Risen,
James, and Jeff Gerth. "U.S. Is Said to Have Known of China Spy Link
in 1995." New York Times, 27 Jun. 1999. [http://www.nytimes.com]Click for materials on the report of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, released on 15 June 1999.
Materials are arranged in reverse chronological order.
Risen,
James, and Jeff Gerth. "U.S. Is Said to Have Known of China Spy Link
in 1995." New York Times, 27 Jun. 1999. [http://www.nytimes.com]
According to current and former officials, "[t]he White House was told about China's apparent theft of American nuclear weapons technology in July 1995... Until now, the Administration has left the impression that the White House first learned about the matter in April 1996, when Samuel R. Berger, then President Clinton's deputy national security adviser, was briefed on the case by Energy Department officials."
Hudson,
Audrey. "Hill Eyes Change to Guard Nuke Secrets." Washington
Times, 23 June 1999. Washington Times National Weekly Edition,
28 Jun.-4 Jul. 1999, 15.
In a hearing on 22 June 1999, Senate Republicans and Democrats said that "fundamental change" in the way in which the nation handles its nuclear secrets "is necessary."
Gerth, Jeff. "In Wake of Espionage, Debate on New Nuclear Arms Agency."
New York Times,
23 Jun. 1999. [http://www.nytimes.com]
On 22 June 1999, the U.S. Senate and the Clinton Administration "moved closer ... to a drastic legislative restructuring of the Energy Department," by the creation of an "Agency for Nuclear Stewardship." However, Energy Secretary Richardson is continuing to resist a separate office to oversee nuclear weapons programs.
Loeb, Vernon. "Polygraphs Start for 5,000 at Energy: Opposition Mounts
to Widespread Lie Detection to Catch Spies at Weapons Labs."
Washington Post,
21 Jun. 1999, A2. [http://www. washingtonpost.com]
Energy Secretary Bill Richardson has ordered the polygraphing of "an estimated 5,000 nuclear weapons scientists and other sensitive employees at the Department of Energy, extending wholesale use of 'lie detector' tests for the first time outside the CIA and National Security Agency."
Pincus,
Walter. "Nuclear Security Blanket: Compromise May Be Near on New Agency
to Oversee Atomic Arms." Washington Post, 20 Jun. 1999, A3.
[http://www. washingtonpost.com]
"[T]he Department of Energy and its congressional critics are moving toward a compromise: creating a new agency within the department to oversee the production of America's nuclear weapons."
Gerth, Jeff. "Retired General to Oversee Security for Nuclear Weapons
Labs." New York Times, 17 Jun. 1999. [http://www.nytimes.com]
U.
S. Department of Energy. "Press Release -- Richardson Selects Security
'Czar.'" 16 Jun. 1999. [http://www.energy.gov]
On 16 June 1999, Energy Secretary Bill Richardson "named General Eugene E. Habiger as the Director of a new high-level Office of Security and Emergency Operations. Habiger, who has been commander in chief of the U.S. Strategic Command, retired from the United States Air Force in 1998."
Pincus,
Walter. "Security Not a Priority For Bush Energy Chief: Breaches Have
Led to Nuclear Lab Changes." Washington Post, 14 Jun. 1999,
A14.
"When retired Adm. James D. Watkins took over the Energy Department in early 1989, then-President George Bush told him that security and safeguards at the department's nuclear weapons laboratories were 'a complete mess.'... Watkins instituted a study of security and beefed up some personnel rules and physical barriers. But the former chief of naval operations ... made his first priority restructuring responsibility within the department, particularly environmental, safety and health standards."
Risen,
James. "Energy Secretary Delays Disciplining Staff Over Spy Case."
New York Times, 10 Jun. 1999. [http://www.nytimes.com]
Dissatisfied with a Department review that he "believed did not hold enough senior officials at Energy Department headquarters accountable for the blunders in the Los Alamos spy case," Energy Secretary Bill Richardson "has ordered a new investigation by the Energy Department's inspector general." Richardson will "delay any reprimands" until he sees the results of the new investigation.
Eilperin,
Juliet, and Vernon Loeb. "Weapons Lab Reforms Backed." Washington
Post, 10 Jun. 1999, A4. [http://www.washingtonpost.com]
On 9 June 1999, the U.S. House of Representatives "unanimously adopted several measures" that would "tighten security and counterintelligence at U.S. weapons labs, bolster export controls and call on the administration to consider transferring the nation's nuclear weapons programs outside the Energy Department."
Gerth, Jeff. "U.S. Adds 6 Chinese Sites to List that Alerts Computer Sellers." New York Times, 10 Jun. 1999. [http://www.nytimes.com]
"In an effort to prevent sensitive technology from being used by the Chinese military, the Commerce Department has told exporters that shipments to six missile and nuclear sites in China will require Federal approval."
U. S. Department of Energy. "Press Release -- Secretary of Energy Advisory Board Releases Report on Energy Department's Foreign Visits and Assignments Program: Board Calls Continued International Exchange Essential." 8 Jun 1999. [http://www.energy.gov]
On 8 June 1999, the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) "released a report which concludes that broad scientific benefits of international collaborations at the Department of Energy's (DOE's) national laboratories make it essential to the scientific and technological strength of the United States. In addition, the report says that foreign national visitors and assignees can safely have managed access to DOE's laboratories and other facilities without jeopardizing national security."
Gerth, Jeff. "Justice Officials Said to Be Close to a Decision on Indicting
a Chinese Company." New York Times, 4 Jun. 1999. [http://www.nytimes.com]
The Justice Department is nearing a decision on whether to indict Chinese aerospace giant, Catic, "on charges of buying American machining equipment for civilian use in 1994 and diverting some of it to a military plant.... The equipment was sold to the Chinese by McDonnell Douglas."
Federation
of American Scientists. Secrecy & Government Bulletin 79 (Jun. 1999). [http://www.fas.org/sgp/bulletin/index.html]
This issue of the organ of the Federation of American Scientists, written by Steven Aftergood, contains two items ("The Cox Committee and the Tsien Case" and "Chinese Espionage and the New York Times") which point out "errors" in the Cox report and in New York Times reporting surrounding Chinese nuclear espionage in the United States.
Tauscher,
Ellen O. "Stop the Spies." Washington Post, 1 Jun. 1999,
A15.
This Op-Ed piece by Representative Tauscher (D-CA) argues that the revelations about PRC spying at U.S. nuclear labs indicates a "systemic failure of our counterintelligence operation. It has lacked centralization and did not adequately address emerging threats in the post-Cold War paradigm. Our intelligence agencies also have failed to embrace new technologies. Just as our national labs lead the world in state-of-the-art technology, so too must our counterintelligence agencies lead the world in surveillance and verification measures."
Eckholm,
Eric. "China Detects Racism in U.S. Report on Spying." New
York Times, 1 Jun. 1999. [http://www.nytimes.com]
On 31 May 1999, the information minister of China's State Council, Zhao Qizheng, called the Cox report on PRC nuclear spying "a tissue of half-truths, conjectures and lies."
At a news conference, the minister "used an Internet hookup to illustrate his point that detailed information on American nuclear weapons was readily available from public sites on the World Wide Web.... [A] Web page of the Federation of American Scientists (http://www.fas.org) was shown on a screen as an operator scrolled through it, displaying technical descriptions of American warheads and missiles.
"But neither Internet sites like that nor books that Zhao [also] cited offer the secret design details at the center of the most serious espionage charges."
A brief item in Federation of American Scientists, Secrecy & Government Bulletin 79 (Jun. 1999) [http://www.fas.org/sgp/bulletin/index.html] notes the use by Chinese officials of the FAS Website, but comments that the site "does not provide detailed weapon designs that would enable readers to construct a nuclear weapon."
Laris,
Michael. "Chinese Surfer Downloads U.S. Nuclear Data." Washington
Post, 1 Jun. 1999, A10. [http://www.washingtonpost.com]
On 31 May 1999, Zhao Qizheng, PRC State Council spokesman, "repeated China's long-standing insistence that it has never stolen American nuclear technology.... But Zhao went beyond the standard denials, telling Chinese and foreign reporters that the information China is accused of stealing -- including critical design information on the W-88 warhead and six others -- has long been openly available in the United States. He cited in particular the Nuclear Weapons Databook series published by the Natural Resources Defense Council."
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