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Former FBI agent cites penetration of CIA by China
Washington Times ^ | 12/15/04 | Bill Gertz

Posted on 12/14/2004 11:57:30 PM PST by kattracks

China's intelligence service spent years training a spy who posed as a Catholic priest in New York and was part of an escape plan for a Chinese agent in the CIA, according to a veteran FBI counterspy.
    Retired Special Agent I.C. Smith said China's use of the masquerading priest was "one of the most fascinating things" about the spy case of Larry Wu-tai Chin, who supplied secrets to China for decades as a CIA translator until his arrest in 1985.
    "The People's Republic of China Ministry of State Security took a married Chinese national from the People's Republic and over several years gave him the background to be a priest," Mr. Smith said in an interview.

[snip]

He identified the agent-priest as Mark Cheung, a minister with the Church of the Transfiguration in New York's Chinatown. "He was actually a Ministry of State Security operative," Mr. Smith said of Cheung.

[snip]

 Mr. Smith, a former FBI special agent in charge in Little Rock, Ark., worked for years in Chinese counterintelligence within the agency.


(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; US: Arkansas; US: New York
KEYWORDS: catholicpriest; cheung; chin; china; chinatown; cia; ciatranslator; cleric; clerics; geopolitics; icsmith; intelligence; larrychin; larrywutaichin; littlerock; markcheung; priest; spies; spying; translators; wutai; wutaichin
Mr. Smith, a former FBI special agent in charge in Little Rock, Ark.,...

Just a coincidence, I'm sure.

1 posted on 12/14/2004 11:57:30 PM PST by kattracks
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To: kattracks

In the mid 80s? In Ark.?

Who could that be?


2 posted on 12/15/2004 12:02:53 AM PST by leadpenny
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To: Alamo-Girl; piasa; Shermy; backhoe; Liz

Ping.


3 posted on 12/15/2004 12:12:31 AM PST by Fedora
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To: Cindy; JustPiper

ping


4 posted on 12/15/2004 12:13:53 AM PST by Jet Jaguar
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To: kattracks

Mr. Cheung was probably a better priest than many we've suffered receently.


5 posted on 12/15/2004 12:16:12 AM PST by thegreatbeast (Quid lucrum istic mihi est?)
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To: Jet Jaguar

That's not good.


6 posted on 12/15/2004 1:46:16 AM PST by Cindy
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To: Calpernia; Velveeta; Revel

Ping


7 posted on 12/15/2004 4:13:06 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (Today, please pray for God's miracle, we are not going to make it without him.)
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To: Fedora

Thanks for the ping!


8 posted on 12/15/2004 7:51:43 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: kattracks
I got the impression during the Clinton years that they simply had to pay Bill to get whatever they wanted.

Of course the pay did have to be disguised as campaign contributions from some Chinese guy.

9 posted on 12/15/2004 7:54:18 AM PST by yarddog
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To: kattracks

I wonder if the FBI ever figured out they had a back woods pediphile, serial rapist covering for the Drug Cartel and snorting Coke while masquerading as the State Attorney General and then Governor of Arkasas?


10 posted on 12/15/2004 7:58:32 AM PST by Area51 (Diapers and Politicians need to be changed-For the same reason)
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To: Cindy


11 posted on 12/15/2004 10:57:41 PM PST by piasa (Attitude Adjustments Offered Here Free of Charge)
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To: kattracks

WoW!


12 posted on 12/15/2004 10:58:47 PM PST by ApesForEvolution (You will NEVER convince me that Muhammadanism isn't a death cult that must end. Save your time...)
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To: piasa

Yep, I read that article.
Always interested in seeing what the followup to this article will be -- if anything.


13 posted on 12/15/2004 11:05:22 PM PST by Cindy
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To: kattracks
After the US consolidates all of the intelligence operations in order to better fight the war on terror, they will find out that the Chinese have placed their folks in a few key posts and now have access to all the intelligence that the newly centralized bureaucracy has.

When the s**t hits the fan, there will be the usual hand-wringing about how we're "fighting the last war".

I guess you can't win for losing when the government is so huge and has its nose into so many places that any country with the resources to catch on ride on this behemoth can have as much power and access as it does.

14 posted on 12/15/2004 11:12:22 PM PST by who_would_fardels_bear
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