U.S. Withheld Arms to Greece During NATO Security Probe

The Clinton administration cut off arms sales to Greece early this month because of suspicions in the Pentagon that the Greeks had supplied secret NATO aircraft jamming codes to Russia, according to administration officials and other sources.

A Defense Department team went to Athens last week to investigate the allegations and concluded that the suspected transaction did not occur, State Department and Pentagon officials said. The team found “no compromise of technology whatsoever,” a source close to the investigation said.

However, some members of Congress who have been briefed on the alleged transaction are not satisfied, aides said. They are planning to press for more information.

The allegations against Greece aroused concern at the highest levels of the Clinton administration, officials said. If the Greeks did make the alleged technology exchange with Russia, it would be a serious breach of NATO security. It would also jeopardize the ability of U.S. companies to participate in a planned $17-billion modernization of the Greek armed forces, officials said.