LETTER TO GEORGE J. TENET FROM JULIAN C, DIXON RE BOMBING OF CHINESE EMBASSY IN BELGRADE

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0001081861
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: June 22, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 17, 2009
• Case Number: F-2000-00007
• Publication Date: June 7, 1999

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ALCIC HASTN.OS, n-ORIOA
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June 7, 1999
The Honorable George J. Tenet
Director of Central Intelligence
Washington, DC 20505
Dear George:
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JOHN L MILUC. S7Aq OIMc:TOA
"T"" I. MQM*.I CNIf1, COUNSEL
MICHAEL W SHCEHY. OIMOCAATIC COUNS[L
Last Friday (June 4) morning, Committee staff, putting together
background and briefing materials for this Thursday's dosed briefing on-the
bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, were advised that their scheduled
meetings with Intelligence Community personnel for later that day had been .
cancelled at the request of John Moseman. When advised by staff of this, the
Committee staff director called John to seek an explanation. John indicated that
you had directed that the Committee was not to receive further briefings on the
completed investigations carried out by the various agencies in the Intelligence
Community or to be given access to individuals who participated in the targeting
or who were knowledgeable of the specifics until you had had a chance to review
the CIA Inspector General's (IG) report on the matter. When asked for the
justification for this embargo, John advised that you felt it was the DCI's right, as
head of the Intelligence Community, to review the issue and reach his own
conclusions prior to having the oversight committees delve into the matter. John
did offer that the, embargo on our oversight should be lifted by dose of business
today, assuming you had had a chance over the weekend to review the IG
report.
We are writing to share with you our strong disagreement with this claim
of a new and totally unacceptable Da'right," which has to our knowledge never
been asserted before. In recent years the Committee has on numerous
occasions carried out Its oversight - including interviewing Intelligence
Community officials who carried out Independent Investigations and who were
participants In the matter In question - at the same time and even prior to the
IG's investigations. Indeed, In several investigations the Committee has
independently interviewed subjects of IG investigations and required status
reports from the IG (something that has not been requested on this-occasion).
If we were to accept this new "right" as a precedent, it would mean that the
Committee's schedule for investigations and oversight would henceforth be held
APPROVED FOR
RELEASE^DATE:
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hostage to the schedule of the IG and the DCI's review of the IG's final report -
a process that has taken, in some cases, two years or more.
Finally, we must advise you of our disappointment that this "right' has
been raised at all in this case. The bombing took place one month ago on May
7. It is a serious matter demanding our oversight Nonetheless, we have - at
your request -- twice postponed public hearings on the events leading up to the
misidentification of the embassy building. We have shown our reasonableness
and had every reason to expect your full cooperation. It does not give us the
confidence we normally have in your openness to oversight to have staff
fact-finding efforts, undertaken at our express direction, obstructed and delayed
just three days before our closed hearing.
We ask that you lift immediately the embargo on Committee oversight.
We wish to make it clear that we do not concur with the claim of a "right" to
prevent the Committee's gathering information in this matter or similar matters
and do not agree that its assertion in this instance is a precedent for future
actions.
Best regards,
biter T. Goss Ju ' n C. Dixon
Chairman king Democrat