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DATE=2/7/2000 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=COHEN - C-I-A (L-ONLY) NUMBER=2-258930 BYLINE=JIM RANDLE DATELINE=WASHINGTON INTERNET=YES CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: Defense Secretary William Cohen says he may soon cut off all access to military secrets for a former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency who is accused of carelessly handling sensitive information. V-O-A's Jim Randle reports. TEXT: If Defense Secretary Cohen revokes the one-time spymaster's last clearance, John Deutch will have to get his information from a newspaper rather than classified documents. Mr. Deutch was the number-two civilian at the Defense Department before he was named C-I-A director in 1995. After he left that post the next year, he was been accused of working on extremely sensitive information on an unguarded home computer, for university research and to advise contractors. Some experts say using that computer for e-mail and Internet access might have given a skilled spy some of America's most closely-guarded secrets. Mr. Deutch has declined to testify to a congressional committee on the matter. Last August, the C-I-A cut off most of Mr. Deutch's access to secrets, and Pentagon officials also cut off one of his three clearances at that time. Monday, Mr. Cohen disclosed for the first time that Mr. Deutch still has a clearance to see some Pentagon information on industrial topics, including some data classified Top Secret. Mr. Cohen says legal officials at the C-I-A are briefing Pentagon officials on evidence in the case, and he may revoke Mr. Deutch's last clearance. The Defense Secretary says the information should have been shared some time ago. /// COHEN ACT /// I think it should have been done sooner. But it was not. They are now accelerating the transfer of this information to the D-O-D (Department of Defense) so that we are in a position to make a judgment. /// END ACT /// Mr. Cohen's complaint echoes those of congressional critics of the C-I-A, who say the agency dithered (waited) for months before taking action to cut off the clearances. Mr. Cohen says there is no evidence that any secrets were actually lost, or that Mr. Deutch did anything to deliberately jeopardize security. (Signed). NEB/JR/TVM/gm 07-Feb-2000 22:11 PM EDT (08-Feb-2000 0311 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .