As we have been hearing....

By John McWethy ABCNEWS.com

Jan. 4  Defense Department officials now acknowledge that there was an intelligence blackout on New Years Eve  and that the Y2K glitch was a big deal.

It was a significant source of information in our national intelligence capabilities, Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre said today. It was not an unimportant dimension. It was a significant dimension.

Sources tell ABCNEWS that for two hours, the United States lost all information from spy satellites that take pictures over places like the Middle East and Russia.

The data was beamed back to Earth, officials say, but computers at Fort Belvoir, Va., could not translate the information, and it was lost forever.

Temporary repairs were begun quickly, but it took two days to complete the job.

Reporters were told New Years Eve that there were no Y2K glitches. Wouldnt Have Admitted Problem

Today, Hamre said he did not know at the time there was a problem, but he made it clear, even if he had, he probably would not have leveled with reporters.

I mean, we were at a global alert for potential terrorist activity around the world, he said. Forgive me for being disrespectful, but if its trying to respect your right to file a story and my responsibility to protect the country, Im going to protect the country.

Hamre insisted that although the failure was big, the impact on American security was not.

Officials elsewhere in the government say that at the time, they did not know what they were dealing with. It was, they say, a very bad night.

-- Jennifer Bunker (Salt Lake City, Utah) (jen@bunkergroup.com), January 05, 2000

Answers

After reading this it makes a person wonder what else don't we know? What other little tidbits of information will we not receive because it is the responsiblity of the the government to protect the country. Is it possible that there might have been and are still problems occurring? Hmmmm.....

-- Linda Curtis (Traainman@aol.com), January 06, 2000.

You mean the government lies to us?!! And for our own good?!

I find it shocking that people still find that shocking. Do the words Cambobia, JFK, MLK, Mk-Ultra, Gulf of Tonkin, Irancontra, ad infinitum rng a bell?

-- Elias Kiki (kikicat23@yahoo.com), January 11, 2000.

What? The government lies? Next you'll tell us that TV wrestling isn't real.

-- David L. Nunn (Ke5sn@cs.com), January 15, 2000.