Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Mr. Louis J. Freeh
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations
9th and Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C.  20535

Dear Mr. Freeh:

         I am writing to convey my strong concern about a serious breach of United States national security.

          According to Insight Magazine, in October Sandia National Laboratory officials sold as surplus an Intel Paragon XPS supercomputer with a capability between 150,000 and 200,000 million theoretical operations per second (MTOPS) -- one of the United States' most capable supercomputers operating today.

           The potential national security ramifications of this sale are disastrous.  As I understand it, we remain unaware of the current location of this supercomputer -- it may even have already been transferred out of the country.  If, in fact, this computer is or has been successfully transported out of the United States, the capability it will provide to the Chinese in their efforts to improve their nuclear weapons capability is enormous.  In my opinion, this could be one of the most significant breaches of our national security.

           The problem is magnified because we do not know what the computer was used for at Sandia National Laboratory.  There is a very real possibility that nuclear secrets may be stored on the system's hard drive.  Even with a "wipe" of the supercomputers memory, much of the information that was stored on the system can be retrieved using advanced techniques.

          There also exists the very real possibility that the Chinese have reassembled the supercomputer and are utilizing the system's capabilities right here in the United States.  The possibility also exists that the Chinese may attempt to reverse-engineer the machine. 

          As I understand it, the Department of Energy -- once alerted by the Intel Corporation of efforts by the buyer to obtain key components to reassemble the supercomputer -- attempted to reacquire the supercomputer by offering $2.5 million for its return.  It had been sold to the Chinese national at the bargain basement price of $30,000.  This appears to me as an attempt by DOE to quietly cover up the diversion.

         I am writing to ensure that you are aware of this serious national security breach and to ask you to create a special task force to investigate the sale of this supercomputer and subsequent agency actions.  I think it is imperative that we determine how the U.S. government could sell such a sensitive technology to a Chinese national.

        As you review this matter, I ask that you provide me with the answers to these critical questions:

        When were you and the FBI first made aware of this problem?
Did Sandia comply with all of the current laws, rules, and regulations regarding the sale of this highly capable supercomputer?  Has there been an attempt at Sandia and the Department of Energy to cover up the incident?  Did Sandia properly notify the relevant agencies regarding the sale of this supercomputer?  

         Where is the supercomputer now?  What is the possibility that the Chinese have successfully transferred the supercomputer out of the country, obtained sensitive nuclear secrets from the hard drive, reverse engineered the supercomputer or reassembled and utilized the system right here in the United States?  If the individual who purchased it remains in the country, what efforts are being made to locate him and what is the status of his L1 business visa?

           I trust that you will give this matter the immediate and thorough attention that it deserves.  I look forward to discussing this issue with you at greater length.
 
Sincerely,

CURT WELDON
Member of Congress
 

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