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Wen Ho Lee: a scapegoat?
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March 9, 1999: 8:51 p.m. ET
Los Alamos, China long had ties; Congress said to turn a blind eye
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LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (CNNfn) - The investigation of security leaks from the nation's research lab here has until recently focused on one individual - Wen Ho Lee.
As a scandal brews about security leaks, the Taiwan-born scientist was fired Monday from the Los Alamos National Laboratory because he did not comply with investigators looking into the alleged leaks.
Documents obtained by CNNfn show a tight relationship between Los Alamos officials and the Chinese government.
In 1994, Dr. Siegfried Hecker, then director of Los Alamos, led a delegation of officials to Beijing for meetings designed to boost science and technology exchanges and cooperation.
The Chinese government even offered to pay the group's expenses -- an offer lab officials say was declined.
Still, documents show Los Alamos officials took 11 trips to China in 1995 and 1996.
Several of the visits took place during the tenure of Federico Pena as energy secretary. Pena assured Congress there were no ongoing discussions about nuclear weapons matters.
"Congress has washed its hands of the nuclear program -- Congress's attention is elsewhere," said Greg Mello of the Los Alamos Study Group.
"And with the revolving door between Los Alamos, the DOE, the other contractors, there is a system of thought that is incapable of policing itself," he added.
The exchanges between Los Alamos officials and governments deemed sensitive went both ways -- 2,700 overseas nationals visited Los Alamos from 1994 to 1996, with only about 5 percent receiving background checks.
"It's a disturbing thing that we have got so much technology here, and they allowed so many people to see -- and a result we have this thing," said retired Los Alamos employee Fred Farnsworth. "It's put the whole country in jeopardy."
Meanwhile, the man at the center of the controversy, fired Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho Lee, remained out of sight.
Chris Mechels, of Citizens for LANAL Employee Rights, who represents disgruntled Los Alamos workers, said he doesn't believe the charges against Lee.
Mechels said he's suspicious no criminal charges have been filed yet against Lee. Some believe Lee is little more than a scapegoat for leaks out of Los Alamos.
"My understanding, from friends who are closer to the situation, is that there were pressures from headquarters -- the Department of Energy -- for termination and that Los Alamos complied with those pressures for termination and came up with what they considered a suitable story to support termination," Mechels said.
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