COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, WORLD NEWS: The United States' top security agency is denying allegations that the agency is providing valuable intelligence information to U.S. companies. The national security agency's chief made a rare appearance at a public hearing before U.S. lawmakers. CNN's David Ensor has more now from Washington.</s>DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Though U.S. facilities in the north of England and around the world eavesdrop on literally billions of international communications, U.S. spymasters firmly denied on Capitol Hill that they help out American companies against their international rivals.</s>GEORGE TENET, CIA DIRECTOR: I recognize that it is standard practice for some countries to use their intelligence services to conduct economic espionage. But that is not the policy or the practice of the United States.</s>ENSOR: A report to the European parliament charges that the echelon surveillance network shared by the U.S. and other English- speaking countries may have helped Boeing win a Saudi contract over European Airbus and may have helped Raytheon in Brazil against France's Thomson CSF. Specific cases did not come up at the hearing, but the CIA director did say if U.S. intelligence learns a foreign company is cheating, it does not remain silent.</s>TENET: There are instances where we learn that foreign companies or the governments bribe, lie, cheat and steal their way to disenfranchise American companies. When we generate that information, we take it to other appropriate agencies, make them aware of it. They use that information through their other means and channels to see if they can assist and American company. But we play defense. We never play offense, and we never will play offense.</s>ENSOR (on camera): U.S. officials say they don't go looking for bribery either. "We have enough to do," says Tenet, "tracking terrorists and weapons of mass destruction." David Ensor, CNN, Capitol Hill.
U.S. Security Agencies Defend Their Practices