61.   In Colombia, which boasts the most brutal military in the hemisphere, American embassy officials have said they cannot always tell where all their military aid goes.

62.   In Dar es Salaam, embassy officials said they did not know who was behind the bombing.

63.   In addition, embassy officials tried to dissuade reporters from writing articles by spreading rumors that Carmos once had been seen with a drug trafficker.

64.   In private, several embassy officials said, Bushnell had been functioning well on the job, running staff meetings with her usual mix of humor and intensity.

65.   In the first six months of this year, according to the former embassy official, he virtually never appeared at the embassy.

66.   It could have been faked, embassy officials told her.

67.   Lucas, the German embassy official, said he is convinced the changeover will go smoothly.

68.   Meanwhile, U.S. officials confirmed that informal contacts are underway between Japanese automakers and U.S. embassy officials in Tokyo on ways to resolve the thorny dispute.

69.   Nevertheless, embassy officials decided to plunge ahead, and requested permission from the State Department to do so.

70.   On learning of the trial date, the U.S. Embassy urged China to release Fang and drop the charges, an embassy official said.