Sam Gibbons: “Americans awoke this morning with a number of new questions on their minds, beginning with why would the Clinton…”

“Americans awoke this morning with a number of new questions on their minds, beginning with why would the Clinton administration switch the responsibility for satellites from the Department of State to the Commerce Department? Both the State Department and Defense Department were against this move. They knew these communication satellites were one of America's most sensitive military and intelligence gathering technologies. Even the former Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, wrote to the President that these sophisticated communication satellites held technology secrets that could jeopardize, and I quote, ``significant military and intelligence interests of America.'' Was Secretary Christopher reluctant because he understood the importance of the built-in encryption equipment that interprets the ground controller's instructions; or was it because he knew that similar encryption systems were used to communicate with America's spy satellites? Did the Commerce Department in any way understand that anyone who could crack these codes could take control of these satellites themselves? Did anyone care? Was there some other issue driving this change? America deserves to know the answers to these questions, Mr. Speaker.”