U.S. outrage over the Aldrich Ames spy case mounted Wednesday amid signs that secrets sold to the Soviet Union and Russia led to the deaths of several CIA sources.
The White House called on Russia to move intelligence officers involved in the case out of Washington: "If they don't take action, we will," said spokeswoman Dee Dee Myers.
But despite the strong language, the administration expressed concern about maintaining U.S.-Russian relations.
President Clinton said it's in the United States' best interest to continue "the policy we have followed the last year toward President (Boris) Yeltsin and his government and the forces of change in Russia."
Russian spokesman Anatoly Krasikov also was conciliatory, saying the two leaders "want our relations, which are those of partnership, almost friendship, to remain that way."
But Sen. Dennis DeConcini, D-Ariz., head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, suggested suspending Russian aid while damage is assessed.
And Senate GOP leader Robert Dole of Kansas called the scandal "as damaging as any in U.S. intelligence history."
Ames, 52, a 31-year CIA veteran, and his wife, Maria del Rosario Casas Ames, 41, were charged with conspiracy.
Authorities have "very strong suspicions" information from Ames led to the deaths of U.S. contacts, said retired FBI agent Harry Brandon, who helped with the probe.
"At least two people were executed as a result of Ames' activities," said former CIA official Vince Cannistraro.
Intelligence experts worry:
-- The number of killings could be in double digits. The New York Times reports today that at least 10 Soviet citizens working for the U.S. were executed for treason.
-- That one of two CIA-administered polygraph tests of Ames in nine years might have been misread and officials missed signs of deception.
