MLG HAS NMAC WITH SMA TFC CALLED BY CTLR BUT NOT SIGHTED.

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ON CLBOUT; DEP CALLED TFC AT 9500 FT. HE SAID 'TFC HAS YOU IN SIGHT.' WHEN HE ASKED US IF WE 'HAD' HIM; THE FO ANSWERED 'YOU MEAN THE ONE ON TCASII?' I THINK THE CTLR TOOK THAT TO MEAN; 'YES WE HAVE HIM' (WHEN WE DID NOT HAVE A VISUAL). CTLR DIRECTED A CLB THROUGH TFC'S ALT TO 13000 FT. I WAS SKEPTICAL OF HOW THIS WOULD WORK OUT SO I INCREASED BANK ANGLE TO TURN INSIDE OF TFC WE COULD SEE ONLY ON TCASII. I ALSO STARTED TO LEVEL OFF AS WE LOOKED FOR TFC. TCASII RA DIRECTED 'MONITOR VERT SPD.' I LEVELED AT 9000 FT AND TOLD DEP WE WERE LEVELING IN RESPONSE TO A TCASII RA. APPROX 5 SECONDS AFTER LEVELING; AN SMA PASSED SLIGHTLY TO THE R AND 500 FT ABOVE US! HAD WE CONTINUED CLBING I'M FAIRLY SURE WE WOULD HAVE HIT HIM. WE (FO AND I) WERE 'SHAKING.' AFTER TALKING TO CTLR SUPVR WE THINK THAT: 1) CTLR THOUGHT WE HAD TFC VISUALLY BECAUSE OF FO ANSWER ABOUT TCASII. 2) CTLR KNEW THE SMA HAD US VISUALLY BUT NEVER TOLD SMA TO AVOID US! 3) WE MAY HAVE INITIALLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROB BY CHANGING OUR TURN RADIUS AND CLB VECTOR IN RESPONSE TO OUR SEEING A TARGET ON TCASII. WE FINALLY DID DO THE RIGHT THING IN LEVELING WHEN WE GOT THE TCASII RA. FLT BUR-LAS 9000 FT ON VECTORS FROM DEP TOWARDS PALMDALE VOR.