Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

             I read with interest Sam Cohen's recent critique of the Cox Committee's report of technology transfer to China released by the House Select Committee on U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns With the People's Republic of China (see Check Your Facts: Cox Report Bombs," Insight Magazine, 8/9/99).  I expected a more thorough analysis by the self-described "father of the neutron bomb."  He should have checked his facts.

              Let me take one of his most egregious errors and turn it on its head.  Cohen delivered a scathing rebuke of the Cox report for publishing a diagram that details the workings and components of the W-87 warhead.  Why, Cohen wonders, would the United States publish a detailed, classified design of one of its most advanced warheads in an unclassified congressional report? 

              The diagram in question -- which Cohen says would be a useful blueprint for India and Pakistan -- was actually reprinted from the July 31, 1995 issue of U.S. News and World Report.  In fact, the Cox report cites the source of the diagram in captions below and beside the graphic. 

              So this diagram, which "any competent nuclear scientists could use to work back to the actual design" was actually made public four years ago -- on every newsstand in the world.

              How did such classified material find its way in to print and become available to any rogue government with a few dollars to spare the cover price?  The answer is shocking.  it highlights the utter incompetence and complete lack of concern about national security that have come to permeate the Clinton-Gore Administration.

             The events surrounding the leak of this classified document were related to me by personal sources and independently confirmed by Carl Cameron of Fox News -- one of the few dedicated network reporters who continues to pursue the China story.  According to those sources, the leak occurred during an interview that Hazel O'Leary -- then Secretary of Energy -- was conducting with a reporter from U.S. News. 

             According to my sources, O'Leary opened up a ledger of classified documents sitting on her desk and proceeded to show the reporter a diagram of the W-87 warhead in order to prove a point.  She then handed the classified diagram of the nuclear warhead to the reporter.  Her staff attempted to protest, pointing out that the document was classified.  O'Leary hesitated a moment, took the document back from the reporter, crossed out the word "classified" and promptly gave it back to the U.S. News staffer. 

             When the document was published soon after, the Department of Energy and the intelligence community was aghast at the leak. In fact, the Department of Energy launched an investigation to determine the source of the leak and punish the individual responsible.  Needless to say, the investigation was quietly put to an end when it was determined that O'Leary was the culprit.

             As Cohen noted, if he or other lower-level government employees publicly had revealed such details about the workings of the W-87, he would have been severely punished.  So would a Member of Congress.  But when the culprit is a Clinton-Gore Cabinet official, the incident conveniently is covered up.

             Like most revelations involving the mishandling of classified information by the Clinton-Gore Administration, the issue was ignored by much of the mainstream press.  But that does not make the security violation any less egregious or worthy of punishment.

             I believe that the Department of Energy should reopen its investigation into the source of the leak.  And if O'Leary is found responsible for making this nuclear warhead design to virtually every foreign intelligence agency, she should have criminal charges brought against her for mishandling classified documents.

             But Insight readers know as well as I so that the probability of that happening is about as likely as a mid-summer snowstorm.  Instead, Congress will likely be forced to pursue this effort with our own hearings.  And we will be met by the usual delay tactics and misinformation that we have come to expect from the Clinton-Gore Administration. They are just hoping to cover-up this and the other gross violations of our national security until they get out of office. 

             Unfortunately, their efforts are being aided by a national press that is uninterested in providing the facts to the American people.  Unfortunately, false claims -- such as those made by Sam Cohen -- do not help  In fact, because they are made by credible leaders and published by a leading news outlet, they actually hurt the cause of a well-informed citizenry. 
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Congressman Curt Weldon (R-PA) served as a member of the Cox Committee. Additional information on the Chinese espionage scandal and technology transfers is available on his web site at www.house.gov/curtweldon.