ACCESSION NUMBER:00000
FILE ID:96070905.NNE
DATE:07/09/96
TITLE:09-07-96  SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING ON BOMBING JULY 9

TEXT:
(Specter calls for comprehensive investigation) (600)
By Saadia Siddique
USIA Staff Writer

Washington -- The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence called for a
concentrated intelligence effort to correct any deficiencies that may
be uncovered in examining the June 25 bombing in Saudi Arabia.

Senators Arlen Specter (Republican - Pennsylvania) and Bob Kerrey
(Democrat - Nebraska), chaired the July 9 hearing to which three
witnesses were invited to testify.

Specter told the witnesses that the committee will investigate the
matter and call for an inquiry of the Pentagon. He also asked for
intelligence support for counter terrorism programs.

Kerrey echoed the same concerns. "The committee has a significant role
in the investigation of this bombing and in the correction of the
intelligence deficiencies that may be uncovered," he said. However, he
pointed out avoiding "a rush to judge or condemn without all the
facts." It is vital that the U.S. should keep the 'big picture' [the
United State's mission in the Gulf region] in mind," he said.

He added, "The most important question for our committee to ask is, is
America dedicating the intelligence resources necessary to this
terrorist target, so we can have the knowledge we must have to attack
and destroy this group and punish its nation-state sponsor, if there
is one."

Several witnesses testified on what lessons could be learned from this
and past terrorist attacks.

Mick Trainor, former Deputy Chief of Operations for the Marine Corps
during the Beirut Bombing, outlined three immediate lessons. He said
this attack proves that intelligence work is deficient and the threat
of the bombing was overlooked. Consequently, he suggested that
proactive and passive steps need to be taken.

Asked if he could give any special insights on U.S. relations with
Saudis, Trainor said that any intelligence work needs to take into
account cultural differences. He stressed that it is important to get
troops that are exposed out of these positions and that comfort and
leisure should be secondary to safety. Trainor said this was a key
factor which was over looked in Dhahran.

Admiral Robert Long, chairman of the Long Commission which
investigated the bombings in Beirut, said that the recent bombing is
indicative of an alarming worldwide phenomenon. He said that the U.S.
needs to attack the terrorist groups themselves and the political
organizations and states which sponsor them.

"This is a wake-up call for the Department of Defense and I would urge
Secretary Perry to convene an independent commission," he said. He
added that he hoped this commission would look at the effectiveness of
intelligence work on a broad range of issues or the result will be an
increase in terrorism.

Former Defense intelligence officer for the Middle East, Col. Pat
Lang, said the United States must ask for cooperation from the Saudis
or else it is being denied the opportunity to acquire intelligence. In
this matter, he said the U.S. has to be very careful in what type of
people it hires to do intelligence work. "We need people who
understand the cultural differences between the two countries and who
can look into future events...we can't have bureaucrats doing
intelligence work," he said.

Lang also stressed that the U.S. military needs to realize that Saudis
view them as "visitors" and therefore will be reluctant to give them
access to information. However, he stressed that the two countries
"need each other," especially since the Gulf War where Saudi Arabia
was dependent on our military assistance. "The U.S. should demand that
our interests be met and we should abandon the assumption that you
can't push the Saudis too far," he said.
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