June 14, 2000 Los Alamos Workers Waited 3 Weeks to Report Data Loss By JAMES RISEN WASHINGTON, June 13 -- The Energy Department acknowledged today that employees at the Los Alamos National Laboratory waited more than three weeks last month before reporting the loss of two computer hard drives that contained some of the nation's most important nuclear secrets. The acknowledgment came as Energy Secretary Bill Richardson and his department faced harsh criticism in Congress over the loss of the hard drives, the latest in a string of security lapses at the New Mexico laboratory, where nuclear weapons are designed. Officials said that six managers at Los Alamos had been placed on leave and that disciplinary action at the laboratory was expected shortly. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Energy Department have opened a joint inquiry into the disappearance of the hard drives, which had been stored in a vault at the laboratory. The hard drives were discovered missing by members of the government's Nuclear Emergency Search Team, or NEST, which stores its computer data at Los Alamos for use in responding to nuclear accidents and terrorist threats. The team members went to the vault on May 7 to make sure that the material was secure while a forest fire raged in the area. Eugene E. Habiger, a retired Air Force general who is the Energy Department's senior security officer, said in Congressional testimony today that each hard drive was "little bigger than a deck of cards." General Habiger said they were one of three "kits" of material for the NEST members "to rapidly deploy to situations that require some of our nation's best minds to look at an improved nuclear device or perhaps a stolen nuclear weapon." The general went on to say that with the nearby fire burning out of control, "the decision was made to go into the vault by two individuals who are authorized unescorted access into that vault to take the kit." Senior Energy Department officials at Los Alamos and in Washington said today that more than three weeks passed before they learned of the disappearance. John C. Browne, the director of the Los Alamos laboratory, said he was not informed of the loss until the night of May 31, while F.B.I. and Energy Department officials in Washington said they were not notified until June 1. The hard drives were stored inside the vault in the laboratory's X Division, where nuclear weapons are designed. They contained highly sensitive data needed by the NEST members in the event of an emergency involving nuclear weapons. The data on the hard drives included information needed by the team to render nuclear devices safe in emergencies. In addition, the missing material included intelligence information, including some about the Russian nuclear weapons program. The Energy Department has not ruled out espionage as the cause of the disappearance of the hard drives. But officials said that there might well be a more innocent explanation, and that the hard drives might have been lost in the chaos resulting from the fire, which burned hundreds of houses in the Los Alamos area and came within a half mile of the building where the vault is. Department officials said it was not immediately clear how long the hard drives might have been missing from the vault. One victim of the controversy at Los Alamos may be Mr. Richardson, a former House member from New Mexico whose political prospects had appeared bright until recently. He has been mentioned as a possible running mate for Vice President Al Gore on the Democratic ticket, but the scandals at the Energy Department and the rising price of gasoline may have doomed his chances. "I am outraged by the security lapses that have taken place," Mr. Richardson said today. "We are not going to tolerate this. There will be accountability and disciplinary action." "What I am most concerned about," he added, "is the failure of the lab to promptly notify the Department of Energy when these potential breaches took place." In an effort to show a rapid response to the building controversy, Mr. Richardson announced that he had named former Senator Howard H. Baker Jr., Republican of Tennessee, and former Representative Lee H. Hamilton, Democrat of Indiana, to investigate the disappearance of the nuclear secrets. Their review will be independent of the inquiry by the F.B.I. and the Energy Department, a department spokeswoman said. But the move did not quiet criticism in Congress, where lawmakers once again questioned the laboratory's ability to manage the nation's nuclear secrets. Members of Congress heaped scorn on the Energy Department and Los Alamos managers during hearings today, saying they found it incredible that a major security breach could occur after they had received assurances from Mr. Richardson that security had been tightened in the wake of accusations of espionage and evidence of security breaches at the laboratory. "I have to tell you, in my hometown of Menominee, Mich., if I want to check out a library book at the Menominee public library, you have to have a library card and they make a record of it if you remove the book," said Representative Bart Stupak, a Michigan Democrat, during today's House hearing. "And if you keep the book too long, they send you a notice asking you to return it," he continued. "Well, most Americans would find it hard to believe that Menominee public library has a more sophisticated tracking system for 'Winnie the Pooh' than Los Alamos has for highly classified nuclear weapons data." Mr. Richardson's past pledges to clean up the Energy Department and improve security were also thrown back at him by lawmakers. "Since allegations of spying at Los Alamos first surfaced early last year, this committee and the American public have been subject to a steady stream of press releases, action plans, tough talk and photo ops from Secretary Richardson and senior D.O.E. officials designed to show a commitment to security at the Department of Energy," said Representative Thomas J. Bliley Jr., the Virginia Republican who is the chairman of the Commerce Committee. The White House joined in the criticism today. Joe Lockhart, the White House spokesman, said that comprehensive changes at the Energy Department might be needed. "The fact that we don't know the answers is troubling," he added, referring to what happened at Los Alamos. President Clinton ignored questions about Los Alamos from reporters today during a photo opportunity. Mr. Lockhart stressed today that "the president has confidence in Secretary Richardson," but the latest bipartisan assaults on laboratory security appear politically damaging. Over the last year, Mr. Richardson has battled with Congress about security issues in his department, as he opposed creation of an agency within the department to oversee nuclear weapons programs, saying it would undercut his authority. Congress required a revamping of the department last year after there were accusations that China stole some of the nation's most sensitive nuclear secrets because of lax security. Last fall, Mr. Richardson dropped his public opposition to the change when the proposal drew support from majorities in the House and the Senate. The agency's creation marked the most far-reaching legislative response to two scathing studies last year -- one by a House panel and another by a presidential review board -- that looked into the accusations of espionage by China. Dr. Wen Ho Lee, a scientist who worked at Los Alamos, was fired last year after being the subject of an investigation. He was then arrested on charges of mishandling classified material. ================================================================= Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> *Mike Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ~~~~~~~~ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day. ================================================================= <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! 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