Message posted by Jim on April 19, 2000 at 02:13:45 EST:
Hi all got this email today : *************************************************** Q: Can you say whether any aspect of national security was compromised by the publishing of the photographs on the Internet? Thanks,
( Just read the stuff between the asterisks*, the rest you probably heard before )
= N E W S B R I E F I N G
=
= OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
= (PUBLIC AFFAIRS)
= WASHINGTON, D.C. 20301
====================================================
DoD News Briefing
Mr. Kenneth H. Bacon, ASD PA
Tuesday, April 18, 2000 - 2:00 p.m. EDT
Q: On Area 51, a company yesterday released some Russian satellite imagery of an area that apparently is a classified U.S. test facility known colloquially as Area 51. The question is what sort of security concerns does the department have about the commercial availability of imagery like that?
MR. BACON: Well, since Sputnik, we have operated in a world of overhead surveillance, and we have had more than 40 years to learn how to deal with overhead surveillance.
And we, as most countries in the world, understand that satellites fly around and that they take pictures and we know very precisely when they fly, what their courses are, and we know that about all types of satellites. So I think we've learned to live in a world with satellite surveillance and we will continue to take whatever measures we need to take to protect our dearest activities and secrets.
**************************************************
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These the Images at terrasever.com ?
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MR. BACON: The part that struck me the most about the news coverage of those photographs was the conclusive statement that no aliens were observed near Groom Lake, and I was gratified by that because we've long said that this is not a center for UFO or alien activity. So I was very glad that commercial satellite photos were interpreted by some leading news analyst to make the same conclusion.
Q: But nevertheless, did these compromise any national security? Did it present any national security concerns at all, or is it simply a matter of no information was revealed that was in any way compromised?
MR. BACON: I'm not aware that any information was revealed that compromised our activities.
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Jim
In Reply to: Finally, new satellite pics posted by Crazymaler on April 17, 2000 at 21:36:45 EST:
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