US funding of labs all over the former Soviet Union (including Russia) was a matter of public record: we didn't want anything leaking out, and we didn't want the researchers hiring themselves out to the Iranians, Saddam Hussein or other unsavory parties.
My question on the labs was why they didnt just destroy all the material they were holding. That was the charter they had frim the disarmament agreements. The failure to do so goes back to the Clinton administration, perpetuated over 30 years.
This is worth a serious investigation and explanations. And probably several bureaucratic careers.
“we didn’t want the researchers hiring themselves out to the Iranians, Saddam Hussein or other unsavory parties.”
There are very few parties more unsavory than China and we funded them as well.
The New York Times, USA Today, and Newsweek agree with you.