Richardson Punishes 3 For Lax Nuclear Lab Security

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

As Sec. Dept. of Energy, one would think that Richardson himself 
should shoulder some of the blame. It's not as if HE didn't have any 
of the information regarding this issue, that had gone on for some 
time. He, as Rickover said, can't delegate away ultimate 
responsibility onto others. What kind of message does this send?

Thursday August 12 5:02 PM ET 

Richardson Punishes 3 For Lax Nuclear Lab Security

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said 
Thursday that three employees at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, 
which is at the center of an alleged Chinese spying campaign, would 
be disciplined for lax security at the facility.  

While an Energy Department inspector general's report found that more 
than a dozen political and career department employees were involved 
in lax security and making mistakes in an investigation of espionage 
at the facility, Richardson said there was sufficient evidence to 
punish only three lab workers.  

Richardson said he had ordered the director of Los Alamos to ``take 
appropriate action'' to discipline the three. Based on the findings 
of the inspector general's report, Richardson said management 
``failed to give necessary attention to counterintelligence and 
security'' at the New Mexico facility.  

A scientist at the laboratory, Wen Ho Lee, was fired in March and is 
being investigated over allegations he passed nuclear weapons secrets 
to China.  

``There was a total breakdown in the system and there's plenty of 
blame to go around,'' Richardson said. However, several of the 
political appointees who were at fault are no longer at the Energy 
Department and there is not enough evidence to punish other workers, 
a government source said.  

An Energy Department spokeswoman said the report was confidential and 
said the names of those individuals found to be at  
fault would not be made public.

Sandy Perle
E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net 
Personal Website: http://www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/1205

"The object of opening the mind, as of opening 
the mouth, is to close it again on something solid"
              - G. K. Chesterton -
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