SOVIET DENIES U.S. EMBASSY HEALTH RISK

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88B01125R000300120095-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 10, 2012
• Sequence Number: 95
• Publication Date: February 19, 1976
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

I Iii IIII11 L 1
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/05/10: CIA-RDP88B01125R000300120095-7
NEW YORK TIMES
19 February 1976
jSoviet Denies, U.S. E.~mbass Health Risk
to T.*.e yea Fori nine: Itioning of radio and television'is not expert in these things
MOSCOW. Feb. IS - The stations. other means of corm ? that the use of such installa-
newspaper Izvestia said today"munication and some industrial tons may be a source that
that Soviet and American repre-;enterprises," Izvestia said. increases the general level of
sentativeshad made jointchcck,. "In L . cities its level can the electromagnetic field above
for radiation at the United t!ucttlate in various districts-and on the premises where
States Embassy in Moscow aid of the city depending on lire they are installed.
had found no danger to health. presence of some or over in-,` Izvestia expressed the view
The Government paper did:dustrial enterprises. There is:tint the at;egations, which be-
not deny the presence of mi- nothing unusual about it. It'csr,!e known after embassy em-
crowave etrission's nor did it; is a physical phenomenon plot ees had been briefed by
explicitly refute allegatons that-known to every schoolchild." 'Ambassador Walter J. Stoessel
the emissions were linked toi The paper commented: Jr., had been leaked to the
Soviet devices to monitor con-: _."The building of the U.S..pre;s by sources "that.,pppose
versations in the Embassy. The Embassy is equipped like a the course of maintaining and
issue of bugging was not men-iship with numerous antennas eva;oping good, normal rela-
tioned. rand large-sized installations. It:t:or; between the U.S.S.R. and
?Ae!.-aA eRnn* ft~n !,,, e, . J. -. _
IO days ago.
PAB - 77
Unofficially, embassy sources,
have told some reporters that
microwave radiation, whose bi-
ological effects are little
known, had been detected on
.the up,re- floors of the nine-sto-
ry embassy building, concen-
trated on the ambassador's of-
fice and other key areas. Radia-
tion was also reported found
in some ap^rtrnents in the com-
plex occupied by embassy em-
ployees and their families.
'A Strange Sensation'
The microwaves are believed
to act:vote or recharge batter-
ies in bugzin gdevices con-
cea!ed in walls, floors and ceil-
ings. Another theory is that
the waves are directed against
windows to pick up voice vibra-
tions on the glass and transmit
them some distance to a re- I
ceiver and amplifier.
According to some reports.
the United States has discussed
the issue with the Soviet Union,
hoping to resolve it quietly.
One American official said last
week that such asolution was
possible.
Without addressing itself to
the question of monitoring, Iz-
vestia denounced such reportsI
as "a strange sensation.."
"Needless to say, all this
Is a trumped-up story from
beginning to end," the paper'
declared.
It suggested that the emis-
sions could come from various
sources.
"A certain eI rctromagnetici
!field may develop in the funs-
tide and the reported checks,
a spokesman for the United
States Embassy replied "no
comment," maintaining the pol-
icy of silence imposed on the
embassy by Washington when
the issue first became public
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/05/10: CIA-RDP88BO1125R000300120095-7 _ _~_?