9 December 1999: Add November 1999 exchange.

15 September 1998

    To: kbacon@pagate.pa.osd.mil
    From: jya@pipeline.com
    Date: Tues 15 September 1998, 09:51 AM
    Subject: Interview Request

    Kenneth H. Bacon
    Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs
    OASD (PA)
    1400 Defense Pentagon
    Washington D.C. 20301-1400

    Dear Mr. Bacon,

    Three points of Secretary Cohen's informative talk at the
    Council on Foreign Relations last evening would benefit
    by amplification, and I ask your assistance in arranging an
    interview with the Secretary to focus on the Department's
    policy on information security technology.

    1. The first concerns his view on the interdependency of military
    and economic affairs for assurance of national security.

    1.1 What does he see as the prospect for further declassification
    of restricted defense technology for use by industry for protection
    of information against economic espionage, as exemplified in the
    declassification of the Skipjack encryption algorithm.

    1.2 And what other services and/or technology the defense supply
    and intelligence agencies may provide non-governmental customers
    in competition with other nations where closer cooperation between
    such agencies and industry is more common.

    2. The second concerns the need for international cooperation
    for US defense policy and how that is impacted by publicity and
    criticism of the Echelon electronic intercept program and other
    national technical means not customarily discussed in public by
    the Department.

    2.1 What are Secretary Cohen's views of programs such as Echelon
    political and international trust issues and what he is his view of European
    calls for investigation of Echelon.

    2.2 What are Secretary Cohen's views as a constructive response to
    charges that Echelon and other national technical means are
    offensive military and economic espionage against those from
    whom the US desires defense cooperation.

    3. In the Q&A on the topic of terrorism and encryption, Secretary
    Cohen remarked that the American people will have to decide how
    much privacy they are willing to give up in order to be protected from
    terrorist threats.

    3.1 What are the Secretary's views on how disputes on encryption
    policy could be resolved in light of his calls for closer connection
    between military and economic interests and for international
    cooperation for defense policy.

    Your office has always been exemplary in responding to requests
    for information. Thank you very much.

    Sincerely,

    John Young
    JYA/Urban Deadline
    251 West 89th Street, Suite 6E
    New York, NY 10024

    E-mail: jya@pipeline.com
    Tel: 212-873-8700
    Fax: 212-799-4003

    To: kbacon@pagate.pa.osd.mil
    From: jya@pipeline.com
    Date: November 24, 1999
    Subject: Echelon

    Mr. Kenneth Bacon
    Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs
    1400 Defense Pentagon
    Washington, D.D. 20301-1400

    Dear Mr. Bacon,

    You may recall our inquiry of September 1998 about an
    interview with Secretary Cohen on the impact of project
    Echelon on relationships of trust with allies and others.

    At the time we were informed by your office that nobody at
    DoD was available who was sufficiently informed to discuss
    the topic. We were referred to the National Security Agency
    which was unwilling to provide spokesperson to talk with us.

    In the light of recent reports on Congressional action related
    to Echelon we would be grateful for being notified of any briefing
    which may be arranged by DoD in connection with project
    Echelon.

    Thank you very much,

    John Young
    251 West 89th Street, Suite 6E
    New York, NY 10024
    212-873-8700

    Cryptome
    http://jya.com/crypto.htm

    From: "Bacon, Ken, CIV, OASD/PA" <Ken.Bacon@osd.pentagon.mil>
    To: 'John Young' <jya@pipeline.com>
    Subject: RE: Echelon
    Date: Fri, 26 Nov 1999 21:53:53 -0500

    Right now, we don't plan any briefings.  If that changes, we will
    let you know.  Ken Bacon