Bush Presidential Papers Prove Clinton is Lying About China-Satellite Policy
It was NOT George Bush Policy to Sell China Sensitive Military Technology
Mary Mostert, Analyst, Conservative Net
John Diamond of the Associated Press repeated the charge that "both parties are involved in China-satellite policy." He claims in today's AP article: "In the heat of a presidential campaign, Al Gore called President Bush an "incurable patsy" for allowing China to launch U.S. commercial satellites. The same policy, now Clinton's, has the Clinton-Gore administration embroiled in federal and congressional investigations."
Only it was NOT George Bush's policy to sell China sensitive military technology. In the last days of the 1992 campaign Al Gore charged: ""President Bush really is an incurable patsy for these dictators he sets out to coddle." With the help of the AP the Clinton Administration has made a deliberate to lump export of non-military communications satellites made in America for nations like Sweden and Australia, but launched on Chinese missiles, into the same kind of technology give-away as practiced by Bill Clinton during and after the 1996 Campaign Finance give-away.
George Bush did not allow trade in highly sensitive technology which would improve the military capability of China. President Bush's Presidential Papers show that on February 26, 1989 President George Bush said in a press conference:
"We will advance technology to China as much as we possibly can under what is known as the COCOM [Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Security Controls - COCOM] arrangement. There are some highly sensitive, highly sophisticated military technologies that I'm not even sure China is interested in, but that we are prohibited from exporting under the law. Having said that, we have exported some highly sophisticated technology to China, and as President, I want to continue to do that. And that will benefit the life of the average Chinese citizen."
He was referring to the launching of communications satellites by China in cooperation with other nations, including Australia, and Sweden. The COCOM arrangement was allowed to expire in 1994 under Clinton and changed to a policy jointly controlled by Russia and the United States
In December 1989 George Bush approved the launch of three communications satellites built in America for Australia:
"Statement by Press Secretary Fitzwater on the Licensing of Communications Satellites for China
December 19,1989
"The President today reported to the Congress that it is in the national interest of the United States to authorize licensing for three U.S.-built AUSSAT and AsiaSat satellites for launch on Chinese-built launch vehicles.
"The Prime Minister of Australia has urged the President to take this action, emphasizing both the importance for Australia of the AUSSAT program to develop telecommunications and broadcasting services in Australia on a national basis and its consistency with Australia's own measures regarding China. Australia is a good friend and an important ally of the United States, and the timing of the licenses is critical to the success of the program. AsiaSat is to provide similar and badly needed telecommunications services to several friendly countries in Asia.
"The sale of the three satellites represents approximately $300 million worth of business for U.S. firms. The satellites are civilian communications satellites, to be controlled after launch by companies based in Australia and Hong Kong. This action is therefore consistent with the President's expressed determination, in imposing sanctions last June, to maintain commercial relations with China."
These were communications satellites which were approved for launch on request of the Australian Prime minister and controlled by companies in Australia and Hong Kong. They did not involve military secrets or campaign contributions to the Bush campaign.
A year and a half later, the Chinese asked President Bush to waive export rules on another project, this one involving U.S. satellite components to China for a Chinese domestic communications satellite, the Dong Fang Hong 3 (DFH-3). He did not approve the request for that license.
Statement by Press Secretary Fitzwater on Restrictions on U.S. Satellite Component Exports to China April 30, 1991
The President has decided not to approve a request to license the export of U.S. satellite components to China for a Chinese domestic communications satellite, the Dong Fang Hong 3 (DFH-3). The President made this decision because certain activities of Chinese companies raise serious proliferation concerns.
The United States has undertaken a major worldwide effort to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, particularly to regions of instability. We take this issue very seriously, and the President's decision not to approve satellite licenses in these circumstances underscores the importance attached to nonproliferation.
The United States is currently engaged in an intensive dialog with China on proliferation issues, aimed at encouraging China to observe internationally accepted guidelines on missile and missile-related technology exports. The Chinese Government has stated that it will be prudent and responsible in its sale of missile technology. We will be discussing our concerns about the activities of the Chinese companies involved in Dong Fang Hong with the Chinese Government.
U.S. satellites, their components and associated technologies are included in the U.S. Munitions List and require licenses for export to controlled destinations, including China. Under sanctions contained in the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, FY 1990-91, licensing of these exports is prohibited unless the President determines it to be in the national interest. Given our proliferation concerns, it would not have been appropriate to waive the legislative prohibition for the Dong Fang Hong.
At the same time, the President decided that it is in the national interest to waive legislative restrictions on exports for two other projects, AUSSAT and FREJA, that will launch satellites from China. The two U.S.-built AUSSAT satellites will provide needed communications services for our ally Australia. The President had previously waived legislative sanctions against launches from China for AUSSAT, but the project required additional export licenses. The President was concerned that we live up to our earlier commitment to allow Australia to proceed with this project. The Swedish FREJA satellite, a small scientific satellite, will be used by civilian atmospheric researchers in the U.S., Sweden, Canada, Germany, and Finland.
On June 16, 1991, President Bush refused another request by the Chinese for missile technology and for supercomputers:
Statement by Press Secretary Fitzwater on Constraints on Trade With China June 16, 1991
"The President has implemented his decision announced on May 27, 1991, to impose constraints on high technology trade with the People's Republic of China as a result of actions by entities in the P.R.C. to transfer missile technology to other countries. The President decided that the significant risks to U.S. security interests posed by these missile transfers require the imposition of limits on the sale of high performance computers. In addition, the President will not waive sanctions that prohibit the transfer of U.S. technology for satellites launched on Chinese rockets. Finally, we are taking steps to impose sanctions on certain firms in the P.R.C. that have contributed to missile proliferation.
During the 1992 Election Campaign, Al Gore, who helped write the law which required the waivers for trade with China, charged that George Bush was allowing China to "violate fair pricing agreements." These policies were renegotiated under the Clinton administration as part of the treaties allowing foreign launches without safeguards.
Speaking Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., charged that the Clinton administration weakened interagency safeguards that Bush used to keep militarily sensitive technology out of China's hands.
"So the guards came down, and it became easier to transfer information that might be militarily sensitive to countries like China," Thompson said. "And now even our own Department of Defense apparently thinks that on one occasion, our national security was affected."
Clinton waived China sanctions even though federal prosecutors said the waiver might imperil their investigation into whether Loral and Hughes Electronics gave China missile information in 1996. Justice has also pursued allegations the Defense Technology Security Administration squelched staff opposition to the waiver. Served with a federal subpoena seeking documents, the Pentagon agency says it is cooperating fully.
COCOM (Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls) was the agency which managed the export controls - until 1994, when it expired. At the time Bill Clinton and his then Democrat Congress wanted a new agency in which "The United States and Russian governments " would control exports, rather than just the United States. The new group, called the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) replaced COCOM (Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls).
By October 1996 Clinton had signed the bill HR 3230 that requires the President to authorize "sales by the United States Government to friendly countries having sufficient wealth to maintain and equip their own military forces at adequate strength, or to assume progressively larger shares of the costs thereof, without undue burden to their economies, in accordance with the restraints and control measures specified herein and in furtherance of the security objectives of the United States and of the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter."
The bill still required that the technology go to "friendly" nations. What has occurred apparently is Clinton designating China as a "friendly" nation entitled to any American military or trade secrets. Is China "friendly" because it contributed heavily to the reelection of William Jefferson Clinton? Why did the people of Iraq celebrate in the streets of Baghdad after the election of Bill Clinton?
The bottom line is simply this: George Bush did NOT approve the unlimited trading of sensitive military information and technology to Europe. George Bush did NOT approve the sale of super computers which allowed the Chinese military machine to now accurately aim missiles at U.S. Cities.
But Bill Clinton did, apparently in exchange for campaign contributions. That technology appears to have been used not only to point missiles at America but also for improved nuclear bomb technology.
To Comment: mmostert@waveshift.com
Excerpts from the Bush Presidential Papers reprinted from the American Freedom Library (CD-ROM) Published by Western Standard Publishing Company, 801-426-3614
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