The forgotten Chinagate.
Below I am posting a number of articles about the short strange tenure of James Wood, Arkansas lawyer and Clinton crony who in 1995 was inexplicably named director of the American Institute in Taiwan.
It was the first time anyone was appointed to that post who was not a foreign service career person, nor familiar with Chinese and Taiwan affairs.
His appointment caused a reverberation leading to resignations on the part of AIT trustees.
The concern seems to have been merited becauses Wood's tenure was very short. Little more than a year after he took the position he resigned amid allegations he was using the position to solicit campaign contributions for Clinton.
After his resignation the story became even more sordid as Wood took the offense and began accusing others at the AIT of running visa for sex schemes.
The strange and sordid incident is recounted in articles below.
They are surely not encompassing and there must be a lot more to the story.
This seems to be a forgotten Chinagate scandal.
Agence France Presse
September 18, 1995 12:34 Eastern Time
SECTION: Domestic, non-Washington, general news item
LENGTH: 494 words
HEADLINE: US-Taiwan relations face new hurdle
DATELINE: WASHINGTON, Sept 18
BODY: US relations with Taiwan -- unofficial, nuanced, and complex -- face a new challenge with the resignation of two trustees of the US body that handles bilateral ties.
The State Department confirmed Friday that two of three trustees of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), David Dean and Bruce Clark, had res igned, without comment on their reasons for stepping down.
One of the resignations reportedly came in protest at Washington's plan to replace current AIT director Natale Bellocchi, the third board member, with James Wood, a political appointee without diplomatic experience.
Dean, 70 and a retired foreign service officer, said Bellochi's reported replacement "has no background whatsoever in Chinese affairs."
"I expressed my concern to the State Department, but they went ahead with the (planned) appointment, so I felt I had to resign," he said.
Clark said he resigned because of the heavy workload and because his wife was in poor health.
The AIT was established in 1979 to oversee US-Taiwan relations after Washington recognized Beijing instead of Taipei.
The resignations come at an especially delicate time in relations between Washington and Beijing, which claims sovereignty over Taiwan and has never ruled out the use of force to reclaim it.
The Clinton administration repeatedly has stressed that all contacts with Taiwan are unofficial. But diplomats here expect it to keep all pledges on Taiwan as vague as possible, as Congress remains a wild card in US China policy.
The Republican-controlled Congress, which recently has taken up a number of pro-Taiwan measures, pressured the administration this year to allow the president of Taiwan to pay a private US visit -- after the State Department assured China that no such visit would take place.
That visit by Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui sent Sino-American relations into a downward spiral from which they are only now beginning to recover.
Neither country has had an ambassador in the other's capital since June, though the Chinese ambassador is expected to be sent back to Washington shortly.
South China Morning Post
December 20, 1995
SECTION: Pg. 8
LENGTH: 627 words
HEADLINE: New Taipei agency chief fights back
BODY:
THE controversial choice to head Washington's Taiwan policy agency has defended his appointment, saying he will bring commercial expertise to the job.
James Wood, an Arkansas lawyer roundly criticised for having no credentials for the key posting, admitted yesterday: "This job is without question a political appointment - that's not open to debate."
But he said his business credentials would bring new qualities to the job his predecessors did not have.
Taiwanese officials and the media are concerned that Mr Wood will be the first chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan who is not a career foreign service officer with special knowledge of China issues.
There has also been astonishment within Washington circles that Mr Wood, said to be a close friend of several Clinton administration officials, had pushed aside the former chairman, Nat Bellocchi, a long-standing State Department China expert.
One institute source was quoted by the Washington Times as saying that Mr Bellocchi was "unceremoniously dumped" and that Mr Wood, who helped President Bill Clinton's 1992 election campaign, got the job as a "payoff". But about former chief of staff Mack McLarty, one of the Clinton aides said to have helped him land the job which pays US$ 125,000 (HK$ 966,000) a year, Mr Wood said: "I've met Mack, but I don't socialise" with him.
"Whether or not my background would improve relationships with people in Taiwan, I'd like to think some of my contacts would be helpful in that regard," he said.
Mr Wood said his appointment meant no change of Taiwan policy, nor did it mean a downgrading of the administration's view of the island's importance. But he refused to answer questions on Taiwan or China policy.
He may, however, find that he has to respond soon, as Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Jesse Helms, furious that he was not consulted on the appointment, is planning to hold a hearing on the institute's role.
The new chairman will work from the institute's Washington headquarters.
Mr Wood, who said he had been to Taiwan "two or three times" in his work representing business clients, has worked before in the Department of State and as legal counsel on congressional committees.
South China Morning Post
December 21, 1995
SECTION: Pg. 21
LENGTH: 1267 words
HEADLINE: Jobs for the boys
BYLINE: Simon Beck
BODY:
THE new chairman of Washington's "embassy" in Taiwan did not get off to an auspicious start with the media. As the full posse of Taiwanese correspondents gathered at the American Institute in Taiwan's (AIT) headquarters to grill James Wood about his supposed lack of credentials for the job, one of his handlers announced some annoying ground rules.
Not only would Mr Wood not answer any questions on the United States' China policy, but television cameras would have to be shut off after his opening statement. It sounded more like a press conference by the artist formerly known as Prince, and true to form, the aide at one point placed his hands over a lens after a cameraman ignored warnings to stop filming.
Undeterred, the reporters' questions came thick and fast, and Mr Wood, his voice cushioned in a slow Arkansas drawl, did his best to avoid answering any of them. Did his wife know Hillary Clinton and what was her link to the infamous Little Rock Rose law firm? Was he a crony with former Clinton chief of staff Mack McLarty and did that help him land the job? Didn't his appointment mean a downgrading of Washington's relations with Taiwan?
Understanding the sub-text of Mr Wood's answers was almost as difficult as deciphering that of the questions. "I have met Mack, but I do not socialise with Mack," he said. "I've not been to his house and he has not been to my house. And our wives do not know each other."
The cryptic "wives" remark - repeated for similar allegations regarding his friendship with Under Secretary of State Dick Moose - only makes sense when one takes into account the background of Mr Wood's appointment.
Rumours have been rife in Washington that Taiwan-friendly officials are furious that Mr Wood has been handed the plum, US$ 125,000 (about HK$ 966,000) a year job, ousting the popular incumbent Nat Bellocchi for no other reason than he is a Democrat who knows the right folks in the Clinton administration. A couple of reports in the Washington press broke the story. "To pull out one of the finest political analysts we have (Bellocchi) and replace him with an amateur is crazy," one source was quoted as saying. "Bellocchi was unceremoniously dumped. Wood doesn't speak the language. He doesn't have the background or experience. He's a personal friend of Dick Moose. It's payoff, payoff, payoff."
THE idea that the White House might appoint a political crony to a nice diplomatic job is hardly earth shattering. The Clinton administration, like its predecessors, has filled a good proportion of foreign embassies with its friends, rather than career diplomats. Even in Beijing, a key post, the old boys network turned up James Sasser, a man with no China experience except an occasional Senate vote on Most Favoured Nation status (to give Mr Sasser credit, he did head up to Harvard for a crash course in Putonghua).
But the Wood incident does shed some light on just how brazen and clumsy such appointments can be, to the point of jeopardising delicate relationships with foreign governments. Even at a time when the one-China policy of 15 years is looking decidedly shaky - and when Congress is exerting immense pressure on the administration to loosen the rules on relations with Taipei - the White House had no qualms about removing a sure pair of hands in Mr Bellocchi to replace them with a man whose links to Taiwan extend to having visited there "two or three times" on business. Taiwanese officials have been scurrying round as much as their friends in the media to try to exact some details of the mystery man's CV. The appointment also caused a rift within the AIT ranks, prompting the resignation of one board member, David Dean, the institute's first director in 1979.
Mr Dean said: "I quit primarily because I felt the position of chairman required someone who had a background in Chinese affairs. I quit in protest . . . as far as I can see, (Wood) doesn't have the type of background the job calls for."
In his defence, Mr Wood said he would bring the kind of commercial and economic expertise to AIT that his predecessors did not possess. He was formerly a lawyer, with some of his work involving clients doing business in Asia.
One of his jobs involved negotiating the relationship between the New York and Chinese stock exchanges, according to the AIT. Mr Wood has also done the rounds in Washington, as legal counsel to a Senate sub-committee, the foreign missions section in the State Department, and the Small Business Administration.
But one Washington Times article put a question mark over his State Department stint. It quoted James Noland, ex-director of the foreign missions office, as saying Mr Wood was asked to resign in 1984.
"His work was not satisfactory and I asked him to leave," he said. "I don't want to go beyond that." Mr Wood declined to explain what Mr Noland might have meant, saying only that he was proud of his performance while in that job.
Although Mr Wood's demeanour at his press conference bore closer resemblance to a car dealer than a Washington suit, that may have been due to a certain amount of trepidation at facing the Taiwanese media, which can be as aggressive as any.
Mr Wood's refusal to talk politics was, however, understandable, according to one Taiwanese official. "He wants to keep a low profile," he said. "This is not a good time for anybody to talk about Taiwan policy."
Central News Agency
January 18, 1997, Saturday
LENGTH: 289 words
HEADLINE: AIT CHAIRMAN JAMES WOOD RESIGNS
BYLINE: By Bill Wang & Debbie Kuo
DATELINE: Washington, Jan. 17
BODY: James C. Wood Jr., chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), submitted his resignation to the AIT Board of Trustees on Friday.
With a copy of the resignation being sent to US Secretary of State Warren Christopher, Wood's resignation took effect immediately.
In a dialogue with CNA, Wood said he quit because he has been appointed to another post in the Clinton Administration. He, however, did not elaborate.
His successor, meanwhile, will not be announced until the new secretary of state, Madeline Albright, takes office, Wood noted.
Wood, 57, was appointed by the AIT Board of Trustees on Dec. 15, 1995 to succeed Nat Bellocchi as Washington's top liaison officer with Taipei.
The AIT was founded in 1979 by US authorities to handle exchanges with Taiwan in the absence of official ties.
Unlike his predecessors, who were all "China hands" with professional diplomatic backgrounds, Wood, a lawyer from Arkansas, was the first politically-appointed AIT chairman.
Wood's appointment caused controversial debates in Washington, which prompted David Dean, one of the members of the AIT Board of Trustees, to quit his trusteeship, questioning Wood's qualifications for the job.
Last year, Wood was accused of pressuring Taiwan businessmen for contributions to President Bill Clinton's reelection campaign. Wood denied the accusation, saying that all he has done is tell Taiwan businessmen to strengthen economic relations with the United States, including increasing investment in America.
Wood, who assumed his AIT chairman post on Dec. 18, 1995, became an American liaison officer with Taiwan with the shortest working tenure, serving just 13 months.
The Straits Times (Singapore)
January 19, 1997
SECTION: East Asia; Pg. 15
LENGTH: 227 words
HEADLINE: Top US official in Taipei quits, says report
BODY: THE highest-ranking United States official in Taiwan submitted his resignation yesterday morning, said a report in China Times Express yesterday.
Mr James Wood, chairman of the semi-official American Institute in Taiwan, was said to have resigned of his own accord after getting wind of talks in Washington that the Clinton administration wanted him replaced.
The resignation had been accepted and Mr Wood's duty would be covered by his deputy, Ms Barbara Schwaghi, before a new appointment was made, said the Taiwanese daily.
President Bill Clinton was said to be unhappy with Mr Wood because of media reports that the latter had "solicited donations" from Taiwanese businessmen for his re-election campaign.
Mr Wood, a lawyer from Arkansas, is the shortest serving head of the body. He assumed the post in December 1995.
South China Morning Post
January 19, 1997
SECTION: Pg. 6
LENGTH: 640 words
HEADLINE: Questions remain over top US envoy's surprise resignation
BYLINE: From JASON BLATT in Taipei
BODY:
TAIWAN authorities yesterday remained silent about Friday's resignation of Washington's top envoy to the island, American Institute in Taiwan chairman James Wood.
Mr Wood, a lawyer from Arkansas and close friend of US President Bill Clinton, told Taiwan's Central News Agency he stepped down to accept another appointment with the Clinton administration.
But he did not say what his new assignment was.
Mr Wood, who the US Department of Justice last October confirmed was under investigation in connection with allegations of seeking donations for Mr Clinton's campaign from Taiwanese businessmen, did not address the accusations against him in the interview.
Appointed by Mr Clinton in 1995, Mr Wood became the shortest-serving institute chairman since the body was set up in 1979 as a conduit for unofficial relations with Taiwan.
Mr Wood was also the first institute chief not to possess a professional diplomat's background or broad knowledge of China-related issues.
When he was appointed, two of the institute's board members quit in protest.
Later, Mr Wood's predecessor, Natale Bellocchi, said he had heard rumours suggesting Mr Wood had sought illegal campaign donations from Taiwanese businessmen, ostensibly to "thank" Mr Clinton for protecting Taiwan when Beijing was conducting military exercises off the island's coast early last year.
Mr Bellocchi said he had relayed everything he knew to investigating authorities.
The allegations had caused a stir in the American media in the lead-up to last November's US presidential election.
Yesterday, reports in Taiwan said Mr Wood's resignation had been confirmed by the US State Department.
His successor would probably not be named until after the US Secretary of State-designate Madeleine Albright, took office, the reports said.
Mr Wood's resignation came as a surprise since just a few days before, when Taiwan's Vice-President Lien Chan was passing through New York on his way to Rome, Mr Wood was on hand to receive him.
Central News Agency
February 24, 1997, Monday
LENGTH: 313 words
HEADLINE: MOFA: NO COMMENT ON FORMER AIT CHIEF'S CHARGES
BYLINE: By Lilian Wu
DATELINE: Taipei, Feb. 24
BODY: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Mondaywould not comment on allegations made by James Wood, former head of the American Institute inTaiwan, that he had uncovered "massive mismanagement" at the AIT.
MOFA Spokesman Peter Cheng would not comment on the reports of accusations made over the weekend by Wood, saying that the matter is an internal affair of the Untied States, and is now under judicial investigation.
Cheng added that it was the first time the ministry had heard of the reports, and declined to comment on whether it would affect relations between the ROC and the US.
Jason Hu,Taiwan's representative to the US, also said that it would not be appropriate for him to comment on an internal matter of the US.
Jennifer Galt, AIT Taipei Office spokeswoman, said she had "no comment" on the reports.
Wood, in statements faxed to news organizations on Saturday, claimed that he uncovered "massive waste, fraud, corruption and serious sexual harassment," at the AIT. He said he turned the information over to the proper authorities, and "was in the process of trying to clean up this mess when I was forced to resign."
Wood denied that hehad used hisposition to solicit contributions for President Clinton's re-election campaign, which contributed to his resignation in January after only 13 months in the office.
Meanwhile,a former AITemployee saidMondaythat he could substantiate Wood's accusations of mismanagement of visa fees and sexual harassment at the AIT and was willing to testify.
Keng Chien-chang,who worked in the AIT's visa section between 1985 and 1990, saidthat he believed Wood was telling the truth, adding that he had evidence proving corruption existed at the AIT.
Keng was fired by the AIT in1990 and is now an investment consultant.
Central News Agency
February 25, 1997, Tuesday
LENGTH: 430 words
HEADLINE: US SENATE URGED TO INVESTIGATE AIT SEX CHARGES
BYLINE: By Flor Wang and N. K. Han
DATELINE: Taipei, Feb. 25
BODY: Kuomintang Legislator Tina Wei-kang Pan Tuesday morning urged the US Senate to investigate into the charges by former American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman James Wood that women from Taiwan were forced to have sex with an AIT visa official in return for visa approval.
Pan, speaking at the Legislative Yuan, said American senators should hold public hearings on Wood's accusations, and that the Republic of China government, especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, must not overlook the charges as they may be "the tip of the iceberg."
Pan, who is president of the Modern Women's Foundation, called on Jason Hu, the ROC's representative to the United States, to push for public hearings by the US Senate to find out the truth.
Wood, who resigned as Washington's chief representative in Taiwan on Jan. 17 after only 13 months at the post, publicized a statement over the weekend alleging "massive corruption, fraud, graft and sexual harassment and mismanagement" at the AIT. Wood also claimed that the US State Department pressed him to resign because of his investigations into wrongdoing at the AIT.
On Monday, Deputy State Department spokesman Glyn Davies said Wood's accusations against the AIT were "overstated" and "based on highly questionable evidence and often they are just plain wrong."
Davies told a regular news briefing that Wood stepped down from his post because he refused to "accept State Department direction and oversight" and failed to develop solid working relations with local authorities based on trust.
Davies also denied that Wood's resignation had anything to do with reports that he used his post to solicit contributions from the Taiwan business community for President Bill Clinton's re-election campaign.
On Wood's accusation that US$ 5.3 million in visa application fees was missing, Davies acknowledged that there was an "ongoing dispute over accounting for a portion of visa fees at AIT." But he also stressed "There is no missing US$ 5.3 million. We are talking about how they were accounted for and perhaps how they should have been accounted for."
Referring to Wood's claims that thousands of Taiwan women were sexually harassed by AIT visa investigators and that certain visas could be bought with money, Davies called the accusations "quite a leap and quite a stretch."
The AIT, Washington's de facto embassy in Taiwan, has represented US interests on the island since the two countries suspended official diplomatic ties in 1979.
South China Morning Post
February 26, 1997
SECTION: Pg. 10
LENGTH: 667 words
HEADLINE: Washington rejects claims of graft and sex scandals
BYLINE: SIMON BECK in Washington
BODY:
US officials have dismissed allegations of corruption and sexual harassment at America's de facto embassy in Taiwan, but admitted sloppy accounting and other problems.
The administration yesterday said the man hired to run the American Institute in Taiwan was fired recently not because he revealed the alleged scandal, but for failing to do his job.
Allegations by dismissed institute director James Wood, published in the Taiwan media at the weekend, were "overstated, based on highly questionable evidence, and often they are just plain wrong", State Department spokesman Glyn Davies said.
However, the department's prompt response to the scandal is unlikely to quell the growing controversy surrounding the institute.
The Justice Department is also investigating allegations that Mr Wood pressurised Taiwanese nationals to make donations to the Democratic Party.
Even the admission that he was fired for doing a bad job will bring embarrassment to President Bill Clinton, who was instrumental in getting the Arkansas businessman the job, despite his lack of diplomatic credentials.
The source of allegations of demands by institute officials for sex or cash in return for issuing visas to Taiwanese, could be traced to a former Taiwanese staff member at the institute, Mr Davies said.
The official, whose job was to investigate the backgrounds of visa applicants, was sacked in 1990 for misconduct, he said, and went on to make wide-ranging allegations of visas being sold for as much as US$ 25,000 (HK$ 193,250).
However, the spokesman said department officials charged with looking into his claims "concluded that the accusations were baseless and may have been made with the specific purpose of discrediting honest officers".
Only one case of sexual harassment by an institute official had arisen, Mr Davies said, and that was in 1989.
He said the probe failed to bear fruit after the employee denied the incident and the woman filed no charges.
Mr Davies admitted an independent audit of institute finances between 1992 and 1995 stated that US$ 5 million in visa fees could not be accounted for, but he denied this money had disappeared through fraud.
On Mr Wood's sacking, the spokesman said: "The department decided Mr Wood's performance failed to meet the basic needs of US foreign policy."
The Daily Yomiuri
February 26, 1997, Wednesday
SECTION: Pg. 8
LENGTH: 608 words
HEADLINE: U.S. denies claim of 'visas for sex' in Taiwan
BYLINE: Debra Lau Yomiuri Shimbun Washington Bureau ; Yomiuri
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
BODY:
The United States on Monday dismissed allegations by Washington's former unofficial representative to Taiwan that U.S. staff in Taipei traded visas for sex, misplaced 5.3 million dollars in visa fees and were involved in a large-scale illicit scheme to sell visas.
James Wood, a former Arkansas lawyer, was forced to resign as Washington's de facto ambassador to Taiwan and head of the quasi-governmental American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) in January, just 13 months after taking up the position.
He told reporters Sunday that he was falsely accused of using his position to obtain campaign contributions from Taiwanese businessmen for President Bill Clinton's reelection.
Wood also said he was forced from his job for revealing what he alleges were cases of massive corruption, fraud and sexual harassment at AIT.
The private corporation AIT was created in January 1979 after the United States terminated formal relations with Taipei and formally opened diplomatic relations with China. It is based in Roslyn Va., across the river from Washington, and has two offices in Taiwan.
State Department spokesman Glyn Davies called Wood's allegations "overstated" and based on "highly questionable evidence," which at times was "just plain wrong."
Davies said Wood was asked to resign after the State Department deemed his performance had "failed to meet the basic needs of U.S. foreign policy" by not establishing a close working relationship based on "trust" with Taiwanese authorities.
Responding for the first time to Wood's allegations, Davies said the charges were mostly traced to a Taiwan national hired by AIT in 1985 as a consular officer to investigate fraud and verify statements from prospective immigrants. His employment was terminated in 1990 for official misconduct involving his assigned duties.
Davies also said that a thorough State Department investigation into 1993 charges that individuals paid 20,000 dollars to 25,000 dollars for visas concluded that the accusations "were baseless and indeed may have been made with the specific purpose of discrediting honest AIT officers."
Rejecting Wood's claim of a visas-for-sex scandal, Davies said the only case of sexual impropriety dated back to 1989 when a woman who applied for an immigrant visa charged that a Taiwanese employee "visited her and made unwanted sexual advances." AIT investigated the incident and the employee, who had denied the charges, subsequently retired. The woman never filed legal charges, Davies said.
"So how you get from that to the conclusions of Mr. Wood's manifesto that there were thousands of people being sexually harassed is quite a leap and quite a stretch," he said.
Davies, however, did admit there were a number of questions raised about AIT's accounting procedures involving visa fees where their "accounting practices have not been sufficient."
He said AIT offices in Washington and Taipei had hired independent auditors who said they "could not properly track some 5 million dollars" in visa receipts between 1992 and 1995. However, Davies said "there's no missing 5.3 million dollars" as Wood's has claimed and called his allegations "vastly overblown" because the questionable accounting practices had already been brought to light.
Asked if there was an ongoing attempt to cover up corruption at AIT, Davies said, "I would deny that the State Department has covered up any malfeasance or corruption at AIT." Davies declined to answer whether Wood was asked to resign because of allegations that he was soliciting campaign funds for Clinton, which are being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department.
The Daily Yomiuri
February 28, 1997, Friday
SECTION: Pg. 13
LENGTH: 642 words
HEADLINE: Ex-envoy to Taipei says he was told to lie
BYLINE: Lani Cossette Yomiuri Shimbun Washington Bureau ; PC3
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
BODY:
James Wood, former head of Washington's de facto embassy in Taipei who has alleged officials there traded sex for visas and committed financial wrongdoing, accused a senior U.S. State Department official Wednesday of asking him to break the law.
In his second press conference this week held to detail alleged corruption and fraud at the Taiwan liaison office, Wood said Winston Lord, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told him to ignore problems at the Taipei mission and denied him the right to resolve matters in the office, including graft, sexual abuse and a missing 5.3 million dollars in visa fees.
State Department officials said Wednesday that Wood was not asked to break the law, and refuted his interpretation of Lord's comments, outlined in a three-page letter to Wood last July.
Wood, a Democrat from Arkansas, was forced to resign Jan. 17 from his post as head of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), a quasi-governmental office set up in 1979 when official U.S. ties with the island were severed.
The controversy surrounding Wood began last fall, when unnamed sources accused him of soliciting contributions from Taiwan businessmen for U.S. President Bill Clinton's reelection campaign. It is illegal for State Department employees to solicit campaign funds and for U.S. political parties to accept donations from foreign governments or foreign nationals living abroad. Wood denied the accusations, currently the subject of a Justice Department probe.
Wood's appointment to head of the liaison office a year ago was controversial for several reasons. As a political appointee from Clinton's home state, Wood was seen as an outsider who could not speak Mandarin. In addition, the post is generally filled by a career Foreign Service officer rather than a civilian.
The appointment of Wood angered individuals in U.S.-Taiwan circles because, as a former official speaking on condition of anonymity charged, Wood lied about his participation in drafting the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act governing U.S-Taiwan relations. The former official also noted that Wood was asked to resign from the State Department's office of foreign missions.
Wood's other critics have charged that he lacked the political acumen to serve as head of the de facto U.S. Embassy in Taiwan as he sometimes offended Taiwan businessmen by reminding them that the United States came to the island's defense.
State Department spokesman Glyn Davies said Monday that Wood was dismissed because "he failed to meet the basic needs of U.S. foreign policy." Davies added that "he refused to accept State Department direction and oversight."
Wood said Wednesday the AIT is an independent organization and Lord was wrong to say the office should operate under the State Department.
But Harvey Feldman, a former State Department official who helped craft the Taiwan Relations Act, said: "This is a thinly veiled agency of the United States government, which, with nods and winks, is considered to be something other than the United States government because of the requirement that we will not have 'official representation' on Taiwan."
Feldman noted that Wood is not independent from the State Department because he can be removed from office by the secretary of state.
Wood has continued to charge that he was victimized because of his attempts to publicize reports of corruption and sexual abuse. He said Wednesday that a female member of Taiwan's ruling Kuomintang Party has been contacted by two more women who claim they were sexually abused by staff members at the U.S. office in Taipei.
Wood said Wednesday that meant there were perhaps "two hundred more women" who were abused and the full truth has yet to be disclosed.
Davies called Wood's allegations "overstated" and sometimes "just plain wrong."
Lengthy, but interesting. More "professionalism" from our vaunted and oh-so-popular Clinton administration. Sounds like Mr. Wood was a natural choice for this crew. Makes ya damned proud to be an American, doesn't it?
Is there no organization in the U.S. untouched by the new heights (depths) to which the Clinton administration has reached in its efforts to reward incompetent party hacks and supporters with critical assignments to protect U.S. vital intests? Can anyone name just one?
bump!
For more articles about James Wood, check Ardemgaz archives. Set the year to 1997 and search for "Taiwan and James and Wood". I got about a dozen hits. It costs a dollar to retrieve each article.
Fancy bumping into you here. ;-)
At this point I think it is safe to assume that anybody from Arkansas appointed to by bill clinton is almost certainly a criminal or a maniac. That goes double if they're also Rhodes scholars.
Or, as Trenchard and Gordon warned us in Cato's Letters:
They will prefer worthless and wicked Men, and not suffer a Man of Knowledge or Honesty to come near them, or enjoy a Post under them. They will disgrace Men of Virtue, and ridicule Virtue itself, and laugh at publick Spirit. They will put Men into Employments, without any regard to Qualifications for these Employments, or indeed to any Qualifications at all, but as they contribute to their Designs, and shew a stupid Alacrity to do what they are bid. They must be either Fools or Beggars; either void of Capacity to discover Intrigues, or of Credit and Inclination to disappoint them.
Here's a little bit on your man. Sorry I don't have date for this article
Senator Jesse Helms, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, in a letter to Secretary of State Warren Christopher, expressed his concern about the appointment of James C. Wood to the AIT Board of Trustees. In particular, Senator Helms questioned whether Wood had sufficient experience in Asia-Pacific issues...
According to the materials provided by State, James C. Wood has been an attorney in private practice specializing in international and trade issues and commercial ventures since he left the State Department in 1984. At State since 1975, except for a brief stint at the Small Business Administration, Wood served as Chief Legal Counsel in the Office of Foreign Missions where he worked principally on land use, trade and tax issues. His experience in a foreign mission was limited to two years in Germany. Wood's experience in government affairs includes volunteer work in the Clinton/Gore campaign. Wood received his BA and JD from the University of Arkansas.
Volley bumps!
There's a James Wood on the board of "Clinton Gas Marketing Inc." of Dublin OH. I don't think this is our man but the company name certainly fits!
hahahaha ... I absolutely agree with you!!!
Morning, at least for me. :-)
Here's another little something.
Arkansas Times
December 13, 1996
The top American representative in Taiwan told local business people they should reward Clinton during his reelection campaign for policies favoring Taiwan. Newsweek reported James C. Wood Jr. then steered them to John Huang. Wood, a native Arkansan who has been out of the state for three decades, is head of the American Institute in Taipei. An aide to Taiwanese presidential candidate Lin Yang-kang told The Washington Post that, during a meeting with Lin, former White House aide Mark Middleton asked the candidate indirectly to make a contribution to Clinton's presidential campaign.
Thank you so much for the additional information!!!
American Resource Center he was involved in developing long-term relationships for the New York Stock Exchange with China and Russia. Among Mr. Wood's earlier governmental positions were Legal Counsel to a Senate Subcommittee on the Judiciary, Chief Legal Counsel for the Office of Foreign Missions, Department of State; Chief Counsel for Legislation, Small Business Administration; Attorney Advisor in the Office of the Legal Advisor, Department of State; and Legal Advisor at the American Embassy in Bonn, Germany.
Thank you so much for the information!!!
Here's a bit. Not sure if this is our man...but interesting mix of buzz words here. :-)
Jan ’97 Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center
APPEARING FOR APPELLEES: James C. Woods, Asst. U.S. Atty., Albany, N.Y.
Anyone know where Jimmy is now?
LIST OF 52 LIPPOGATE SUBPOENAS ISSUED LAST WEEK
Published in the Feb. 17, 1997 issue of The Washington Weekly
James C. Wood Jr.
Great work.
To the top!
Great work.
To the top!
Is there no organization in the U.S. untouched by the new heights (depths) to which the Clinton administration has reached in its efforts to reward incompetent party hacks and supporters with critical assignments to protect U.S. vital intests? Can anyone name just one?
Uh, Department of Justice???
gee...didn't know James Wood was working for the government now........sure liked him in that movie "Videodrome".....
Thank you again! and bump!
LOL. Right...unfortunately this James C. Wood Jr. Would be GREAT if it were only a movie...then I could just shut the thing OFF! :-)
Y'all have mail. :-/
Thanks, and for the bump too. :-)
The Arkansas Mafia Is James Wood or isn't he?
Arkansas Times By Ernest Dumas March 21, 1997
James C. Wood Jr., the former U.S. envoy to Taiwan, is consistently described in news reports as an Arkansas lawyer who's been a friend of Bill Clinton's since the1960s.
A graduate of Little Rock's Central High School, Wood attended the University of The South at Sewanee, Tenn., from 1957 to 1959. He earned a degree in English and philosophy and a law degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1965.
Returning to Little Rock, he served as a law clerk for Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Frank Holt and served as an assistant attorney general under Bruce Bennett.
After moving to Washington in 1967, Wood became a lawyer for a U.S. Senate subcommittee on the Judiciary, working on criminal law issues. In 1970, he began a five-year stint as legal adviser to the Civilian Branch of the U.S. Army's staff judge advocate in Frankfurt, Germany.
Wood joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1975 and served as a legal advisor at the American Embassy in Bonn for two years. Back in Washington, he worked as a lawyer for the State Department and the Small Business Administration until 1984 when he became a lobbyist and chief executive officer for International Liason Associates, Inc.
Wood said he helped arrange meetings with Chinese and Soviet leaders for the the New York Stock Exchange, which was trying to develop long-term relationships with China and Russia.
After his mother's death, Wood said, he returned to Little Rock and did "grunt work" as a volunteer in the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign.
Wood said a friend in the State Department -- not Bill Clinton or anyone from the White House--first approached him about heading the American Institute on Taiwan, a position he later accepted in December 1995. The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, and the institute has represented American interests there since 1979.
Note: these are excerptions from a longer article.
Yes, but why didn't you DOCUMENT it? ;-) Good post. This dirtbag Woods used the exact Clinton MO of accusing the normal people of crimes to distract from his own ala Billy Dale and the Travel Office.
I do so like neat and tidy lists. ;-)
democratic reform news
WITNESSES SUBPOENAED BY THE THOMPSON COMMITTEE
The Thompson Committee has issued the following subpoenas in connection with its investigation.
Subpoenas Issued February 1997
1) Mark E. Middleton
2) Commerce Corp. International
3) Hsi Lai Temple
4) James C. Woods Jr.
5) American Institute in Taiwan
6) Johnny Chien Chuen Chung
7) Automated Intelligent Systems Inc.
8) Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
9) Mark W. Grobmyer
10) Commerce International Inc.
11) Commerce International of Arkansas, Inc.
12) Mid-South International Trade Association
13) Ms. Pauline Kanchanalak
14) Ban Chang (USA) International
15) U.S.-Thailand Business Council
16) Export-Import Bank of the United States
17) Mr. Charles Yah Lin Trie>BR>
18) Daihatsu International Trading Co.
19) Asian Pacific International Inc.
20) America-Asia Trade Center Inc.
21) T & L International Inc.
22) Mr. Simon Fireman
23) Aqua-Leisure Industries Inc.
24) Office of Personnel Management
25) Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
26) Consumer Product Safety Commission
27) C. Joseph Giroir Jr.
28) Arkansas International Development Corporation
29) Cheong Am America Inc.
30) John Hoon Kyung Lee
31) Lippo Bank
32) Hip Hing Holdings Ltd.* (* indicates Lippo-related)
33) Bank of Trade Securities Corp.*
34) Lippo Motors Hollywood OL Inc.*
35) San Jose Investment Inc.*
36) San Jose Holdings Inc.*
37) Lippo Asia (U.S.A.) Inc.*
38) Lippo Finance Inc.*
39) Lippo America Inc.*
40) Yoshua Company N.V.*
41) Calbot Holdings Inc.*
42) Toy Center Holdings of California Inc.*
43) Lippo Holding America Inc.*
44) GNB Acquisition Corp.*
45) Bell Atlantic-Washington, D.C. Inc.
46) Bell Atlantic-Virginia, Inc.
47) Bell Atlantic-Maryland, Inc.
48) Southwestern Bell Telephone Co.
49) Pacific Bell
50) NYNEX Inc.
51) Department of State
52) Department of Commerce
53) Presidential Legal Expense Trust
54) International Buddhist Progress Society
Subpoenas Issued March 27, 1997
55) Webster L. Hubbell
56) Ernest G. Green
57) Lehman Brothers
58) Clinton Birthplace Foundation Inc.
59) Hue Thi Thanh Wallenstatter
60) Ching Hai Meditation Association (Westminister, CA)
61) The Ching Hai Meditation Association (San Diego, CA)
62) Suma Ching Hai International Association in San Jose
63) Suma Ching Hai International Association Los Angeles Center
Subpoenas Issued April 9, 1997
64) Democratic National Committee
65) Republican National Committee
66) Clinton/Gore '96
67) Dole for President
68) Americans for Tax Reform
69) National Policy Forum Inc.
70) Triad Management Services Inc.
71) Coalition for Our Children's Future Inc.
72) Citizens for the Republic Education Fund Inc.
73) Citizens for Reform Inc.
Subpoenas Issued April 15-17, 1997
74) Lippo Bank
75) Chevy Chase Bank
76) Citibank
77) Boatmen's National Bank of Arkansas
78) First Commercial Bank
79) First Union National Bank of Virginia
80) First Virginia Bank
81) Hamni Bank
82) General Bank
83) Western State Bank
84) Sumitomo Bank of California
85) Bank-Fund Staff Federal Credit Union
86) Riggs National Bank
87) California Federal Bank
88) Bank of China
89) Wells Fargo Bank
90) First Commercial Bank
Subpoenas Issued May 23, 1997
91) Maria Hsia
92) AFL/CIO
93) Grand National Bank-California
94) Crestar Bank-Virginia
95) Western State Bank-California
96) First Union National Bank-Virginia
97) Riggs National Bank-Washington, DC
98) Bank of America-California
99) Lippo Bank-Washington, DC
100) United National Bank-California
101) Young Brothers Development (USA) Inc.
102) Young Brothers Development Co. Ltd.
103) Richard Richards
104) Benton Becker
105) Signet Bank
106) Barnett Bank-Florida
107) Ambrous Tung Young
108) Steven Young
109) Alan Young
110) Lorin Young
111-133) Members of the Hsi Lai Temple-California/Texas
Subpoenas Issued June 2, 1997
134) Wells Fargo Bank
135) North Fork Bank
136) Chase Manhattan Bank
137) Chinatown Federal Savings Bank
138) American International Bank
139) Chevy Chase Bank
140) Bank-Fund Staff Federal Credit Union
141) Sumitomo Bank of California
142) First Commercial Bank
143) Los Angeles National Bank
144) First National Bank
145) Cathay Bank
146) International Bank of California
147) Quaker City FSL
148) East-West Bank
149) First Continental Bank
150) Citibank
151) Bank of America Texas
152) General Bank
153) General Bank
154) General Bank
155) General Bank
156) Bank of Hawaii
157) Jane Huang
158) Man Ho
159) Ari Swiller
Subpoenas Issued June 13, 1997
160) Republic National Bank
161) Tsui-Hsueh Hsueh
162) AT&T Network Security
163) MCI Communications Corp.
164) National Capital Bank
165) Bank of China
166) Grand National Bank
167) Chemical Bank
168) Cathay Bank
169) General Bank
170) Riggs National Bank
171) Harold Ickes
172) Jane Dewi Tahir
173) Yi Fa
174) Bell Atlantic-Washington, DC, Inc.
175) Yogesh K. Gandhi
176) Mark Shaw
177) Watergate Complex
178) Michael Baroody
179) Daniel Denning
180) Fred Volcansek
181) Lyons Brown
182) Heather Elhajj
183) Steve Walker
More great information! Thank you!!!
Wonderful work! Pretty busy today but I will go through all of this later tonight. Thanks!
Woods used the exact Clinton MO of accusing the normal people of crimes to distract from his own ala Billy Dale and the Travel Office.
That is what struck me as well. Same MO. When caught, start throwing slime at others.
To amom, great stuff.
The idea seems obvious for Clinton. Lee teng Hui was invited to speak at an alumni meeting at Cornell in the summer of 1995. The Clinton admin said no. The president of taiwan cannot come to the US. They told the Chicoms this.
But congress voted a non-binding resolution that was near unanimous saying he should be allowed a visa to visit the US.
So the Clintons changed their mind and gave him the visa and he came here and gave a speech at Cornell.
That was when the Chicoms then began their missile tests where they shot missiles at Taiwan.
Shortly after Lee's visit, Wood is put in charge at AIT.
In the Clinton mindset it was payback time for the visa.
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