 ASIAN IMMIGRANT AND ASIAN-AMERICAN SCIENTISTS EXPERIENCE HOSTILITY FOLLOWING CHARGES OF CHINESE ESPIONAGE
Following revelations in late May by the US government that it had uncovered Chinese espionage directed at the US nuclear weapons program, news media around the country are reporting that working environments for Asian scientists have grown increasingly hostile. Harassment is being reported across the board - by nonimmigrant workers, legal permanent residents, naturalized citizens, and Americans of Asian descent. One high profile report on the problem was aired June 28th on ABC’s Nightline program and the transcript is available on the Internet at http://abcnews.com/onair/nightline/transcripts/nl990628_trans.html.
The Secretary of the Department of Energy, Bill Richardson, has been meeting with scientists at many research facilities, attempting to reassure them that “the worst is over.” He counts as support for this the failure of the House of Representatives to pass a law that would have forbidden foreign scientists from working on unclassified projects at institutions that are also engaged in classified research. Nonetheless, Richardson plans on appointing a special task force to deal with claims of discrimination.
Richardson questions some of the more extreme conclusions drawn in the Cox Report, the House report of its investigation into the espionage allegations. The report claims that Chinese spies obtained classified information about every nuclear weapon developed in the US since the 1970s, and that espionage still continues. Richardson doubts espionage was that widespread, and does not believe it is still continuing.
An appearance by Richardson at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory pointed out the historical contribution of foreign scientists. One of the people on hand for a demonstration was Dr. Edward Teller. Teller was one of the most important members of the Manhattan Project, after he came to the US as a refugee from Hungary.
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