DATE=6/14/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=SENATE-NUCLEAR SECRETS (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-263488
BYLINE=DAVID SWAN
DATELINE=CAPITOL HILL
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Investigators are to start giving lie-detector
tests today (Wednesday) at a U-S nuclear weapons lab
at Los Alamos (New Mexico) to find out if missing
secrets were simply lost or were stolen. Meanwhile,
the Clinton administration faces new political fallout
from the affair. V-O-A's David Swan reports.
TEXT: The case has given Republicans another chance
to attack what they call a shameful record of security
breaches. At a Senate hearing, Intelligence Committee
Chairman Richard Shelby laid the blame on Energy
Secretary Bill Richardson, whose department oversees
the laboratory.
/// Shelby Act ///
Perhaps if the secretary would spend more time
ensuring the safety of our nation's nuclear
treasures and less time trying to get the vice-
president elected president, we would not be
here today.
/// End Act ///
Mr. Richardson has been mentioned as one possible
running mate for Vice President and Democratic
presidential nominee Al Gore. The secretary declined
to appear at the hearing.
But other officials admit mistakes were made when two
computer hard drives full of secrets turned up
missing. The chief of the Los Alamos lab, Dr. John
Browne, described how staffers found the devices gone
from a secure vault last month.
/// Browne Act ///
It was at that point that they noticed that
these hard drives were missing. Mistake number
one: they did not pick up the phone and call me
or anybody in my chain of command.
/// End Act ///
The lab was then threatened by wildfires, which may
have caused confusion. Still, it took more than three
weeks before senior officials were informed and the
investigation began. Six Los Alamos managers have
since been suspended. The Senate has confirmed an Air
Force general as head of a new organization to run all
the nuclear labs.
At the White House, spokesman Joe Lockhart urged
critics not to jump to conclusions.
/// Lockhart Act ///
I think that those who want to point the finger
of blame should take a deep breath. We should
find out the facts here. As I said yesterday,
there are some very troubling questions here.
But we need to find out whether this is an
isolated incident or we need to find out whether
it's more broad.
/// End Act ///
But even members of the president's own party are
worried. One Democratic senator (Richard Bryan) says
the drives may turn out to be merely misplaced - but
that for now, lawmakers must assume and fear the
worst. (Signed)
NEB/DS/JP
14-Jun-2000 15:10 PM EDT (14-Jun-2000 1910 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
