DATE=3/15/99
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-42858
TITLE= U-S / CHINA / SPY (RPT)
BYLINE= ANDRE DE NESNERA
DATELINE= WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT: 

INTRO:  THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION -- OR F-B-I -- IS 
CONTINUING ITS INVESTIGATION INTO WHETHER CHINA MIGHT HAVE 
ACQUIRED SENSITIVE INFORMATION FROM THE LOS ALAMOS NUCLEAR 
LABORATORY IN NEW MEXICO.  V-O-A'S ANDRE DE NESNERA REPORTS FROM 
WASHINGTON ON THE POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS OF THE LOS ALAMOS AFFAIR.

TEXT:  THE F-B-I INVESTIGATION BEGAN SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND 
CENTERS AROUND NUCLEAR SCIENTIST WEN HO LEE -- A 20 YEAR VETERAN 
OF LOS ALAMOS.  MR. LEE WAS FIRED LAST WEEK FOR FAILING TO 
PROPERLY SAFEGUARD CLASSIFIED INFORMATION,  NOT  COOPERATING 
FULLY WITH THE F-B-I AND FOR HAVING CONTACTS WITH INDIVIDUALS 
FROM A SENSITIVE COUNTRY. HOWEVER MR. LEE HAS  NOT  BEEN 
OFFICIALLY CHARGED WITH ESPIONAGE.  

SUSPICIONS OF ESPIONAGE AT LOS ALAMOS GO BACK TO THE MID 1980'S 
WHEN IT IS BELIEVED CHINA ACQUIRED DESIGNS FOR AN AMERICAN 
NUCLEAR WARHEAD CALLED THE "W-88." MICHAEL O'HANLON -- ASIAN 
SECURITY EXPERT AT THE (WASHINGTON-BASED) BROOKINGS INSTITUTION 
-- SAYS THE "W-88" IS ONE OF THE MOST MODERN NUCLEAR WARHEADS IN 
THE U-S ARSENAL, PLACED ON THE ADVANCED "TRIDENT" MISSILE.

                       // O'HANLON ACT // 

         AND THAT WARHEAD IS ROUGHLY 20 TIMES THE SIZE OF THE 
         HIROSHIMA BOMB IN EXPLOSIVE POWER AND ALSO QUITE LIGHT, 
         MEANING THAT IT IS EASY TO PUT ON THE TIP OF THE MISSILE
         AND MAYBE EVEN PUT SEVERAL ON THE TIP OF THE MISSILE. 
         THE "TRIDENT-TWO" MISSILE CARRIES EIGHT OF THESE 
         WARHEADS AND PRESUMABLY, IF THE CHINESE WANTED TO, THEY 
         COULD PUT SEVERAL ON ONE OF THEIR MISSILES AS WELL.    

                         // END ACT // 

CRITICS OF THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION SAY THE BREACH OF SECURITY 
AT THE LOS ALAMOS NUCLEAR LABORATORY HAS BEEN EXTREMELY DAMAGING 
TO THE UNITED STATES.  THEY ACCUSE THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION OF 
RESPONDING TOO SLOWLY TO THE REPORTS OF ESPIONAGE BECAUSE OF 
THEIR POLICY OF ENGAGEMENT WITH CHINA. 

ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS REJECT THOSE CHARGES, SAYING THEY HAVE 
INCREASED SECURITY AT THE VARIOUS NUCLEAR LABS AND HAVE APPLIED 
STRICT CONTROLS ON HIGH-TECHNOLOGY TRANSFERS TO CHINA. THEY  ALSO
SAY THE INVESTIGATION OF POSSIBLE ESPIONAGE ACTIVITIES AT LOS 
ALAMOS IS STILL UNDERWAY.

SOME EXPERTS SAY IT IS CONCEIVABLE THAT CHINA OBTAINED 
INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEW GENERATION OF AMERICAN NUCLEAR WARHEADS
FROM OTHER SOURCES.  ONE OF THEM IS STEVEN SCHWARTZ, PUBLISHER OF
THE "BULLETIN OF ATOMIC SCIENTISTS."

                      // SCHWARTZ ACT //  

         THE THING THAT STRIKES ME ABOUT THIS IS THAT THE 
         ESPIONAGE TOOK PLACE - APPARENTLY - IN THE MID 1980'S, 
         MID TO LATE 1980'S. AND APPARENTLY AFTER A NUCLEAR 
         WEAPONS TEST IN 1995 OR 1996, WE STARTED GETTING 
         SUSPICIOUS ABOUT WHAT THEY WERE UP TO. IF THAT IS THE 
         CASE, IT TOOK THEM ABOUT SOMETHING ON THE ORDER OF FIVE 
         TO 10 YEARS TO INCORPORATE THIS INFORMATION INTO THEIR 
         WEAPONS PROGRAM. AND THAT SAYS TO ME THAT EITHER THEY 
         ARE  NOT  VERY TECHNOLOGICALLY CAPABLE, THAT THEY DID  
         NOT  PERHAPS GET THE INFORMATION THAT IS BEING ALLEGED 
         THAT THEY GOT -- OR THAT IT DID  NOT  REALLY AMOUNT TO 
         MUCH AND PERHAPS THEY DID IT ON THEIR OWN. WE REALLY DO 
         NOT  KNOW.

                         // END ACT //  

FOR HIS PART, MICHAEL O'HANLON FROM THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION 
SAYS IF CHINA OBTAINED INFORMATION ABOUT THE AMERICAN "W-88" 
WARHEAD, IT COULD ONLY HAVE COME FROM THE LOS ALAMOS LABORATORY. 
BUT HE SAYS THE QUESTION NOW IS, WILL CHINA USE THAT INFORMATION 
TO UPGRADE ITS NUCLEAR ARSENAL? 

                   // SECOND O'HANLON ACT //  

         WE DO  NOT  KNOW TO WHAT EXTENT THEY REALLY CARE ABOUT 
         THE NUCLEAR BALANCE WITH THE UNITED STATES, OR RUSSIA 
         FOR THAT MATTER, AND THEY MAY OR MAY  NOT  DECIDE TO PUT
         THEIR RESOURCES INTO THIS. IT IS STILL GOING TO BE 
         EXPENSIVE FOR CHINA TO BUILD THESE WARHEADS AND 
         ADDITIONAL MISSILES OF THE SAME KIND THEY ALREADY OWN OR
         OF A DIFFERENT KIND. IN EITHER CASE, IT IS EXPENSIVE. IT
         WOULD BE SEEN AS A POTENTIALLY HOSTILE ACT BY EITHER OF 
         THOSE COUNTRIES, AS WELL AS BY COUNTRIES IN THE REGION 
         LIKE JAPAN THAT ARE CLOSER TO CHINA. AND THEREFORE I AM 
         NOT  SURE THAT BEIJING IS GOING TO DO THIS EVEN IF THEY 
         HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO SO. // OPT // AND MOREOVER, AS I 
         SAY, WE DO  NOT  KNOW HOW MUCH THE CHINESE HAVE TESTED 
         THIS PARTICULAR WARHEAD OR HOW EFFECTIVELY THEY HAVE 
         TESTED IT. SO CHINA MAY DECIDE IT IS A GAMBLE. // END 
         OPT // 

                         // END ACT // 

AS FOR THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT, IT HAS REJECTED ACCUSATIONS OF 
SPYING AT THE LOS ALAMOS NUCLEAR LABORATORY IN NEW MEXICO, SAYING
THOSE CHARGES ARE BASELESS AND IRRESPONSIBLE RUMORS. (SIGNED)

NEB/ADEN/JO  

        

15-Mar-99 6:47 PM EST (2347 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
.