Snowden dad in Russia to see son; NSA chief says leaks to cause deaths MOSCOW, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- National Security Agency secrets-leaker Edward Snowden's father said in Moscow he hoped to see his son, who he said might never return to the United States. At the same time, NSA Director Gen. Keith Alexander said Thursday evening Snowden's leaks would cause people to be killed. Alexander's comments came hours after four former U.S. national security officials said they gave Snowden an award in Russia for "truth-telling." Snowden's father, Lon Snowden, a retired Coast Guard officer from Allentown, Pa., met with reporters outside a terminal at Sheremetyevo International Airport -- the same airport in which his son hid for more than five weeks after fleeing his home in Hawaii for Hong Kong and then fleeing to Moscow before being granted temporary Russian asylum. Lon Snowden was accompanied at the interview by Anatoly Kucherena, Edward Snowden's Kremlin-connected attorney, who is the elder Snowden's official host. "I'm here to learn more about my son's situation," Snowden said, "and I'm thankful, extremely thankful, to the Russian people, President Vladimir Putin and Mr. Kucherena and his staff for the help they have provided my son in terms of keeping my son safe and secure." The elder Snowden said he hoped to see his 30-year-old son soon, explaining it would be their first contact since the leak affair started in May. "I've had no direct contact with my son, despite previous reports," he said, adding: "I am his father. I love my son. Kucherena said the Snowden meeting would take place later Thursday. "There are no limitations on Edward," he said. But it won't be made public. This is tied to concerns about safety. Edward Snowden has been in hiding at an undisclosed Russian location since being granted temporary political asylum Aug. 1. He remains under a significant security threat. "It is not good for the American government for the truth to come out," Kucherena said. The father-son meeting was not confirmed early Friday. In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the younger Snowden was "accused of very serious charges here, and he'll be accorded full due process and protections applicable under U.S. law." She said Snowden needed "to return to the United States to face these charges." In New York Thursday evening, Alexander told a business group focused on national security Edward Snowden's NSA leaks would lead to people being killed. "[Terrorists] listen, they see what has come out in the press and they adjust," Alexander said. The damage caused by the leaks is irreversible, he told the Business Executives for National Security at its 2013 New York Eisenhower Award Dinner. "I believe people will die because we won't be able to stop some of those threats," he said in remarks quoted by The Wall Street Journal. Alexander's comments came hours after the former U.S. intelligence officials -- whistle-blowers from the NSA, FBI, CIA and Justice Department -- said they presented the Sam Adams Award to Edward Snowden for "truth-telling" the night before. The former officials -- Coleen Rowley, Thomas Andrews Drake, Ray McGovern and Jesselyn Radack, all members of the Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence, made up of former national security officials -- told Kremlin-financed RT news channel Snowden appeared in good spirits. Radack, a former Justice Department ethics adviser, said the group asked Snowden if he would do it all over again. His response: "Absolutely," she said. Radack told the network: "I can speak personally and say, we weren't worried about coming into your country -- we are worried about getting back into our own country. And that shouldn't be the case.