Irate MPs finger think-tank chief as defence letter leak

The director of a defence think-tank has been accused of leaking a letter from an Army officer advocating a covert strategy to give the Army greater influence over the Government.

Labour MPs in Parliament yesterday named Dr David Dickens, director of the Centre of Strategic Studies, as the source of the leak.

The letter was tabled in Parliament by Opposition Leader Jenny Shipley during a snap debate on last week's damning report from Auditor-General David Macdonald into the $677 million purchase of LAV3 armoured personnel carriers for the Army.

Dr Dickens last night denied he leaking the letter, written during the previous Government's term, or even seeing it.

But he confirmed that his centre has been told it will receive no more Government money after this year.

The centre, established in 1993, receives financial support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Force.

Last night, Defence Minister Mark Burton accused Dr Dickens of having "blatant links to the National Party". But the minister denied having any role in decisions about the centre's funding. The heads of the three state agencies made their own decisions, he said.

Dr Dickens said he did not know why the money had been cut. But he had "seen it coming" some months ago and scaled back to three people.

He hoped the centre, part of Victoria University, could survive on a reduced scale by winning research contracts from other sources.

In Parliament yesterday, the Prime Minister accused Dr Dickens of receiving "buckets-full of leaks" and passing them to the National Party.

Another Labour MP, David Benson-Pope, went further, telling the House Dr Dickens was visiting Defence Headquarters last Friday at the same time as certain documents "improperly and inexplicably exited the building" and found their way into the public domain.

Last night, Dr Dickens said: "It is a curious image, isn't it? Academic smuggles himself into the place and steals document. I can say categorically that I didn't.

"What I can say is that if I ever got a letter like that I would have leaked it automatically."

The letter's author, Colonel Ian Gordon, could face a defence inquiry ordered by the Government.

Helen Clark told the House that the Chief of Defence Force, Air Marshal Carey Adamson, and his legal staff were studying the letter to establish whether any offence had been committed.

The letter suggested targeting Maori MPs, select committee members, civilian defence officials, sympathetic personnel in other services and academics.

"The purpose of the intelligence campaign is to identify individuals and groups ... who can further the Army's cause or are particularly obstructive towards it."