DATE=3/15/99
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-42858
TITLE= U-S / CHINA / SPY (RPT)
BYLINE= ANDRE DE NESNERA
DATELINE= WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION -- OR F-B-I -- IS
CONTINUING ITS INVESTIGATION INTO WHETHER CHINA MIGHT HAVE
ACQUIRED SENSITIVE INFORMATION FROM THE LOS ALAMOS NUCLEAR
LABORATORY IN NEW MEXICO. V-O-A'S ANDRE DE NESNERA REPORTS FROM
WASHINGTON ON THE POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS OF THE LOS ALAMOS AFFAIR.
TEXT: THE F-B-I INVESTIGATION BEGAN SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND
CENTERS AROUND NUCLEAR SCIENTIST WEN HO LEE -- A 20 YEAR VETERAN
OF LOS ALAMOS. MR. LEE WAS FIRED LAST WEEK FOR FAILING TO
PROPERLY SAFEGUARD CLASSIFIED INFORMATION, NOT COOPERATING
FULLY WITH THE F-B-I AND FOR HAVING CONTACTS WITH INDIVIDUALS
FROM A SENSITIVE COUNTRY. HOWEVER MR. LEE HAS NOT BEEN
OFFICIALLY CHARGED WITH ESPIONAGE.
SUSPICIONS OF ESPIONAGE AT LOS ALAMOS GO BACK TO THE MID 1980'S
WHEN IT IS BELIEVED CHINA ACQUIRED DESIGNS FOR AN AMERICAN
NUCLEAR WARHEAD CALLED THE "W-88." MICHAEL O'HANLON -- ASIAN
SECURITY EXPERT AT THE (WASHINGTON-BASED) BROOKINGS INSTITUTION
-- SAYS THE "W-88" IS ONE OF THE MOST MODERN NUCLEAR WARHEADS IN
THE U-S ARSENAL, PLACED ON THE ADVANCED "TRIDENT" MISSILE.
// O'HANLON ACT //
AND THAT WARHEAD IS ROUGHLY 20 TIMES THE SIZE OF THE
HIROSHIMA BOMB IN EXPLOSIVE POWER AND ALSO QUITE LIGHT,
MEANING THAT IT IS EASY TO PUT ON THE TIP OF THE MISSILE
AND MAYBE EVEN PUT SEVERAL ON THE TIP OF THE MISSILE.
THE "TRIDENT-TWO" MISSILE CARRIES EIGHT OF THESE
WARHEADS AND PRESUMABLY, IF THE CHINESE WANTED TO, THEY
COULD PUT SEVERAL ON ONE OF THEIR MISSILES AS WELL.
// END ACT //
CRITICS OF THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION SAY THE BREACH OF SECURITY
AT THE LOS ALAMOS NUCLEAR LABORATORY HAS BEEN EXTREMELY DAMAGING
TO THE UNITED STATES. THEY ACCUSE THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION OF
RESPONDING TOO SLOWLY TO THE REPORTS OF ESPIONAGE BECAUSE OF
THEIR POLICY OF ENGAGEMENT WITH CHINA.
ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS REJECT THOSE CHARGES, SAYING THEY HAVE
INCREASED SECURITY AT THE VARIOUS NUCLEAR LABS AND HAVE APPLIED
STRICT CONTROLS ON HIGH-TECHNOLOGY TRANSFERS TO CHINA. THEY ALSO
SAY THE INVESTIGATION OF POSSIBLE ESPIONAGE ACTIVITIES AT LOS
ALAMOS IS STILL UNDERWAY.
SOME EXPERTS SAY IT IS CONCEIVABLE THAT CHINA OBTAINED
INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEW GENERATION OF AMERICAN NUCLEAR WARHEADS
FROM OTHER SOURCES. ONE OF THEM IS STEVEN SCHWARTZ, PUBLISHER OF
THE "BULLETIN OF ATOMIC SCIENTISTS."
// SCHWARTZ ACT //
THE THING THAT STRIKES ME ABOUT THIS IS THAT THE
ESPIONAGE TOOK PLACE - APPARENTLY - IN THE MID 1980'S,
MID TO LATE 1980'S. AND APPARENTLY AFTER A NUCLEAR
WEAPONS TEST IN 1995 OR 1996, WE STARTED GETTING
SUSPICIOUS ABOUT WHAT THEY WERE UP TO. IF THAT IS THE
CASE, IT TOOK THEM ABOUT SOMETHING ON THE ORDER OF FIVE
TO 10 YEARS TO INCORPORATE THIS INFORMATION INTO THEIR
WEAPONS PROGRAM. AND THAT SAYS TO ME THAT EITHER THEY
ARE NOT VERY TECHNOLOGICALLY CAPABLE, THAT THEY DID
NOT PERHAPS GET THE INFORMATION THAT IS BEING ALLEGED
THAT THEY GOT -- OR THAT IT DID NOT REALLY AMOUNT TO
MUCH AND PERHAPS THEY DID IT ON THEIR OWN. WE REALLY DO
NOT KNOW.
// END ACT //
FOR HIS PART, MICHAEL O'HANLON FROM THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION
SAYS IF CHINA OBTAINED INFORMATION ABOUT THE AMERICAN "W-88"
WARHEAD, IT COULD ONLY HAVE COME FROM THE LOS ALAMOS LABORATORY.
BUT HE SAYS THE QUESTION NOW IS, WILL CHINA USE THAT INFORMATION
TO UPGRADE ITS NUCLEAR ARSENAL?
// SECOND O'HANLON ACT //
WE DO NOT KNOW TO WHAT EXTENT THEY REALLY CARE ABOUT
THE NUCLEAR BALANCE WITH THE UNITED STATES, OR RUSSIA
FOR THAT MATTER, AND THEY MAY OR MAY NOT DECIDE TO PUT
THEIR RESOURCES INTO THIS. IT IS STILL GOING TO BE
EXPENSIVE FOR CHINA TO BUILD THESE WARHEADS AND
ADDITIONAL MISSILES OF THE SAME KIND THEY ALREADY OWN OR
OF A DIFFERENT KIND. IN EITHER CASE, IT IS EXPENSIVE. IT
WOULD BE SEEN AS A POTENTIALLY HOSTILE ACT BY EITHER OF
THOSE COUNTRIES, AS WELL AS BY COUNTRIES IN THE REGION
LIKE JAPAN THAT ARE CLOSER TO CHINA. AND THEREFORE I AM
NOT SURE THAT BEIJING IS GOING TO DO THIS EVEN IF THEY
HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO SO. // OPT // AND MOREOVER, AS I
SAY, WE DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH THE CHINESE HAVE TESTED
THIS PARTICULAR WARHEAD OR HOW EFFECTIVELY THEY HAVE
TESTED IT. SO CHINA MAY DECIDE IT IS A GAMBLE. // END
OPT //
// END ACT //
AS FOR THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT, IT HAS REJECTED ACCUSATIONS OF
SPYING AT THE LOS ALAMOS NUCLEAR LABORATORY IN NEW MEXICO, SAYING
THOSE CHARGES ARE BASELESS AND IRRESPONSIBLE RUMORS. (SIGNED)
NEB/ADEN/JO
15-Mar-99 6:47 PM EST (2347 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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