Counterintelligence - Espionage - Spy Case

Name	KEYSER, Donald W. aka Don
Employer	US Department of State
Dates of Employment	Submitted resignation papers from US Department of State in July 2004. Retired from the state Department on 30 September 2004.
Employee Type
Job Title/Duties	Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs   Highly regarded as a China analyst. Keyser, a Foreign Service officer for three decades, speaks fluent Mandarin and is knowledgeable about the former Soviet Union.   Keyser had been one of several State Department officials disciplined in 2000 in connection with the disappearance of a laptop computer containing secret information from the office of the then-secretary of state, Madeleine Albright. He was assigned at the time to the State Department's Intelligence and Research Bureau but then reassigned to the office of the director general of the Foreign Service.   President Clinton gave Keyser the rank of Ambassador in 1999: The President announced today his intent to nominate Donald W. Keyser for the Rank of Ambassador as Special Negotiator for Nagorno-Karabakh and New Independent States Regional Conflicts. Mr. Donald Keyser, of Fairfax Station, Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, joined the Foreign Service in 1972. Since August 1998 he has been serving as Special Negotiator for Nagorno-Karabakh and New Independent States Regional Conflicts. His two immediately preceding assignments were as Senior Inspector, Office of Inspector General, and as Office Director in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Previously, Mr. Keyser's career has focused sharply on East Asia policy analysis, formulation and management. He served three times at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing (l976-78, 1989-83, 1989-92), and three times, including as director (1993-95), in State's Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs. He served twice at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo (1979-81), 1985-88), and chaired studies of Japanese policy issues while serving in Washington during 1992-93. As a participant in the Department's Pearson Program, Mr. Keyser was special advisor to Hawaii Governor Ariyoshi from 1981-82.  White House Press Release, 16 Apr 99   Served in Beijing three times, had been the State Department's director of Chinese and Mongolian affairs, and held the rank of ambassador as a special  negotiator for conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh and former Soviet republics.
Military Rank
Clearance Level	TS/SCI
Spying For	Taiwan (Republic of China)
Codename
Spying Dates
Co-conspirators	Isabelle Cheng aka Cheng Nian-Tzu) Born 17 Sept 1970 Intelligence Officer Taiwan's National Security Bureau
Methodology	Unauthorized possession of 3,659 classified documents (28 Top Secret/some SCI; 1,976 Secret; 1,655 Confidential) in hard copy and electronic form at his home.
Possible Motivations, Problems	Keyser was a married man who had affair with an intelligence officer of a foreign country.
Finances
Identified/ Investigation
Arrest Date/Location	Wednesday, 15 September 2004
Charges	Count One: Admitted he was in unauthorized possession of 3,659 classified documents (28 Top Secret/some SCI; 1,976 Secret; 1,655 Confidential) in hard copy and electronic form at his home. Count Two and Three: Admitted he lied to State Department investigators about his relationship with a female Taiwanese intelligence (Isabelle Cheng) officer by falsely denying that he had engaged in conduct with her which may make him vulnerable to coercion, exploitation or pressure from a foreign government. Also admitted that he lied on a US Customs Declaration form in September 2003 by not listing Taiwan as a country that he had visited, when, in fact, he had just spent three days in Taiwan.
Court
Lawyers	Keyser's attorney: Robert Litt
Status	Keyser pleaded guilty on 12 December 2005. He was ordered released on $500,000 bond, but had to surrender his passport and has to wear an ankle bracelet, a monitoring device to make sure he does not leave the area. 22 January 2007: Sentenced today to 12 months and one day in prison, payment of a $25,000 fine, and three years of supervised release for the unlawful removal of classified material from the Department of State, and for making false statements to the government.   "Mr. Keyser had an absolute obligation to safeguard the classified information entrusted to him and utterly failed to do so. His sentence of imprisonment is a warning to others in positions of public trust."--US attorney Chuck Rosenberg
Date/Place of Birth	Born 17 July 1943, Baltimore, Maryland
Citizenship	US
Residences	Fairfax Station, Virginia
Education	Keyser received his B.A., Highest Honors, from the University of Maryland in 1965. He subsequently attended the Stanford Inter-University Center in Taiwan (1968-70), and completed all PhD requirements excluding the dissertation at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. (1965-66 and 1970-72). He graduated from the National War College in the class of 1989. He speaks and reads Chinese fluently.
Family	Fourth wife is CIA employee
Other Employment	Began his career with the CIA.
Additional Bio
Documents	Keyser Affidavit [.pdf]   Keyser Arrest Warrant [.pdf]   Keyser Bond/Conditions of Release [.pdf]   DOJ News Release (12 Dec 05) [.pdf]   Breach of Plea Agreement Memo (5 Jul 06)   Keyser's Motion denying allegations (14 Jul 06)   Sentencing News Release (22 Jan 07)
Quotes	KEYSER QUOTES   "I'm glad if the background helped. By now you know that, as we say, 'your wish i my command.' All you need to do is ask, and I will do my best to reply quickly, fully and helpfully. No matter the subject, whether official or personal. Anything."--23 May 04 email from Keyser to Cheng   "I'll take this to be my tasking for tomorrow evening--to find out from Amb Chan whether the Embassy had made a deliberate decision regarding participation by both sides of the Strait."--2 Aug 04 email from Keyser to Cheng re a diplomatic reception the next day at the Singapore Embassy   "This is the kind of person who is ripe for recruitment by careful, methodical serious intelligence agencies. In the days of the Cold War, Soviet and East German intelligence officers were quite practiced at identifying people like this, people who did not wake up one day and say "I want to be a traitor" but people whose relatively minor weaknesses and ego gratification needs made them potential targets."--8 May 04 email from Keyser to Cheng re a former Foreign Service Officer he knew who was working at a think tank   "After two years of sharing thoughts--and increasingly intimate thoughts--I can no longer imagine how it could be otherwise...I mentioned long ago that you were incredibly easy (for me) to talk to."--1 Aug 04 email from Keyser to Cheng   QUOTES from others   "The hardest thing to understand is that the word 'integrity' comes to mind when I think of Don Keyser. There is a long history of Taiwanese espionage against the United States, that is not in doubt. What is most peculiar and hard to believe is that Don Keyser would have been recruitable."--Chas Freeman, who worked alongside Keyser at the embassy in Beijing   "He is an absolutely superb specialist on China and a fine Foreign Service officer. I've never had the slightest reason to question his loyalty to the United States." --J. Stapleton Roy, a three-time U.S. ambassador who was Keyser's boss when Keyser was deputy director of the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research   "The information the FBI has regarding Keyser's visit to Taiwan last year is exceedingly detailed. The National Security Bureau does not exclude the possibility that such detailed information was provided by an inside source, and the NSB is going to conduct an overall investigation of special agents placed by the US in Taiwan. When Keyser 'secretly' visited Taiwan last year, even former minister of foreign affairs Eugene Chien didn't know of the visit. Yet the US had a clear picture of the visit, which shows that there must be some sort of communication channel between our internal operation and the US." --Senior Taiwan National Security Bureau official
Case Links	US State Department   FBI website   About Taiwan Intelligence   About Taiwan Bureau of Investigation   Taiwan Bureau of Investigation website   Taipei Economic Cultural and Representative Office   Potowmack Landing Restaurant   Donald Keyser's March 2, 2004 testimony to Senate panel   U.S. State Department proposes to discipline 6 in case of missing laptop   State Department to punish 6 over missing laptop   China hands' lament   TIMELINE   16 Apr 99: President Clinton gives Keyser the rank of ambassador. Press Release   Dec 2000: Keyser one of several State Department officials disciplined in connection with the disappearance of a laptop computer containing secret information from the office of the then-secretary of state, Madeleine Albright.   2 Sept 2003: Traveled from China to Tokyo, official business with unauthorized three-day side trip to Taipei he did not report. Met with Taiwanese intelligence officer Isabelle Cheng.   [Later polygraph on this travel revealed "deception indicated" when Keyser answered no to "Did you meet with anyone other than Isabelle Cheng in Taiwan? Did you ever illegally provide classified information to any foreign intelligence service?"]   31 Aug 2003: Keyser traveled from the United States to China, official business   29 May 2004: Train trip to New York City with Isabelle Cheng (aka Cheng Nian-Tzu), and intelligence officer from Taiwan's National Security Bureau   July 2004: Resigns from State Department   July 2004: Meeting with Cheng and her supervisor, Michael Huang (aka Huang Kuang-hsun) at Potowmack Landing Restaurant in Alexandria, VA. The Taiwanese intelligence agents were stationed at the Taipei Economic Cultural and Representative Office on Wisconsin Avenue in Washington, DC.   Aug 2004: Met twice with same Taiwan contacts in Washington   4 Sept 2004: Met with same Taiwan contacts at Potowmack Landing Restaurant in Alexandria, VA. FBI agents stopped them as they were leaving.   15 Sept 2004: Arrested by FBI   12 Dec 2005: Plead guilty   22 Jan 2007: Sentenced to year in prison
BOOKS

News:

NSB clarifies 'not involved' in intelligence work in United States

…The NSB issued a statement in response to a report in the local daily China Times that Donald Keyser, a former senior U.S. State Department official, became acquainted with Cheng in Washington and Keyser was sentenced to imprisonment of one year and one day earlier this year. The bureau said that a U.S. court had not convicted Keyser of espionage charges in a case involving Cheng from Taiwan. Court records showed that the former American official was sentenced for illegally removing classified documents without reporting to authorities in accordance with due process…As for Cheng, they said she had voluntarily tendered resignation for family reasons and the bureau respects her decision. But the bureau stressed that it still provides necessarily assistance to Cheng whenever is needed…..(China Post, 16 Oct 07)

Spy Sex Case Is Tale of Lust and Incaution

…Isabelle Cheng left her post at Taiwan's de facto embassy in Washington abruptly in 2004, soon after FBI agents confronted her over her contacts with a veteran State Department official, Donald Keyser. In a tearful interview Saturday, Ms. Cheng, 37, defended her alleged paramour. "He's a very patriotic person and now his pension is all gone. The outside world has trouble understanding his situation and where he's coming from," Ms. Cheng told a Chinese-language newspaper, China Times. Keyser, who served as the deputy chief of the State Department's East Asia bureau, pleaded guilty to three felony charges relating to storing thousands of classified documents at his home and making false statements to government officials about his relationship with Ms. Cheng. Prosecutors publicly discussed filing espionage charges in the case, but never did so. The ex-official was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison and is scheduled to be released in January……(New York Sun, 15 Oct 07)

Ex-Taiwan spy denies alleged links with a former senior US official

…Isabelle Cheng, a former agent of Taiwan's National Security Bureau in Washington D.C., burst into tears when she discussed the alleged links, which led to the arrest of Donald Keyser in September 2004, according to the mass-market China Times daily. Keyser, a State Department veteran of 30 years service, was sentenced to one year in jail January on charges of concealing his personal relationship with Cheng and of unauthorized possession of classified documents. The China Times quoted Cheng, 37, as saying in an interview in Taipei that misleading news reports about the spy incident unfairly caused damage to Keyser and herself. "He (Keyser) was such a patriotic person… She denied the Taiwanese spy agency ever used sex to help gather intelligence…..(AP, 14 Oct 07)

Former federal official sentenced

Former top State Department official Donald Willis Keyser, 63, of Fairfax Station, was sentenced to a year and a day in prison, payment of a $25,000 fine and three years of supervised release for taking classified information from the State Department and lying to investigators about his relationship with a foreign intelligence agent….(Times Community, 24 Jan 07)

Keyser sentenced over affair with Taiwanese agent

A US federal court on Monday sentenced former State Department official Donald Keyser to a prison term of 12 months and one day, plus two years of subsequent supervised release, in a case that stemmed from Keyser's illicit relationship with a Taiwanese intelligence officer, Isabelle Cheng Nien-tsu (程念慈)...In sentencing Keyser, Ellis said he took into account more than 50 letters supporting Keyser and attesting to his character….(Taipei Times, 24 Jan 07)

MOFA 'glad' U.S. court rules in favor of officer from Taiwan

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it was glad that a U.S. court had not convicted a former senior State Department official of spying charges in a case involving an intelligence officer from Taiwan….(China Post, 24 Jan 07)

Jail Sentence For Diplomat In Spy Case

A longtime high-ranking official at the State Department was sentenced to just over a year in jail yesterday for keeping thousands of classified documents at his home and for lying about his personal relationship with a younger Taiwanese diplomat. In late 2005, the former deputy chief of the State Department's East Asian and Pacific Affairs Bureau, Donald Keyser, pleaded guilty to three felony charges stemming from an investigation into his contacts with the Taiwanese agent, Isabelle Cheng. Judge Thomas Ellis of Alexandria, Va., imposed the sentence after a lengthy hearing yesterday. According to court records, the judge ordered Keyser to spend a year and a day in jail and two years on supervised release, and to pay a fine of $25,000….(New York Sun, 23 Jan 07)

Former State Official Gets 1 Year Over Documents

…Prosecutors said Donald W. Keyser possessed far more unauthorized classified documents than any government employee ever prosecuted by the Justice Department. Keyser, 63, is one of the nation's leading experts on China and was a top adviser to Colin L. Powell, former secretary of state….(Washington Post, 23 Jan 07)

State Dept. Diplomat Gets Prison Time for Affair

A former top State Department official was sentenced to a year in prison Monday for mishandling classified documents and concealing his relationship with a female intelligence officer from Taiwan......(AP, 23 Jan 07)

Ex-Department of State Official Donald Keyser Sentenced in Classified Info Case

Donald Willis Keyser, age 63, of Fairfax Station, Virginia, was sentenced today to 12 months and one day in prison, payment of a $25,000 fine, and three years of supervised release for the unlawful removal of classified material from the Department of State, and for making false statements to the government. Chuck Rosenberg, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae), made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge T.S. Ellis, III…..(DOJ, 22 Jan 07)

U.S. will not pursue spy charges against Keyser

Federal prosecutors are no longer seeking to bring more serious charges, including possible espionage charges, against a former top U.S. diplomat who admitted mishandling documents and giving false statements. Donald Keyser, 63, of Fairfax, Virginia, admitted that he concealed from his superiors a relationship with a Taiwanese intelligence officer and struck a plea bargain with prosecutors in December 2005….(AP, 17 Dec 06)

U.S. Drops Plans For More Charges In Taiwan Spy Case

Federal prosecutors in Virginia have dropped plans to bring new charges against a former top State Department official at the center of an investigation into alleged Taiwanese espionage. A veteran Asia expert, Donald Keyser, pleaded guilty a year ago to mishandling classified documents and lying about his intimate relationship with a Taiwanese intelligence agent, Isabelle Cheng. Earlier this year, prosecutors accused him of being uncooperative in debriefings and asked to be released from the plea deal so that they could seek additional charges against him… prosecutors said in a court filing yesterday that they had conducted an additional debriefing of Keyser on Tuesday and no longer wanted permission to bring new charges….(New York Sun, 14 Dec 06)

Justice Dept. Aims To Block Taiwan In Spy Probe

The Justice Department is urging a federal judge to block an unusual attempt by Taiwan to prevent the use of its diplomatic cables in the prosecution of a Virginia man who was one of the State Department's top Asia experts….(New York Sun, 5 Oct 06)

In a Reversal, Taiwan Officials Seek To Block U.S. Spy Investigation

…Last month, Taiwan's mission in Washington, known as the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, asked a federal judge to order the return of documents that one of the office's intelligence officers, Isabelle Cheng, turned over to the FBI in 2004. Ms. Cheng surrendered the records as American investigators explored her relationship with a senior State Department official, Donald Keyser….(New York Sun, 28 Sep 06)

Heritage Foundation Official Fingered as Possible Spy Recruit

Prosecutors contend that a former State Department official at the center of an espionage investigation, Donald Keyser, urged Taiwanese intelligence agents to recruit a Heritage Foundation Asia employee as a spy. Keyser identified a senior research fellow at the conservative think tank, John Tkacik Jr., as "ripe for recruitment" in a May 2004 e-mail to a Taiwanese intelligence agent with whom Keyser had an intimate relationship, Isabelle Cheng…(New York Sun, 14 Aug 06)

Alleging Lack of Cooperation, Prosecutors Seek to Void Plea in Classified-Document Case

Late last year, one of the nation's leading experts on China stepped to the lectern in an Alexandria federal courtroom and admitted to crimes that stunned the Washington diplomatic community. Donald W. Keyser pleaded guilty to keeping numerous classified documents in his Fairfax County home and to concealing his relationship with a Taiwanese intelligence agent….(Washington Post, 6 Aug 06)

E-mails detail ex-diplomat's ties to Taiwanese spy

…The documents provide further detail about the relationship between Donald Keyser, 63, of Fairfax, who previously had been the second-ranking official in the State Department's East Asia bureau, and Isabelle Cheng, 35, an official with Taiwan's intelligence agency, the National Intelligence Bureau. Keyser pleaded guilty last year to concealing his relationship with Miss Cheng. He may face additional espionage-related charges, as federal prosecutors claim he violated his plea bargain by withholding information….(AP, 23 Jul 06)

Revelations of Spy Links Set Taiwan Abuzz

A veteran State Department officer takes up with a beautiful Taiwanese spy. FBI agents observe them in intimate circumstances in the man's car. He gives her the lowdown on a crucial U.S.-China summit meeting. Those are only a few of the sultry details in a U.S. government memorandum that have riveted this island nation of 23 million.....(AP, 20 Jul 06)

MOFA hopes Keyser case won't harm Washington ties

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it will keep a close eye on the Donald W. Keyser case in the United States and hopes it will not hinder Taiwan-U.S. ties in the future. The former high-ranking State Department official admitted having a relationship with a female Taiwanese intelligence agent. Keyser, former principal deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, pleaded guilty in December 2005 to charges that he lied about his relationship with the agent, Isabelle Cheng, failed to disclose a trip he took to Taiwan in 2003, and kept 3,659 classified documents at his home without permission. ....(Taiwan News, 19 Jul 06)

Official at Center of Taiwanese Spying Probe Cries Foul

… Over the weekend, Time magazine reported that Keyser's wife, Margaret Lyons, is a senior Central Intelligence Agency official on loan to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte. Court papers indicate that Ms. Lyons knew of at least some of the classified documents Keyser had at their Virginia home….(New York Sun, 17 Jul 06)

A Steamy Spy Scandal at the State Department

…Federal prosecutors say vaunted State Department Asia hand Donald Keyser sent Cheng long e-mails detailing his conversations with Chinese President Jiang in Texas. At some point, prosecutors say, the spy became his lover, and Keyser was caught lying to hide the affair — and hoarding classified documents in his suburban Washington home. Facing jail and with his marriage threatened, Keyser cut a deal, promising to tell all he knew about Taiwan’s intelligence operations. But then the tale of the diplomat, his spook paramour and his wife — also a spy — got even weirder….(Time Magazine, 15 Jul 06)

A Novel-Like Tale Of Cloak, Dagger Unfolds in Court

…The unusually-detailed account is part of the government's effort to withdraw from a plea agreement it reached last year with one of the State Department's highest ranking Asia experts, Donald Keyser. Keyser pleaded guilty in December to charges that he lied about his relationship with the Taiwanese agent, Isabelle Cheng, and concealed a visit he made to Taiwan in 2003. The American diplomat also admitted to keeping thousands of classified documents at his Fairfax Station, Va., home.  Prosecutors contend Keyser, 62, breached the agreement by failing to cooperate in discussions aimed at assessing the damage his activities may have caused to national security…(New York Sun, 14 Jul 06)

U.S. prosecutors seek withdrawal from plea deal with diplomat

…Donald W. Keyser struck a plea bargain in December with prosecutors in which he admitted to making false statements to investigators about his relationship with Isabelle Cheng, 34, an official with Taiwan's intelligence agency, the National Intelligence Bureau. The only explanation offered Friday by prosecutor David Laufman is that Keyser failed to fulfill his end of the plea bargain by making false, misleading or incomplete statements to prosecutors about his actions.  It is unclear what new charges prosecutors would seek to bring….(AP, 25 Jun 06)

Keyser to face spy charges, US prosecutors say

US federal prosecutors said Friday that they plan to bring new charges that are espionage-related against Donald Keyser, a former State Department official who last year pleaded guilty to lying about having an improper relationship with a female Taiwanese intelligence officer based in Washington, and who faces up to 13 years in prison for that and other charges…..(Taipei Times, 25 Jun 06)

Secret Document Case May Affect US-Taiwan Relations
Relations between the United States and Taiwan may be affected by a case involving a former senior State Department official who removed classified documents and had a "personal relationship" with a Taiwanese spy, Taiwanese lawmakers have been told…..(CNS News, 14 Dec 05)

Confusion over Keyser deepens

A week after it broke, the Donald Keyser story still has the army of Taiwan and China experts and policymakers scratching their heads for answers to the many questions the case has raised. And it is likely to take until Oct. 13, when the preliminary hearing in the FBI's criminal complaint against Keyser takes place, for the answers to begin to become apparent……….(Taipei Times, 23 Sept 04)

US 'may be using spy scandal as warning'

There is more to the recent Taiwan-US spy scandal than meets the eye. Analysts here say Washington, increasingly vexed by President Chen Shui-bian's repeated moves to provoke China, played up the incident as a veiled warning to the pro-independence Taiwanese leader.……….(Strait Times, 23 Sept 04)

Keyser case shows blurred relations

Although he was expected to take over the chairmanship of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), Donald Keyser, a former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs, has suddenly been charged with secretly flying to Taiwan and passing documents to Taiwanese intelligence agents. ……….(Taipei Times editorial, 23 Sept 04)

Keyser's Taipei Trip Not Confidential: NSC Official

A visit to Taipei last September by Donald Keyser, former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs, was not confidential, a senior National Security Council (NSC) official said Wednesday. NSC Deputy Secretary-General Parris Chang made the remarks in response to press inquiries while attending a cocktail reception marking the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's 18th founding anniversary. Claiming that Keyser "uprightly" visited Taipei in September 2003, Chang said Taiwan's immigration authorities stamped clear arrival and departure stamps in Keyser's passport when he entered and left the country and that his visit was not secret……….(Taiwan Central News Agency, 22 Sept 04)

Visit unrelated to Keyser flap: Chen

………Meanwhile, Chris Cockel, husband of Isabella Cheng, one of the two agents who met with Keyser, yesterday sent a letter to Washington-based Taiwanese correspondents urging them to verify facts before writing stories. Cockel, the China Post's correspondent in Washington, expressed frustration over the media's rampant insinuations that the NSB used his wife as bait to get information from Keyser and that Cheng had an affair with the former US official. Cockel and Cheng were married in July, and the newlyweds recently returned from their honeymoon..………(Taipei Times, 22 Sept 04)

Error of Judgment

The FBI alleges that a veteran U.S. diplomat met with agents from Taiwan. What were they up to?…….(Time, 21 Sept 04)

Taiwan-U.S. ties unchanged, says MOFA minister

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen reaffirmed Monday that relations between Taiwan and the United States are intact after the arrest of a former senior State Department official for concealing a trip to Taiwan last year……..(Taiwan Central News Agency, 22 Sept 04)

Taiwan frets over US 'spy crisis'

When the news of the arrest of senior US diplomat Donald W Keyser first broke in Taiwan, the results were comical. A series of sensational articles ran in Chinese-language dailies reporting everything from love triangles to a political purge in the US State Department of pro-China figures, according to some reports, and of pro-Taiwan figures, according to others………(Asia Times, 22 Sept 04)

Mystery Taiwan woman in US spy storm named

A MYSTERIOUS Taiwan woman intelligence officer who accompanied a former senior US diplomat on an unauthorised trip to Taiwan has been identified by the island's media. Ms Chen Nien-tzu, 34, a Taiwan National Security Bureau agent based in Washington, has been known only as Foreign Person One by US intelligence officials........Keyser had passed documents to Ms Chen and her boss, identified by as Lieutenant General Huang Kuang-hsun - the island's highest-ranking intelligence officer posted to the US………………(Strait Times, 20 Sept 04)

Keyser trip unofficial but hardly secret, sources say

Former US diplomat Donald Keyser's trip to Taiwan last year was undertaken with the tacit -- but unofficial -- approval of US State Department officials, according to US sources and a newsletter quoting a government document. "Don was in Tokyo last summer and we knew he was heading for Taipei," the newsletter, called the Nelson Report, quotes a message from the US Embassy in Japan as saying. The private newsletter, which circulates to US embassies containing items of interest to diplomats involved with Asian affairs, continued: "The unclassified itinerary drawn up [by the US Embassy in Tokyo] clearly says `17 July, Thursday 940: Depart China Air for Taipei.'"……….(Taipei Times, 20 Sept 04)

US capital a magnet for foreign spies

……The cases are alarming enough, in that two men in sensitive positions may be betraying their country. But together they also highlight one less well-known fact: Espionage against the US is increasing, rather than decreasing, in the post-cold-war era, experts say. Because the US has become the sole dominant military and economic power in the world, friends and foes alike want access to more information than the US readily shares with them……….(Christian Science Monitor, 20 Sept 04)

Taiwan won't recall intelligence agents

Taiwan has no plans to recall two of its United States-based intelligence officers who the FBI says met with a former top-level American diplomat accused of making an unauthorized trip to the island………(AP, 20 Sept 04)

NSB expects probe over diplomat flap

The National Security Bureau (NSB) recently began conducting lie detector tests of its personnel regarding the leaking of the president's schedule and security arrangements. Now, due to the furor surrounding the "secret" visit to Taiwan by former US State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Donald Keyser, a senior level official in the NSB has disclosed that there is speculation that the NSB's security has been penetrated, and there will be another series of lie detector tests to check if personnel have been leaking information. ……….(Taipei Times, 20 Sept 04)

Taipei minister to visit US over spy scandal, say reports

Taiwan is sending its foreign minister to the United States on a damage-control visit after a US government official was accused of passing documents to Taiwanese agents………(Strait Times, 20 Sept 04)

Lawmaker ties Beijing reshuffle to Taiwan-U.S. espionage case

Legislator Sun Guo-hua of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) yesterday said that the initiative taken by the U.S. government to expose the alleged espionage case involving a former State Department official was intended to help Chinese President Hu Jintao take over the military leadership from his predecessor Jiang Zemin………(China Post, 20 Sept 04)

Evidence suggesting CIA working in Taiwan

Spy movies are an all time favorite for many filmmakers because it’s a genre that most people enjoy, and always has a solid fan base. But in the real world, intelligence missions are always hush-hush. The shocking Keyser case has been generating a lot of speculation and allegations of espionage, but did you know that there is evidence suggesting that the CIA has been collecting information in Taiwan, as well?………(ET Today, 20 Sep 04)

Whereabouts of female intelligence agent unknown

With a top U.S. official, Donald Keyser being arrested by the FBI, it’s been discovered that Chen Nian-tsu, a NSB intelligence agent based in Washington, was one of the agents to whom Keyser handed documents to. At the age of 33, Chen is said to hold an exemplary service record until now………..(ET Today, 19 Sept 04)

Officials pull spy team from US

A senior government official confirmed yesterday that the National Security Bureau (NSB) has taken urgent damage control measures after the media exposed the Donald Keyser incident, saying that among other measures the agency had recalled crucial intelligence agents from the US……….(Taipei Times, 19 Sept 04)

Officials move to play down Keyser scandal

A former senior U.S. diplomat, accused of making an unauthorized trip to Taiwan, is unlikely to have passed on secret documents to Taiwanese intelligence officers with whom he allegedly met. Nevertheless, a top Taiwanese security official said Taipei's intelligence network in the United States would be restructured as a result of the case………..(eTaiwan News, 19 Sept 04)

Spy rumors make minister rush to US

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen made a rushed departure for the US and Grenada ahead of schedule late on Friday night in the wake of allegations that former US State Department official Donald Keyser had passed confidential documents to Taiwanese intelligence agents and concealed a trip to Taiwan, the ministry announced……….(Taipei Times, 19 Sept 04)

Former Powell Aide Denies Spy Charge, Associates Say

A former senior State Department official at the center of accusations over possible Taiwanese espionage has told associates that he never passed any classified information to contacts from Taiwan, the associates said Friday……….(New York Times, 18 Sept 04)

The Murky Keyser Affair

State Department officials were mum last week about the arrest of former senior official Donald W. Keyser, a China expert who's been accused of concealing a trip last year to Taiwan……….(Washington Post, 18 Sept 04)

Arrest Shocks Former State Department Colleagues

Donald W. Keyser developed a reputation as a brilliant and erudite expert on Asia in a career than has spanned more than three decades in the State Department………..(Washington Post, 17 Sept 04)

U.S. Says Diplomat Quit Post, Then Met With Taiwan Agents

former senior State Department official charged with trying to conceal a prohibited trip to Taiwan last year resigned from the government on July 30 and then met with two Taiwan intelligence agents the next day……….(New York Times, 17 Sept 04)

U.S. Espionage Probe Focuses on Ex-Diplomat

For three decades, his peers in the world of U.S. diplomacy have looked on Donald W. Keyser as the consummate professional. He dazzled them with his knowledge of East Asia and impressed them with his dedication to his craft. One top China hand at the State Department referred to him as "my hero." ……….(Los Angeles Times, 17 Sept 04)

Charged Former U.S. Official 'Friend Of Taiwan': Official

A former senior State Department official who has been charged by the United States with concealing a trip to Taiwan last year was lauded Friday by Vice Minister of National Defense Micheal Tsai as someone friendly to Taiwan………(Taiwan Central News Agency, 17 Sept 04)

Taiwan to cooperate with U.S on ex-State official spy case

Taiwan had nothing to hide and would fully cooperate with U.S authorities on handling a case relating to a former top State Department official charged with concealing a trip to Taiwan, a government spokesman said yesterday…………(China Post, 17 Sept 04)

Taiwanese defend contact with top State official

Taiwanese officials yesterday denied any wrongdoing in the arrest of a former top State Department official charged Tuesday with concealing a trip to Taiwan and accused in court papers of passing documents to two Taiwanese intelligence agents.……….(Washington Times, 17 Sept 04)

Ex-U.S. Official Charged With Concealment

A former top-level State Department official illegally took a secret, unauthorized trip to Taiwan last year and met with Taiwanese intelligence officers……..(AP, 16 Sept 04)

Ex-U.S. Official Accused of Lying About Taiwan Trip

A former senior State Department official has been charged with concealing a trip to Taiwan a year ago when he met with a Taiwanese intelligence officer………(Reuters, 16 Sept 04)

Taiwan Denies Wrongdoing in Ex-U.S. Diplomat Meetings

Premier Yu Shyi-kun said on Friday that Taiwan intelligence officers had held secret dealings with a former senior U.S. diplomat but denied that the government had committed any wrongdoing………(Reuters, 16 Sept 04)

Ex-U.S. Official Accused of Lying About Taiwan Trip

A former senior State Department official has been charged with concealing a trip to Taiwan a year ago when he met with a Taiwanese intelligence officer.....(Reuters, 16 Sept 04)

Former diplomat charged in secret Taiwan trip

......Donald W. Keyser, a 30-year veteran at the State Department, was charged Wednesday with deliberately concealing from his superiors that he took a four-day trip to Taiwan last September. Federal law requires an individual with Keyser's security clearances to report all foreign travel......(AP, 16 Sept 04)

Delicate Diplo Docs Divulged?

......A criminal complaint charges that Keyser made "a materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statement and representation." Keyser is not charged with espionage and the government has made no formal allegation that he mishandled secrets.......(CBS/AP, 16 Sept 04)

State Department Official Accused of Concealing Trip to Taiwan......(VOA, 16 Sept 04)

State Dept. Official Arrested in Inquiry on Taiwan Contact

A longtime Foreign Service officer at the State Department, who until recently was a ranking official on East Asian affairs, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with concealing a trip to Taiwan, and is suspected of improperly passing documents to Taiwanese intelligence agents. The diplomat, Donald W. Keyser, appeared in federal court in Alexandria, Va., and was charged with making a false statement to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a government background check. …………(New York Times, 16 Sept 04)

Powell Aide Gave Papers To Taiwan, FBI Says

A former high-ranking State Department official who is one of the nation's leading experts on China passed documents to Taiwanese intelligence agents and was charged yesterday with concealing a trip to Taiwan. Donald W. Keyser, who was elevated to principal deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs this year, made the trip last year, according to an FBI affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria. Keyser, 61, who advised Secretary of State Colin L. Powell on China issues, met with one of the agents in Taipei last September during an official trip to China and Japan, the affidavit says……….(Washington Post, 15 Sept 04)