-Caveat Lector- China-US Nuclear Probe Blocked By Politics-Trulock August 29, 1999 By Mary Gabriel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The man who headed the initial probe into China's alleged theft of U.S. nuclear secrets said Sunday he was blocked from briefing Congress by a Clinton administration appointee out of partisan political concerns. "One of the senior officials told me directly that the reason that she did not allow me to brief the (Capitol) Hill on this case was that congressional Republicans...were only interested in hurting the president on his China policy," former Energy Department investigator Notra Trulock told Fox News Sunday. Trulock said he understood from Deputy Secretary of Energy Elizabeth Moler, who has since resigned, that she wanted to keep him from talking with Florida Republican Rep. Porter Goss, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Moler could not be reached immediately for comment. Trulock's comments came six days after he abruptly quit the Energy Department, charging he had been blocked from briefing Congress or then-Energy Secretary Federico Pena about his investigation into allegations China stole U.S. nuclear secrets from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and other facilities. Los Alamos is at the center of what a U.S. congressional report said was a 20-year effort by China to steal information on U.S. nuclear warheads and the neutron bomb. China has denied the espionage allegations. Trulock said the "last straw" was an Energy Department Inspector General's report that found no conclusive evidence to support this charge that higher-ups sought to block his investigation. "For the inspector general to trivialize such serious and important issues and do what essentially became a he said/she said...I think it's time to leave at that point," he said. In recent weeks, Trulock has come under heavy criticism for singling out Wen Ho Lee, a Taiwan-born nuclear physicist at Los Alamos, as the government's prime espionage suspect. The Washington Post reported that three officials who participated in various stages of the investigation have said they believe Trulock and FBI agents focused on Lee largely because of his ethnicity. Lee, a U.S. citizen, has not been charged with any crime and has denied passing secrets to China. But Energy Secretary Bill Richardson fired Lee from his job in Los Alamos's top-secret X Division for breaching security procedures by transferring classified files to an unclassified computer in his office. Newsweek reported Sunday that U.S. Justice Department security chief John Dion has urged his superiors not to proceed with prosecution of Lee because evidence against him is not strong enough. Trulock, who denied targeting Lee because of his race, said he does not know if there is enough evidence to convict Lee of spying charges. But he said it is clear China obtained information on U.S. nuclear weapons through espionage and that theft poses a danger. "In point of fact, they have already announced and used their acquisition of the neutron warhead as a warning and a deterrent in the ongoing Taiwan issue," Trulock said. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Steve Wingate California Director SKYWATCH INTERNATIONAL Anomalous Images and UFO Files http://www.anomalous-images.com DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
