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[John Young <jya@pipeline.com>]

   10-5-95. Wash Rag:


   "Congress Debates Adding Smaller Spy Satellites to NRO's
   Menu."

      Top members of the House and Senate intelligence
      committees are carrying on a behind-the scenes debate
      over the nation's spy satellite system, with one group
      arguing that the governmeat could save hundreds of
      millions of dollars by building a new generation of
      small satellites to be launched in place of some of the
      big ones already planned. The Combest group wants to
      start production now of 2,000-pound space vehicles, each
      costing about $100 million and nicknamed "small-sats."


   "$1.6 Billion in NRO Kitty Helped Appropriators Fund Pet
   Projects."

      On the morning of Sept. 21, security men bustled around
      Room H-140 on the first floor of the Capitol, sweeping
      it to ensure that the space was free of electronic
      eavesdropping devices. This year's session turned out to
      be different from any in recent memory. The conferees
      took more than $1 billion from the once-sacrosanct spy
      satellite program of the National Reconnaissance Office
      (NRO) to help make room in the budget to speed up
      purchases of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of
      big-ticket defense items, including the B-2 "stealth"
      bomber.


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