ESPIONAGE

The act of securing information of a military or political nature that a competing nation holds se cret. It can involve the analysis of diplomatic re ports, publications, statistics, and broadcasts, as well as spying, a clandestine activity carried out by an individual or individuals working under a secret identity for the benefit of a nation's information gathering techniques. In the United States, the organization that heads most activities dedicated to espionage is the Central Intelligence Agency.

Former State Department Official Charged with Concealing Trip to Taiwan

In September 2004, federal prosecutors charged Donald W. Keyser, a 30-year veteran with the State Department, with deliberately covering up a trip to Taiwan in violation of U.S. policy. Although Keyser was not charged with espionage, the case has presented a number of questions about his interactions with officials from Taiwan.

Since 1979, the United States has maintained a so-called "one China" policy, under which the U.S. only officially recognizes the People's Republic of China in diplomatic relations. Since that time, the U.S. and the Republic of China, Taiwan's official name, have had a difficult relationship. The U.S. has promised to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself but also continues its relationship with the People's Republic of China.

Because China and Taiwan are adversaries, both sides are sensitive to the relationship of the U.S. to the other side. China has reportedly been distressed over the apparent willingness of President George W. Bush to sell arms to Taiwan. Conversely, Taiwan became concerned when Bush stated to China's prime minister, Wen Jiabao, that he would not support a move toward formal independence by Taiwan. Experts referred to Bush's statement as "embarrassing, humiliating for Taiwan." Commentators have also noted that Taiwan has a strong interest in discovering information from the inside of the U.S. government.

Keyser attended the now-defunct Stanford Center of National Taiwan University as a student in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He joined the State Department in 1972 and developed an expertise in Chinese policy. Keyser, who speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese, held positions in China and Japan. He later served in senior positions in the federal government dealing with Asian affairs.

Keyser eventually assumed the position of deputy director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, a part of the State Department. He became embroiled in an internal controversy in 2000, when former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright suspended him for 30 days after an incident involving a stolen laptop computer. The computer reportedly contained sensitive weapons information. Although Keyser's supervisor, J. Stapleton Roy, a U.S. ambassador, said that Keyser was not responsible for the computer's disappearance, Keyser was reassigned after he served his suspension.

As of 2003, Keyser held the position of principal deputy assistant secretary of state. He was heavily involved in American policy in East Asia. According to court documents filed by the

Federal Bureau of Investigation, Keyser visited China on official government business on August 31, 2003. After traveling to Tokyo on official business, he allegedly visited Taiwan on a three-day trip. Because the U.S. and Taiwan do not have diplomatic relations, Keyser could not visit Taiwan on official business without clearance. Reports indicate that Keyser's superior, James A. Kelly, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, would have vetoed any request to visit Taiwan on official business. Because Keyser possessed a top-secret security clearance, he was required to report all of his foreign trips. He did not report the trip to Taiwan through submission of the prescribed form. Other U.S. officials, including cabinet members, have visited Taiwan on non-official business.

Although he failed to report his Taiwan visit, Keyser made no effort to conceal the visit. According to these reports, the U.S. embassy in Tokyo disclosed an official itinerary showing that Keyser would travel via China Air from Tokyo to Taipei, Taiwan. A Washington-based newsletter entitled the Nelson Report noted that Keyser "was clearly making no effort to conceal his trip."

The FBI began to tail Keyser during the spring and summer of 2004. Keyser resigned from his position in the State Department on July 30, 2004. An affidavit filed by the FBI indicated that one day after his resignation, at a Washington, D.C. restaurant, Keyser gave two Taiwanese officials some envelopes "that appeared to bear U.S. government printing." Agents again witnessed Keyser passing the Taiwanese officials a document at a meeting on September 4 at another restaurant. As the three men left the restaurant, the FBI agents stopped them and seized the six-page document. The affidavit indicated that the document contained information "derived from material to which Keyser had access as a result of his employment with the Department of State."

Federal prosecutors filed a criminal complaint against Keyser on September 15, 2004 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria. The complaint only charged Keyser with concealing his trip to Taiwan. Court documents did not indicate whether Keyser had provided any classified documents to the Taiwanese agents, although news reports suggested that additional charges could be filed at a later date. The FBI's affidavit also does not indicate any improper motive on Keyser's part to visit Taiwan or to provide documents illegally to Taiwanese officials. Nothing in the criminal charge indicates that Keyser received money from the Taiwanese government.

Keyser reportedly told the FBI agents that he was sightseeing in Taiwan during this visit there. He did not inform anyone of the trip, including his wife, who is an officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. Experts reportedly expressed surprise that Keyser would visit Taiwan immediately after visiting China. According to a former high-ranking State Department official, "The whole idea that he could take a trip like this that was not authorized while he was deputy assistant secretary is ludicrous to me. People in that position don't just move around anonymously."

Keyser faces a maximum of five years in prison.