They can be reached at editor@aim.org.

[kcvl]

As for the missing notebook PC, officials bought it in 1996 so officers from other bureaus engaged in counterproliferation efforts could work at the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, testified J. Stapleton Roy, assistant secretary of State for intelligence and research.

It was stored in a secure area because it contained highly classified information bearing on the proliferation of weapons and technologies of mass destruction, he said. Employees were not permitted to remove the computer from the secure area, he said.

Rep. Sam Gejdenson (D-Conn.) questioned Roy about the logic of buying a notebook rather than a larger, harder-to-steal desktop computer.

“We weren’t considering theft when we purchased the unit,” Roy said.

On Jan. 31, a would-be user from outside the bureau asked for the computer, but it was not found, Roy told the committee. The department didn’t report the computer missing for nearly two weeks as it tried to track it down. The bureau contacted all personnel in the office, as well as officers outside the bureau who were authorized to use it, he said. Some 40 officers outside the country were contacted via phone or cable, Roy testified.

On Feb. 10, the department contacted State’s Diplomatic Security Bureau and notified the CIA’s Center for Security about the missing computer.

Timothy D. Bereznay, an FBI section chief, declined to discuss particulars of the FBI investigation but noted that notebook PCs present serious potential security risks.

At the FBI, only notebooks carrying appropriate safeguards for classified data, including passwords and encryption, are allowed, Bereznay told the committee.

“These laptops are maintained by automation personnel and are available for short-period loans to FBI employees,” Bereznay said.

[texson66]

The staff of the State Dept act like an independent kingdom within the US government.

It is time to clean house at the "State" department a'la Sandia Labs. Line up everyone there for a poly and SCI background check...those who dont take the test...well no more job at State!

[kcvl]

December 11, 2000; Vol. 19 No. 34

Six in hot water at State over lost notebook PC with classified data

By Tony Lee Orr

The State Department has targeted six Intelligence and Research Division employees for disciplinary action over the disappearance early this year of a notebook PC loaded with highly classified information on weapons of mass destruction.

The computer contained highly classified information about arms proliferation issues and about sources and methods of U.S. intelligence collection. It was not clear whether its disappearance was a case of someone trying to pilfer state secrets or a simple theft motivated solely by the intrinsic value of the equipment.

******

Following a number of embarrassing security breeches at the State Department (including the unsolved disappearance of a laptop computer containing secret data and the undetected bugging of an upper-floor conference room), Secretary of State Madeleine Albright recently stirred up a hornets' nest by suspending one top diplomat, Donald Keyser, and firing two other department veterans as a result of the missing laptop case. J. Stapleton Roy, Keyser's boss and one of the most senior diplomats in government, resigned his post in protest of his deputy's suspension, leaving State without its two most experienced China experts.

Albright's actions, though seemingly tough and probably justified, were seen as inconsistent and hypocritical by some department insiders, who say that equally strong sanctions weren't taken after a laptop computer that was signed out to top Albright aide Morton Halperin vanished into thin air or after a man in a tweed coat strolled coolly into Albright's office suites last year and walked away with a stack of classified documents.

[kcvl]

December 29, 2000

The fraternity of pro-China intelligence analysts took a major hit earlier this month with the resignation of the State Department's intelligence chief, J. Stapleton Roy and his deputy, Donald Keyser. Both were considered the influential voices for playing down China's growing threat.

[tallhappy]

Look how easy so many people here let the Washington Post lead people around by the nose.

[tallhappy]

The State Dept needs fumigating.

Yes it does.

[tallhappy]

Actually, if you check the link, it's taiwansecurity.org quoting the Post verbatim. Does that make it fair game?

No.

[TheDon]

No doubt the Taiwanese would like to know our response when the ChiComs invade.

[risk]

Both were considered the influential voices for playing down China's growing threat.

ping

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The State Department needs to straighten up - fast.

[skinkinthegrass]

Rep. Sam Gejdenson (D-Conn.) questioned Roy about the logic of buying a notebook rather than a larger, harder-to-steal desktop computer...“We were’nt considering theft when we purchased the unit,” Roy said...The department didn’t report the computer missing for nearly two weeks as it tried to track it down.

!!!! *jaw hitting ground* MORONS!...absolutely incredible, after this election, there must be bottom-to-top cleansing of the (Anti-American) STATE DEPT / CONGRESSIONAL STAFFERS...they really should work for the American people/not a foreign government. :((

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

The system normally forces Excerpts....wonder why it didn't?

[risk]

I had hopes that President Bush could do it during his first term. There's still time for him to get a lot done at Foggy Bottom.

[WoofDog123]

"Keyser took the trip to Taiwan in 2003 and then EITHER forgot OR lied about the trip to Taiwan when applying for an unrelated clearance in 2004. But leave it to the Washington Post to accuse Keyser of lying. "

Obviously he concealed the trip in the first place.

I normally take what the media says with great skepticism, BUT this guy's job involved the taiwan/china issue, and he apparently was one of the more knowledgable people around. He KNEW the rules on this, and if he went to taiwan, it was either on covert or other sanction, or it was something he wasn't supposed to do and concealed it for that reason.

Assuming he 'forgot' is pretty close to the quality of many clinton excuses from the 90's. I doubt he forgot anything, most people don't when they are doing something that could cause a minor diplomatic incident if revealed.

[rabidralph]

I question the timing of the auto-excerpt not working.

[Leroy S. Mort]

Actually, if you check the link, it's taiwansecurity.org quoting the Post verbatim. Does that make it fair game?

No.

Seems the Admin Monitor disagrees, since the article still stands...

[Alia]

Thank you, kcvl! Some "intel" is more equal than others? Not funny, but sooo.. albrightish.

[FreeReign]

Rep. Sam Gejdenson (D-Conn.) questioned Roy about the logic of buying a notebook rather than a larger, harder-to-steal desktop computer.

It's common for notebooks to be purchased instead of desktop computers for classified functions. Two reasons; They can be moved in and out of classified cabinets for legitimate classified functions. They can be brought on the road for legitimate classified road demonstrations.

Did Rep. Sam Gejdenson (D-Conn.)ask if this portable was being used for those legitimate functions?

[FreeReign]

Look how easy so many people here let the Washington Post lead people around by the nose.

Maybe.

[churchillbuff]

Apparently it's OK - imperative - to ferret out moles when they're helping Taiwan, but it's wrong to do so when they're helping Israel. ?

[FreeReign]

"Keyser took the trip to Taiwan in 2003 and then EITHER forgot OR lied about the trip to Taiwan when applying for an unrelated clearance in 2004. But leave it to the Washington Post to accuse Keyser of lying. "

Assuming he 'forgot' is pretty close to the quality of many clinton excuses from the 90's. I doubt he forgot anything, most people don't when they are doing something that could cause a minor diplomatic incident if revealed.

There is a logical difference between being asked about a specific trip taken to Taiwan AND being asked as a diplomat applying for an unrelated clearance to list all the foreign trips you have made over a certain period of time.

The latter is the case when apply for a clearance. Your statement above quoting the word "forgot" in lone context is Clintonesque as it blurs the full context.

[WoofDog123]

"There is a logical difference between being asked about a specific trip taken to Taiwan AND being asked as a diplomat applying for an unrelated clearance to list all the foreign trips you have made over a certain period of time."

We do interpret this differently..I just cannot believe that he could overlook an unreported trip to the single country most likely to create a stir if he DID report it.

Did he actually report this trip anywhere? I am not clear on this from the article...but given his job, I would think he would be required to.

[OldFriend]

There was NO mole helping Israel. It was a false story, but don't let that get in the way of the importance of the charges.

[GretchenM]

Keyser is charged with concealing the trip to Taiwan by lying in May on State Department forms for security clearance that required him to disclose foreign travel.

I don't know what's going on here (yet), but if a person is acting above suspicion and within the law, why do the above?

[Finalapproach29er]

Arrogant State Dept. bastards

[Branzburg]

Don't think Colin was supposed to be holding his hand 24/7.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

It's really nice to see so many Freepers here bashing a guy who was doing something to screw communist China and a State Department who never met a commie that they didn't like and directly aid in subverting the United States.

I guess it hasn't occurred to very many people here that this guy was screwed over and made a fall guy by Madeline "I love Communist dictators" Albright. Sounds to me like he got sick of America favoring a brutal belligerent communist state over a democracy (Taiwan) that has been good to us. If Bush and the Republican Party had any stones, they'd tell State to shove their "One China" policy.