DATE=03/09/99 TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP NUMBER=6-11182 TITLE=CHINESE NUCLEAR ESPIONAGE AT LOS ALAMOS BYLINE=ANDREW N. GUTHRIE TELEPHONE=619-3335 DATELINE=WASHINGTON EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS CONTENT= INTRO: THE U-S ENERGY DEPARTMENT HAS FIRED A CHINESE-AMERICAN SCIENTIST SUSPECTED OF PASSING NUCLEAR SECRETS TO CHINA MORE THAN A DECADE AGO. THE SCIENTIST WAS DISMISSED (MONDAY) FROM HIS JOB AT LOS ALAMOS NUCLEAR LABORATORY IN NEW MEXICO FOR ALLEGED SECURITY VIOLATIONS. REPORTS IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL AND, MORE RECENTLY, THE NEW YORK TIMES, HAVE CARRIED ALLEGATIONS OF CHINESE ESPIONAGE, WHICH REPORTEDLY ALLOWED CHINA TO DEVELOP A MUCH SMALLER, MORE POWERFUL, NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR ITS MISSILES. NOW, THE NATION'S PRESS IS DEMANDING A FULL INVESTIGATION OF THE CHARGES. WE GET A SAMPLING NOW FROM ___________________ IN TODAY'S OPINION ROUNDUP. TEXT: THE ENERGY DEPARTMENT SAYS THE EMPLOYEE -- IDENTIFIED IN NEWS REPORTS AS WEN HO LEE -- WAS FIRED BECAUSE HE FAILED TO PROPERLY SAFEGUARD CLASSIFIED MATERIAL AND HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH PEOPLE FROM A SENSITIVE COUNTRY. NO CRIMINAL CHARGES HAVE BEEN FILED AGAINST HIM. /// OPT /// WHAT IS INFURIATING SENATORS AND NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL BOARDS, IS THE FACT THAT THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE THEFTS DID NOT APPARENTLY RING ALARM BELLS AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT. AND THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION IS BEING ACCUSED OF NOT PURSUING THE CASE AGGRESSIVELY AT THE BEGINNING. /// END OPT /// CHINA HAS DISMISSED ALLEGATIONS IT STOLE U-S NUCLEAR SECRETS, CALLING THEM UNFOUNDED RUMORS. TO GET AN IDEA OF HOW ANGRY THE U-S PRESS IS ABOUT THIS, WE TURN FIRST TO "THE NEW YORK TIMES." VOICE: /// OPT /// IT IS ALARMING TO DISCOVER THAT LAX SECURITY AT THE LOS ALAMOS NUCLEAR WEAPONS LABORATORY IN THE MID-1980'S MAY HAVE LET CHINA STEAL SECRET DESIGNS FOR ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST COMPACT NUCLEAR WARHEADS. IT IS ALSO TROUBLING TO LEARN THAT THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION DID NOT REACT VIGOROUSLY ENOUGH WHEN IT FIRST HEAD OF THIS POSSIBLE BREACH OF NATIONAL SECURITY NEAR FOUR YEARS AGO. SOME ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS SUGGEST ... THE WHITE HOUSE MAY HAVE MINIMIZED THE CASE TO INSULATE ITS GOAL OF IMPROVING RELATIONS WITH BEIJING. /// END OPT /// ... AFTER THE CASE [OF SPYING] WAS LAID OUT FOR MR. [NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER SAMUEL] BERGER IN JULY 1997, THE WHITE HOUSE SHOULD HAVE EXAMINED WHETHER ITS CHINA POLICY WAS DESENSITIZING WASHINGTON TO CHINESE EFFORTS TO ACQUIRE MILITARY TECHNOLOGY THROUGH ESPIONAGE AND TRADE. THE WHITE HOUSE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ESPECIALLY VIGILANT BECAUSE ITS HANDLING OF CHINA WAS ALREADY UNDER SCRUTINY BY CONGRESS AFTER ALLEGATIONS OF ILLEGAL CHINESE CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS IN 1996. TEXT: IN NEW ENGLAND, "THE BOSTON GLOBE" LAMENTS THE ALLEGED PENETRATION WITH THESE THOUGHTS: VOICE: /// OPT /// CHINA'S RECENTLY DISCLOSED USE OF ESPIONAGE TO DEVELOP MINIATURIZED NUCLEAR WARHEADS SUGGESTS MANY FLAWS IN U-S COUNTERINTELLIGENCE THAT NEED TO BE CORRECTED. THERE HAS BEEN A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF CONFUSION, HOWEVER, ABOUT THE PROPER LESSONS TO DRAW FROM THIS LAPSE OF SECURITY. /// END OPT /// ... THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR LOS ALAMOS'S LAX SECURITY, WHICH DATES BACK TO THE REAGAN AND BUSH ADMINISTRATIONS. THERE CAN ALSO BE NO JUSTIFICATION FOR THE DILATORY BEHAVIOR OF THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION ENERGY DEPARTMENT, WHICH WAS FIRST ALERTED TO THE CHINESE PENETRATION ... IN 1995. TEXT: THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE FINDS THE REVELATIONS BOTH ASTONISHING AND WORRISOME AND GOES ON TO WRITE: VOICE: /// OPT /// IT IS ASTONISHING -- AND WORRISOME -- THAT IT TOOK NEARLY A DECADE FROM THE TIME THE ESPIONAGE WAS COMMITTED UNTIL ITS DISCOVERY IN 1995. BUT /// END OPT /// ALMOST AS WORRISOME IS THAT SOME REPUBLICAN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ARE ACCUSING THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION OF SUBSEQUENTLY DELAYING THE INVESTIGATION OR LOOKING THE OTHER WAY FOR POLICY CONSIDERATIONS. THAT'S A BREATHTAKING CHARGE TO MAKE -- AND ONE FOR WHICH THEY HAD BETTER HAVE SOME SOLID EVIDENCE. TEXT: "NEWSDAY" ON NEW YORK'S LONG ISLAND IS ALSO OUTRAGED, POINTING OUT: VOICE: ATTEMPTS TO STEAL ITS MILITARY SECRETS ARE SOMETHING THE UNITED STATES WILL HAVE TO LIVE WITH SO LONG AS ITS TECHNOLOGY IS MORE ADVANCED THAN ANYONE ELSE'S. ... BUT IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE FOR WASHINGTON TO LET THEM SUCCEED. SO IT IS GOOD TO HEAR ... THE SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE'S CHAIRMAN PLANS HEARINGS OF REPORTS THAT CHINA BUILT A BETTER NUCLEAR WARHEAD USING DATA STOLEN FROM LOS ALAMOS ... FROM THE 1980'S ON. /// OPT /// TEXT: "THE WASHINGTON TIMES" CALLS THE ALLEGED THEFTS OF SECRETS "CATASTROPHIC." VOICE: THIS ESPIONAGE COUP HAS PERMITTED CHINA TO LEAPFROG AN ENTIRE GENERATION OF NUCLEAR-WARHEAD DEVELOPMENT AND WILL ENABLE ITS MILITARY TO ARM A SINGLE MISSILE WITH SEVERAL WARHEADS THAT CAN BE AIMED AT MULTIPLE TARGETS ... THE THEFT OF THE NUCLEAR SECRETS WAS SO CATASTROPHIC THAT PAUL REDMOND, THE C-I-A'S FORMER COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE CHIEF, THE MAN WHO UNMASKED ALDRICH AMES, TOLD THE TIMES THAT CHINA'S NUCLEAR ESPIONAGE 'WAS FAR MORE DAMAGING TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY THAN ALDRICH AMES.' INDEED, AFTER BEING BRIEFED IN EARLY 1996 BY [A] D-O-E (DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY) INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ... MR. REDMOND RECALLED SAYING, 'THIS IS GOING TO BE JUST AS BAD AS THE ROSENBERGS,' WHO SHARED U-S NUCLEAR SECRETS WITH THE SOVIET UNION. TEXT: IN CALIFORNIA, "THE LOS ANGELES TIMES" WANTS AN EXPANDED PROBE OF THE ALLEGATIONS. VOICE: ACCORDING TO ...THE WALL STREET JOURNAL IN JANUARY ... THE WHITE HOUSE WAS INFORMED OF THE SPYING IN EARLY 1996. BUT NOT UNTIL LATE LAST YEAR, SAYS ENERGY SECRETARY BILL RICHARDSON, WERE TIGHTER COUNTERESPIONAGE MEASURES INSTITUTED. AND NOT UNTIL MONDAY [3/8] WAS THE LOS ALAMOS EMPLOYEE UNDER SUSPICION FIRED. ... WHY BETTER PROTECTIVE MEASURES WERE NOT PUT IN FORCE LONG AGO DEMANDS AN EXPLANATION. /// END OPT /// TEXT: "THE WASHINGTON POST," FOR ITS PART, WONDERS ABOUT POSSIBLE ULTERIOR MOTIVES OF THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION FOR BEING SO SLOW TO RESPOND. VOICE: THIS WAS SERIOUS STUFF. IT REFLECTED A FAILURE OF SECURITY ... NO LESS DISMAYING IS THE ATTITUDE THE CLINTON TEAM SEEMS TO HAVE TAKEN BEFORE A BELATEDLY ENERGIZED GOVERNMENT FINALLY ... CAUGHT ON TO THE SCOPE OF THE SPYING AND STARTED PUTTING BASIC SECURITY REFORMS INTO PLACE. ... WAS THE AMERICAN RESPONSE DUE TO [:] A WISH FOR A PRE-ELECTORAL BURIAL OF CHARGES THAT OFFICIAL CHINESE HAD SENT FUNDS TO THE CLINTON CAMPAIGN IN 1996? TO A DESIRE NOT TO INTERFERE WITH AMERICAN HIGH-TECH EXPORTS? TO AN INTENT TO PROTECT THE FAVORED CLINTON POLICY OF 'ENGAGEMENT' WITH CHINA? TEXT: THAT CONCLUDES THIS SAMPLING OF EDITORIAL COMMENT ON THE ALLEGATIONS OF CHINESE ESPIONAGE WITHIN THE U-S NUCLEAR PROGRAM. NEB/ANG/GE 09-Mar-99 2:59 PM EST (1959 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .