The Nation - News from June 26, 1988

Defnse Department and FBI investigators are probing the thefts of two small computers on two consecutive nights from the Pentagon offices of the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, a tightly controlled security area. Pentagon officials who asked not to be identified said the theft of one privately owned computer and one government-owned computer occurred two months ago and appeared to be “an inside job.” The thefts did not compromise any classified programs, but they were troubling because of the emphasis placed on physical security by the group responsible for the “Star Wars” program, the sources added. Investigators believe an SDI employee with the proper door-security card and clearances entered the basement complex through the main doors, where a guard was on duty, but then left with the computers through another security door.