ALSO: New probe to take broader look at Chinese spying charges MESSAGE BOARD: Nuclear secrets

September 23, 1999
Web posted at: 1:39 a.m. EDT (0539 GMT)

In this story: 'Signature of a witch hunt' Polygraph: Other ways to safeguard information RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Correspondent Greg Lefevre

LIVERMORE, California (CNN) -- Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories are relieved that the FBI's investigation into alleged espionage is being refocused and broadened, but resentment lingers over the shadow cast on Chinese-American scientists.

"This has every signature of a witch hunt," says Livermore scientist William Tong

William Tong, a scientist studying extreme ultra violet light says, "I think the FBI under pressure from the media was desperate to find a scapegoat."

At a public hearing last week at the labs at Livermore, which represents the Department of Energy's front lines, researchers voiced fears that investigators may view Chinese-American scientists as "more Chinese than American."

Joel Wong, a Chinese-American scientist working on chemical safety, finds that an insult to his patriotism.

"Just as the Italian Americans are not necessarily mafia and the Irish Americans are not necessarily IRA members, the Chinese Americans are not by any means unloyal to this country," he said.

The Energy Department announced it would conduct random polygraph tests of Livermore workers

William Tong wrote an opinion article published in Wednesday's San Francisco Chronicle. He found the proposed polygraphing of Department of Energy employees at the three national laboratories particularly offensive.

"This has every signature of a witch hunt; a crisis occurs, the public demands a culprit, the government searches for a scapegoat and brands him a spy." He later told CNN's Greg Lefevre that virtually any ethnic group could be the next target.

"It could happen again, maybe it will be an Israeli spy scandal and maybe they'll start looking at a Jewish scientist."

Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories feel they're under a cloud of suspicion since the Energy Department announced it would randomly polygraph as many as several thousand workers. Many Chinese Americans in the Department believed they would be tested first.

At a public hearing last week researchers voiced concerns about the investigation

Security is a part of every scientist's work here. They are investigated about every five years just to keep their clearances. Others in the department figure that kind of gumshoe work should be the basis of any investigation, instead of a polygraph sweep.

Scientist William O'Connell testified at last week's hearings on polygraphs. Lie detectors, he says, come too late in the investigative process.

"The polygraph was really intended to guard the remaining secrets and I think that was really the wrong way to go for that purpose. They should look instead at good management and controls, physical security, tracking down where the information is, where it is sent to under secure controls and limit the amount of information that is sent to authorized sources so that it doesn't get too far and allow too many possibilities for a leak."

Willaim Tong says he fits the same profile as the only named suspect, Wen Ho Lee, who was fired from the Los Alamos National Lab in New Mexico.

"I frequently travel to China. I have relatives in China. I'm not a spy. I'm a loyal American." Scientists are investigators, too. They detect flaws in the investigation imposed on them.

The biggest flaw, the scientists say, is reaching a conclusion before the facts are in.

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