CBS News A Division of CBS Inc. 524 West 57 Street New York, NY 10019 Vice President Hard News and Special Events June 1, 1994 Dear Mr. Shi: Your letter to Eric Ober, regarding Connie Chung's report about the threat of Chinese government spying on U.S. concerns, has come to my desk for a response since I am Vice President of Hard News and Special Events. On May 19th, we reported the Chinese Ministry of State Security has recruited hundreds of ordinary Chinese citizens to steal U.S. military, technological, trade and computer secrets. This, according to the United States Defense Information Agency in Washington. Within our report, we also presented concrete examples of this having occurred (including the arrest of a Chinese restaurant owner in North Carolina, charged with trying to buy parts for two jet fighter planes.) Between 1986 and 1993, one in eight of all illegal export enforcement cases closed by U.S. Commerce Department involved the People's Republic of China. Security experts have told CBS News that many of the spy cases uncovered are then hushed up and the suspects deported, so the problem may be even greater than we reported. Our report was responsible and important. We stand by it. In doing this story, we in no way intended to suggest that the recruits represent anything other than a minority of the Chinese population in this country and we do not believe that we, in any way suggested otherwise. Furthermore, we have led network coverage of those brave, freedom-loving Chinese who have fought government repression. We have risked censorship, and worse, to bring those stories to the American public. However, our job is to bring ALL stories to the attention of the public, even those that may make some viewers uncomfortable, That is the very definition of a free press. If damage IS done because of our reporting on the Chinese government's effort to spy on American institutions and American business, it is the fault of bigoted viewers who draw subjective conclusion from objective reporting. We wish we could control that, but we can't. Sincerely, Signed