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22 April 1999

TEXT: RICHARDSON ON INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

(Assessment confirms Chinese acquisition of information) (260)
Washington -- A recent Intelligence Community Damage Assessment has
confirmed that China obtained by espionage classified U.S. nuclear
weapons information and has underscored the importance of U.S. efforts
to strengthen counterintelligence and security at weapons
laboratories, Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson said in an April 21
statement.
Following is the text of Richardson's statement:
(begin text)
STATEMENT OF SECRETARY OF ENERGY BILL RICHARDSON
On the Intelligence Community Damage Assessment On the Implications
of China's Acquisition of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Information
On the Development of Future Chinese Weapons
April 21, 1999
The damage assessment team has produced important findings that help
clarify what we know and what we don't know about China's acquisition
of nuclear weapons information. The assessment confirms that China
obtained by espionage classified U.S. nuclear weapons information and
further underscores the importance of the very aggressive actions we
have taken to strengthen counterintelligence and security at our
weapons laboratories.
Since becoming Secretary of Energy, I have made a number of changes to
help ensure that our secrets are safely guarded. We've imposed a
stand-down of classified computers at the weapons labs, to better
protect classified and sensitive information and implement a
state-of-the-art cyber-security program across the complex. We're
instituting polygraphs for employees with access to the most sensitive
DOE programs, doing background checks on visitors from sensitive
countries, and we have more than doubled the counterintelligence
budget to $39.2 million in 2000.
(end text)