DATE=03/09/99
TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP
NUMBER=6-11182
TITLE=CHINESE NUCLEAR ESPIONAGE AT LOS ALAMOS
BYLINE=ANDREW N. GUTHRIE
TELEPHONE=619-3335
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS
CONTENT=
INTRO: THE U-S ENERGY DEPARTMENT HAS FIRED A CHINESE-AMERICAN
SCIENTIST SUSPECTED OF PASSING NUCLEAR SECRETS TO CHINA MORE THAN
A DECADE AGO. THE SCIENTIST WAS DISMISSED (MONDAY) FROM HIS JOB
AT LOS ALAMOS NUCLEAR LABORATORY IN NEW MEXICO FOR ALLEGED
SECURITY VIOLATIONS. REPORTS IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL AND,
MORE RECENTLY, THE NEW YORK TIMES, HAVE CARRIED ALLEGATIONS OF
CHINESE ESPIONAGE, WHICH REPORTEDLY ALLOWED CHINA TO DEVELOP A
MUCH SMALLER, MORE POWERFUL, NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR ITS MISSILES.
NOW, THE NATION'S PRESS IS DEMANDING A FULL INVESTIGATION OF THE
CHARGES. WE GET A SAMPLING NOW FROM ___________________ IN
TODAY'S OPINION ROUNDUP.
TEXT: THE ENERGY DEPARTMENT SAYS THE EMPLOYEE -- IDENTIFIED IN
NEWS REPORTS AS WEN HO LEE -- WAS FIRED BECAUSE HE FAILED TO
PROPERLY SAFEGUARD CLASSIFIED MATERIAL AND HAD BEEN IN CONTACT
WITH PEOPLE FROM A SENSITIVE COUNTRY. NO CRIMINAL CHARGES HAVE
BEEN FILED AGAINST HIM. /// OPT /// WHAT IS INFURIATING SENATORS
AND NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL BOARDS, IS THE FACT THAT THE SERIOUSNESS
OF THE THEFTS DID NOT APPARENTLY RING ALARM BELLS AT THE
HIGHEST LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT. AND THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF
INVESTIGATION IS BEING ACCUSED OF NOT PURSUING THE CASE
AGGRESSIVELY AT THE BEGINNING. /// END OPT /// CHINA HAS
DISMISSED ALLEGATIONS IT STOLE U-S NUCLEAR SECRETS, CALLING THEM
UNFOUNDED RUMORS.
TO GET AN IDEA OF HOW ANGRY THE U-S PRESS IS ABOUT THIS, WE TURN
FIRST TO "THE NEW YORK TIMES."
VOICE: /// OPT /// IT IS ALARMING TO DISCOVER THAT LAX SECURITY
AT THE LOS ALAMOS NUCLEAR WEAPONS LABORATORY IN THE
MID-1980'S MAY HAVE LET CHINA STEAL SECRET DESIGNS FOR
ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST COMPACT NUCLEAR WARHEADS. IT IS
ALSO TROUBLING TO LEARN THAT THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION
DID NOT REACT VIGOROUSLY ENOUGH WHEN IT FIRST HEAD OF
THIS POSSIBLE BREACH OF NATIONAL SECURITY NEAR FOUR
YEARS AGO. SOME ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS SUGGEST ...
THE WHITE HOUSE MAY HAVE MINIMIZED THE CASE TO INSULATE
ITS GOAL OF IMPROVING RELATIONS WITH BEIJING. /// END
OPT /// ... AFTER THE CASE [OF SPYING] WAS LAID OUT FOR
MR. [NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER SAMUEL] BERGER IN JULY
1997, THE WHITE HOUSE SHOULD HAVE EXAMINED WHETHER ITS
CHINA POLICY WAS DESENSITIZING WASHINGTON TO CHINESE
EFFORTS TO ACQUIRE MILITARY TECHNOLOGY THROUGH ESPIONAGE
AND TRADE. THE WHITE HOUSE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ESPECIALLY
VIGILANT BECAUSE ITS HANDLING OF CHINA WAS ALREADY UNDER
SCRUTINY BY CONGRESS AFTER ALLEGATIONS OF ILLEGAL
CHINESE CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS IN 1996.
TEXT: IN NEW ENGLAND, "THE BOSTON GLOBE" LAMENTS THE ALLEGED
PENETRATION WITH THESE THOUGHTS:
VOICE: /// OPT /// CHINA'S RECENTLY DISCLOSED USE OF ESPIONAGE
TO DEVELOP MINIATURIZED NUCLEAR WARHEADS SUGGESTS MANY
FLAWS IN U-S COUNTERINTELLIGENCE THAT NEED TO BE
CORRECTED. THERE HAS BEEN A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF
CONFUSION, HOWEVER, ABOUT THE PROPER LESSONS TO DRAW
FROM THIS LAPSE OF SECURITY. /// END OPT /// ... THERE
IS NO EXCUSE FOR LOS ALAMOS'S LAX SECURITY, WHICH DATES
BACK TO THE REAGAN AND BUSH ADMINISTRATIONS. THERE CAN
ALSO BE NO JUSTIFICATION FOR THE DILATORY BEHAVIOR OF
THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION ENERGY DEPARTMENT, WHICH WAS
FIRST ALERTED TO THE CHINESE PENETRATION ... IN 1995.
TEXT: THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE FINDS THE REVELATIONS BOTH ASTONISHING
AND WORRISOME AND GOES ON TO WRITE:
VOICE: /// OPT /// IT IS ASTONISHING -- AND WORRISOME -- THAT
IT TOOK NEARLY A DECADE FROM THE TIME THE ESPIONAGE WAS
COMMITTED UNTIL ITS DISCOVERY IN 1995. BUT /// END OPT
/// ALMOST AS WORRISOME IS THAT SOME REPUBLICAN MEMBERS
OF CONGRESS ARE ACCUSING THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION OF
SUBSEQUENTLY DELAYING THE INVESTIGATION OR LOOKING THE
OTHER WAY FOR POLICY CONSIDERATIONS. THAT'S A
BREATHTAKING CHARGE TO MAKE -- AND ONE FOR WHICH THEY
HAD BETTER HAVE SOME SOLID EVIDENCE.
TEXT: "NEWSDAY" ON NEW YORK'S LONG ISLAND IS ALSO OUTRAGED,
POINTING OUT:
VOICE: ATTEMPTS TO STEAL ITS MILITARY SECRETS ARE SOMETHING THE
UNITED STATES WILL HAVE TO LIVE WITH SO LONG AS ITS
TECHNOLOGY IS MORE ADVANCED THAN ANYONE ELSE'S. ... BUT
IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE FOR WASHINGTON TO LET THEM SUCCEED.
SO IT IS GOOD TO HEAR ... THE SENATE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE'S CHAIRMAN PLANS HEARINGS OF REPORTS THAT
CHINA BUILT A BETTER NUCLEAR WARHEAD USING DATA STOLEN
FROM LOS ALAMOS ... FROM THE 1980'S ON.
/// OPT ///
TEXT: "THE WASHINGTON TIMES" CALLS THE ALLEGED THEFTS OF SECRETS
"CATASTROPHIC."
VOICE: THIS ESPIONAGE COUP HAS PERMITTED CHINA TO LEAPFROG AN
ENTIRE GENERATION OF NUCLEAR-WARHEAD DEVELOPMENT AND
WILL ENABLE ITS MILITARY TO ARM A SINGLE MISSILE WITH
SEVERAL WARHEADS THAT CAN BE AIMED AT MULTIPLE TARGETS
... THE THEFT OF THE NUCLEAR SECRETS WAS SO CATASTROPHIC
THAT PAUL REDMOND, THE C-I-A'S FORMER
COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE CHIEF, THE MAN WHO UNMASKED ALDRICH
AMES, TOLD THE TIMES THAT CHINA'S NUCLEAR ESPIONAGE 'WAS
FAR MORE DAMAGING TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY THAN ALDRICH
AMES.' INDEED, AFTER BEING BRIEFED IN EARLY 1996 BY [A]
D-O-E (DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY) INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ...
MR. REDMOND RECALLED SAYING, 'THIS IS GOING TO BE JUST
AS BAD AS THE ROSENBERGS,' WHO SHARED U-S NUCLEAR
SECRETS WITH THE SOVIET UNION.
TEXT: IN CALIFORNIA, "THE LOS ANGELES TIMES" WANTS AN EXPANDED
PROBE OF THE ALLEGATIONS.
VOICE: ACCORDING TO ...THE WALL STREET JOURNAL IN JANUARY ...
THE WHITE HOUSE WAS INFORMED OF THE SPYING IN EARLY
1996. BUT NOT UNTIL LATE LAST YEAR, SAYS ENERGY
SECRETARY BILL RICHARDSON, WERE TIGHTER COUNTERESPIONAGE
MEASURES INSTITUTED. AND NOT UNTIL MONDAY [3/8] WAS THE
LOS ALAMOS EMPLOYEE UNDER SUSPICION FIRED. ... WHY
BETTER PROTECTIVE MEASURES WERE NOT PUT IN FORCE LONG
AGO DEMANDS AN EXPLANATION.
/// END OPT ///
TEXT: "THE WASHINGTON POST," FOR ITS PART, WONDERS ABOUT
POSSIBLE ULTERIOR MOTIVES OF THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION FOR BEING
SO SLOW TO RESPOND.
VOICE: THIS WAS SERIOUS STUFF. IT REFLECTED A FAILURE OF
SECURITY ... NO LESS DISMAYING IS THE ATTITUDE THE
CLINTON TEAM SEEMS TO HAVE TAKEN BEFORE A BELATEDLY
ENERGIZED GOVERNMENT FINALLY ... CAUGHT ON TO THE SCOPE
OF THE SPYING AND STARTED PUTTING BASIC SECURITY REFORMS
INTO PLACE. ... WAS THE AMERICAN RESPONSE DUE TO [:] A
WISH FOR A PRE-ELECTORAL BURIAL OF CHARGES THAT OFFICIAL
CHINESE HAD SENT FUNDS TO THE CLINTON CAMPAIGN IN 1996?
TO A DESIRE NOT TO INTERFERE WITH AMERICAN HIGH-TECH
EXPORTS? TO AN INTENT TO PROTECT THE FAVORED CLINTON
POLICY OF 'ENGAGEMENT' WITH CHINA?
TEXT: THAT CONCLUDES THIS SAMPLING OF EDITORIAL COMMENT ON THE
ALLEGATIONS OF CHINESE ESPIONAGE WITHIN THE U-S NUCLEAR PROGRAM.
NEB/ANG/GE
09-Mar-99 2:59 PM EST (1959 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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