It’s a mid-1990s Crypto Wars wire story: the FBI trying to keep strong encryption treated like a munition. **What you’re looking at** An Associated Press piece, datelined Washington, headlined *“Encryption codes may aid criminals.”* FBI Director **Louis Freeh** is testifying to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee against bills that would **lift U.S. export controls** on crypto software. Those controls lived in the ITAR “munitions” list: selling PGP-grade products overseas without a license was treated like exporting weapons. **The scare example** Freeh points to **Ramzi Yousef** — on trial in New York for the **Bojinka** plot (11 U.S. airliners) and charged as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing mastermind. Agents seized a laptop in Manila with encrypted files. This article says the FBI “hasn’t been able to crack them.” Later official accounts said the files **were** decrypted, after months, and included plot details. So the clip is the public-safety pitch in real time, not the final forensic record. **The policy fight** Clinton’s line was **key escrow** (Clipper and its cousins): export strong crypto only if a spare “key” sits with a third party (bank, insurer) so police with a warrant can unlock it. Freeh’s money quote: the Internet “was never intended as a place without police officers.” **The other side in the same clip** - Sponsors of the export-relief bill: U.S. software will lose the world market, and privacy from “unwarranted government intrusion.” - **Sen. John Ashcroft** (R-Mo.): no point building a better product if you can’t sell it. - **Roel Pieper**, Tandem Computers: criminals already have the tools; the ban only hurts U.S. industry. Crypto was already downloadable and sold in U.S. stores. **What happened next** Freeh lost the big one. By 1999–2000 Clinton relaxed export rules; industry shipped strong crypto worldwide. The same argument came back as “going dark” under Comey, then as device unlock fights. The clipping is that first round in newsprint.