Posted on 02/12/2005 6:07:32 PM PST by Brian Mosely
The admission by the Energy Department that two allegedly "missing" secret computer disks never existed -- and the University of California's penalty of $5.8 million -- cap one of the biggest security shake-ups the U.S. nuclear weapons industry in post-World War II years that resulted in a temporary shutdown of all U.S. nuclear research facilities last year.
What started with a bang has ended with a whimper. The U.S. Energy Department admitted late Friday that two allegedly "missing" secret computer disks that had triggered a major purge at one of the nation's premier nuclear weapons laboratories never existed in the first place.
But Linton Brooks, head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, said the University of California that manages Los Alamos National Laboratory Latest News about Los Alamos National Laboratory will see its fiscal 2004 fee reduced by 5.8 million dollars as punishment for security Latest News about Security lapses discovered at the northern New Mexico facility that gave birth to the U.S. nuclear bomb.
"Although multiple investigations have confirmed that the 'missing' disks never existed, the major weaknesses in controlling classified material revealed by this incident are absolutely unacceptable, and the University of California must be held accountable for them," Brooks said in a statement.
"Of even greater concern are significant safety weaknesses which came to light at approximately the same time," he added.
(Excerpt) Read more at sci-tech-today.com ...
When are they gonna admit that Los Alamos doesn't exist?
A setup to catch potential spies?
You know, sometimes a screw up is just a screw up!
interesting.
ROFL!
Oh, please.
Everyone knows all you have to do is set a nearby forest fire.
"Telling a bigger lie to cover up a smaller lie"
I find this story very hard to believe.
so what's the truth?
I have an old "girl-friend" that still works there.....
We (the public) never hear 1/10th of the bad things that occur there. It is a little bit better recently, compared to the days that Hazel O'Leary and Bill Richarsdon were in charge of DOE, but it is still filled with brilliant scientists and engineers who haven't a clue about secrecy and security, and lots of administrators (drawn from "academentia") who couldn't care less about security, ( if they aren't working actively against American interests).
And it at least SEEMS as if about half the Security people wouldn't be able to make the grade as "Keystone Kops"... Although I hear that is slowly improving and there are a few real "Pros" there finally.
"Never existed" or they came to the realization that they would never be found and there was a convienient way to close the case?
I have no idea, I simply don't buy into the fact allegedly "missing" secret computer disks never existed
How does that happen? We darn have a national security meltdown for something that never existed?
BTTT
I'm with you, something stinks here.
At the very least, proper control of classified material is severely lacking.
At most - ? - someone trying to flush something out ?. That does not make sense, too much publicity.
Somebody is / has screwed the pooch.
LVM
In any case, move along - nothing to see here ...
Well, since they couldn't be found, it's like they never existed.
And did the documents stuffed down Sandy Berger's drawers ever really exist?
Richardson needs to clean this up before '08. Anyone check Hillary's nightstand?
JFK line, who benefits ? This has been one heck of a week for Hitlery !
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