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April 21, 1999

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

                              THE WHITE HOUSE
                       Office of the Press Secretary
__________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                              April
21, 1999
                        STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
     I welcome the Intelligence Community?s Damage Assessment on the
"Implications of China?s Acquisition of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Information
and the Development of Future Chinese Weapons" and the review of the damage
assessment by a panel of independent experts led by Admiral Jeremiah, as
requested by the House Select Committee, chaired by Congressmen Cox and
Dicks.  I appreciate the careful analysis by the intelligence community and
the independent panel, as well as their efforts to make as much information
as possible available to the public on this crucial issue.
     The findings of the damage assessment underscore the need to implement
fully the Presidential Decision Directive I issued in February 1998 to
strengthen security and protections at the U.S. nuclear weapons
laboratories.  I commend Secretary Richardson for his efforts in this
regard and look forward to the review of lab security I requested by the
President?s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, chaired by Senator Warren
Rudman.
     Measures to protect sensitive nuclear weapons information must be
constantly scrutinized, whether this information is at the National
Laboratories or at other U.S. Government institutions.  Therefore, I am
asking the National Counterintelligence Policy Board to assess potential
vulnerabilities at other institutions associated with nuclear weapons
besides the National Laboratories and to propose any concrete steps that
may be appropriate to strengthen protections against efforts by China and
other countries to acquire sensitive nuclear weapons information.
     I have also asked DCI George Tenet to review the recommendations made
by Admiral Jeremiah on intelligence collection and resources and to act
promptly on these recommendations.
                                 30-30-30