Toshiba-Kongsberg scandal
Several countries of the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls (CoCom) member nations had illegally exported to the Soviet Union machine tools that could be used in combination with the Kongsberg numerical control (NC) devices made in Norway in violation of the CoCom agreement during the Cold War.[1]
The involvement of Toshiba in this scandal was disclosed in May 1987. There was a significant fallout from the revelation as it was feared that American military secrets had been disclosed. Three Republican members of Congress symbolically struck a Toshiba radio set with a sledgehammer.[2]
Details
The machine tool that combined with the Norwegian numerical control (NC) device and was exported to the Soviet Union. (based on the Norwegian Police Service report.)
| Year | Kongsberg company The type of the NC device | Machine tool manufacturers | Country | The number of the spindles of the simultaneous control | Number | At the carrying destination | Usage |
| 1974 | CNC300 | Sajo | Sweden | 3 | 1 | Stankoimport(1) | ? |
| 1975–1976 | CNC300 | GSP | France | 5 | 23 | Stankoimport(23) | ? |
| 1975–1976 | CNC300 | Forest | France | 4-5 | 9 | Leningrad(4) | Feather for turbines, Model propeller |
| Baltic shipyard(3) | Screw | ||||||
| Kiev(2) | Screw, Propeller feather | ||||||
| 1977–1985 | NC2000 | Sheath | West Germany | 2 | 7 | Leningrad(7) | Atomic energy machinery |
| 2 | 10 | SUMY(4) | Atomic energy machinery | ||||
| ?(1) | ? | ||||||
| Volgodonsk(5) | Atomic energy machinery | ||||||
| 3 | 24 | Volgodonsk(21) | Atomic energy machinery | ||||
| SUMY(2) | ? | ||||||
| Leningrad(1) | ? | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | Leningrad(3) | Feather for turbines, Other Unknown | ||||
| Volgodonsk(1) | Atomic energy machinery | ||||||
| Kazan(1) | ? | ||||||
| 1979–1981 | NC2000 | Delice | West Germany | 2 | 12 | Volgodonsk(8) | Atomic energy machinery |
| Aleksin(4) | ? | ||||||
| 1981 | NC2000 | Donauwerk | West Germany | 3 | 2 | ?(2) | ? |
| 4 | 2 | ?(2) | ? | ||||
| 1976–1985 | NC2000 | Innocenti | Italy | 3 | 25 | Volgodonsk(25) | Atomic energy machinery |
| 1983–1984 | NC2000 | Forest | France | 5 | 10 | Leningrad(9) | Feather for turbines, Other Unknown |
| Sverdlovsk(1) | Feather for turbines | ||||||
| ? | 3 | Volgodonsk(3) | Atomic energy machinery | ||||
| 1979–1984 | NC2000 | Toshiba Machine | Japan | 3 | 1 | Volgodonsk(1) | Atomic energy machinery |
| 5 | 4 | Baltic shipyard(4) | Screw | ||||
| 9 | 4 | Baltic shipyard(4) | Screw | ||||
| 1980 | NC2000 | KTM | United Kingdom | 3 | 2 | China(2) | ? |
References
- ↑ Wende A. Wrubel "The Toshiba-Kongsberg Incident: Shortcomings Of COCOM, And Recommendations For Increased Effectiveness Of Export Controls To The East Bloc" American University Journal of International Law and Policy 4(24) 241-273 (1989)
- ↑ Heale, M. J. (April 2009). "Anatomy of a Scare: Yellow Peril Politics in America, 1980–1993". Journal of American Studies. Cambridge University Press on behalf of the British Association for American Studies. 43 (1): 29. ISSN 1469-5154. JSTOR 40464347. (subscription required (help)).
Further reading
- Sontag, Sherry; Drew, Christopher; Drew, Annette Lawrence (2000). Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage. William Morrow Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0-06-097771-9.
- 春名(Haruna), 幹男(Mikio) (1993). スクリュー音が消えた: 東芝事件と米情報工作の真相. 新潮社(Shinchosha). ISBN 978-4-10-394501-7.
- 熊谷(Kumagai), 独(Hitori) (1988). モスクワよ、さらば: ココム違反事件の背景. 文藝春秋(Bungeishunju). ISBN 978-4-16-342060-8.