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Iran, Iraq scientists allowed to enter top-secret U.S. labs

Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Friday, April 23, 1999

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- Scientists from Iran and Iraq, countries believed to be seeking intermediate ballistic missile and nuclear weapons, are permitted to tour leading U.S. weapons laboratories, a House chairman says.

Fred Upton, chairman of the House Commerce Committee Oversight and Investigations subcommittee, said he was stunned by testimony over the ease in which foreign scientists are allowed access to facilities and information that will help the weapons program of nations hostile to the United States.

"I must say that one particular area stands out in my mind," Upton said in a Tuesday hearing, "the fact that thousands of foreign scientists from countries such as China, Cuba, Iran, and Iraq are permitted to visit our most sensitive weapon laboratories and have fairly unrestricted exchanges with our scientists -- including those working on matters that, while technically unclassified, are immensely useful to the weapon programs of foreign nations with potentially hostile intent towards the United States or its friends and allies around the world."

U.S. officials said Iran has completed development of its Shihab-3 intermediate range ballistic missile and on Tuesday a member of a presidential commission on missile defense said the missile will be deployed later this year.

Upton said that China alone sent nearly 1,500 scientists -- including suspected intelligence agents -- to three of what he termed the most sensitive U.S. weapon labs from between 1994 and 1996. Testimony to his committee asserted that less than two percent of those Chinese scientists received any background checks by the U.S. Energy Department.

The House chairman said he was concerned about countries other than Iran. He said he cannot be certain that U.S. scientists are letting slip classified information on weapons technology in their meetings with Iranian, Iraqi or scientists from other countries hostile to the United States.

"My concern goes to the very heart of this peculiar arrangement," Upton said, "and whether we are doing all that we should to give counter-intelligence training to those American scientists who must interact with foreign scientists, either here or abroad."

Friday, April 23, 1999


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