Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE= 10/19/00

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE= US / CHINA SPY (L ONLY)

NUMBER=2-268160

BYLINE= ALEX BELIDA

DATELINE= PENTAGON

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: The Washington Post newspaper says an ongoing probe of alleged Chinese espionage in the United States has shifted to the possible theft of missile secrets from the Defense Department and its private contractors. V-O-A Pentagon Correspondent Alex Belida reports.

TEXT: The Pentagon will not comment directly on the Washington Post report, nor will it discuss the substance of what investigators may or may not have uncovered so far.

But a spokesman does confirm that there is what he terms "a high-level degree of cooperation" going on between the Pentagon, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the intelligence community.

According to the Post, the new investigation stems from a review of recently-translated military documents provided by a Chinese defector.

These suggest intelligence agencies made a mistake in initially focusing their probe of alleged Chinese espionage on the loss of nuclear secrets through leaks at nuclear facilities like the Los Alamos laboratory in New Mexico.

The new probe is reportedly based on an assessment that China gathered more missile technology information than nuclear secrets. The Post says Pentagon investigators have concluded the information in Chinese hands is highly classified and must have been stolen by Beijing.

The earlier nuclear probe led to the arrest of Los Alamos researcher Wen Ho Lee. He was convicted of mishandling classified information. But authorities failed to produce evidence that he spied for China. (Signed)

NEB/BEL/JP