U.S. keeping an eye on sensitive projects at Bell Labs [French takeover]

Newark Star Ledger ^ | 11/19/2006 | Kevin Coughlin

[Incorrigible]

Although a French company soon will own the famed Bell Labs, the U.S. will exercise "unprecedented" control over sensitive government projects at the New Jersey facility, U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-1st Dist.) said yesterday.

"The U.S. government will be able to veto any people who have direct control over Bell Labs, and can veto the removal of any persons who have control over Bell Labs," said Andrews, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee and was briefed last week on the pending takeover of Lucent Technologies by Alcatel of France.

His approval hinges on both companies following through on "two robust and far-reaching agreements designed to ensure the protection of our national security," according to a statement from the White House. One of those agreements involves oversight of Bell Labs by three former top defense and intelligence officials. Andrews said Bell Labs is involved with just about "anything that touches on imperatives for the country's security." But he called the merger of the two telecom companies vital for their economic health, "good for the country, and good for New Jersey."

"The U.S. government will have more control over the flow of information in and out of this entity than it has over the flow of information into other so-called American entities," Andrews said. "I think this is an unprecedented level of control, where the U.S. government will have an ongoing window into the management of Bell Labs."

[Incorrigible]

What's more dangerous, Arabs running operations at our ports or French with access to future defense developments?

[Libertina]

Send Sandy Burglar over. He'll keep a trouser leg...er eye on our secrets! ;)

[Libertina]

LOL This might actually be a good "top secret" assignment for him!

[sageb1]

""The U.S. government will have more control over the flow of information in and out of this entity than it has over the flow of information into other so-called American entities," Andrews said. "I think this is an unprecedented level of control, where the U.S. government will have an ongoing window into the management of Bell Labs.""

Right.

[GSlob]

Who was the idiot to approve this merger? GWB?

[Incorrigible]

I had to cut out that part to fit the excerpt restriction but yes, it was GWB.

[GSlob]

Well, to be charitable, I'd say that he must have been terribly afflicted by overwork. If not charitable, then unprintable.

[Bush Revolution]

UGH!!!

[rockinqsranch]

...Or French on a Saudi Arab economic leash with access to future defense developments?

[HiTech RedNeck]

The French only need to know how to surrender, so they will be of no danger to us.

[endthematrix]

Just another consolidation of critical infrastructure within the grasp of foreigners...

[dayglored]

This is insane. Bell Labs is responsible for a HUGE number of America's technology innovations since 1920 (this is only a fraction of the things Bell Labs has invented or first-developed):

• Fax (1920)
• Movies with synchronized sound (1926)
• Television (first transmission, 1927)
• Radio astronomy (1931)
• Speech synthesizer (1937)
• Calculators (1940 and later)
• Photovoltaic (PV) cell (1940s)
• Scrambler for speech (1943)
• Transistor (1947)
• Teleprinter (1949)
• Microwave research (1950s)
• TransAtlantic cable (1956)
• Electronic music (1957)
• LED (1962)
• CO2 Laser (1964)
• Charge-coupled device (1969)
• UNIX (1970)
• C language (1970)
• Fibre optics (1976)
• 32-bit CPU (1980)
• Cellular phone (1980)
• Breakup of AT&T (1984)
• Wireless networking (1990)
• 56k modem (1991)
• Electron lithography (1996)
• Voice over IP (1998)
• Plastic transistors (2000)
• Increasing foreign involvement (2002-2006)
• Sold to French (2006)

We're selling this??? What are we, crazy?

Sadly, I think so...

[budanski]

This is insane. Bell Labs is responsible for a HUGE number of America's technology innovations since 1920 (this is only a fraction of the things Bell Labs has invented or first-developed): Fax (1920) Movies with synchronized sound (1926) Television (first transmission, 1927) Radio astronomy (1931) Speech synthesizer (1937) Calculators (1940 and later) Photovoltaic (PV) cell (1940s) Scrambler for speech (1943) Transistor (1947) Teleprinter (1949) Microwave research (1950s) TransAtlantic cable (1956) Electronic music (1957) LED (1962) CO2 Laser (1964) Charge-coupled device (1969) UNIX (1970) C language (1970) Fibre optics (1976) 32-bit CPU (1980) Cellular phone (1980) Breakup of AT&T (1984) Wireless networking (1990) 56k modem (1991) Electron lithography (1996) Voice over IP (1998) Plastic transistors (2000) Increasing foreign involvement (2002-2006) Sold to French (2006) We're selling this??? What are we, crazy? Sadly, I think so...

Once the merger is complete it, all listed will now be claimed by the french... or at least on Alcatel's website under company history ;)

[dayglored]

> Once the merger is complete it, all listed will now be claimed by the french... or at least on Alcatel's website under company history ;)

Sadly, I don't doubt you're right.

Throughout my life, the guys at Bell Labs (and at JPL, and a few other outstanding facilities) have been my heroes (I'm an engineer with a physics degree, now working as an engineering consultant and sysadmin).

It toasts my shorts to think that the French will claim these marvelous American achievements, simply because our stupid government sold out. The Founders are spinning in their graves. Grrr-rrr.

[ThomasThomas]

The poodle was once a proud hunting dog.

Now doing for science what they did for poodles.

[Aikonaa]

The glory days of Bell Labs were largely the creation of the Bell telephone monopoly. The quality of research there has been going downhill after the monopoly was broken up in the early 80s.

[Red Steel]

This is insane. Bell Labs is responsible for a HUGE number of America's technology innovations since 1920....

And some would also say Bell Labs has knowledge of 'foreign technologies' from lands unknown.

Catch the drift....

:-)

[El Gato]

I'm too old for this.. stuff. When I graduated from college, and for 20 years, at least, before, Bell Labs was the creme de la creme of US technology. Then came the breakup of the Bell system... by the government. Thanks a bunch you Clymers.

[XBob]

idiots - we're selling off the counry piece by piece