Six Los Alamos staffers suspended

WASHINGTON, JUNE 14. The Los Alamos National Laboratory has suspended six employees as the FBI intensified its investigation into the disappearance from the lab of two computer hard drives loaded with nuclear secrets.

The Energy Secretary, Mr. Bill Richardson, under fire from Republicans for insufficient security at the laboratory, yesterday launched a bipartisan probe into the loss.

He said espionage was not suspected, but vowed to take disciplinary action against those responsible.

Republicans said Mr. Richardson was ultimately to blame. An Energy Department official said six managers at the lab were put on paid leave for failing to immediately report the disappearance of the hard drives when it was discovered on May 7.

The managers said they were unable to get back into the vault where the hard drives were kept until May 24, when the facility reopened after wildfires that caused over $300 millions in damage. Coming up empty- handed after an intensive search, the managers notified the laboratory's security chief on May 31, and a day later word was passed to Washington.

Mr. Richardson said he was outraged by the incident. ``I will not tolerate security lapses and I'm outraged at what happened,'' he said in a written statement, announcing his appointment of the former Tennessee Republican, Sen. Howard Baker, and ex-Indiana Democratic Representative, Mr. Lee Hamilton, to perform a ``thorough investigation and assessment'' of the loss.

Mr. Baker and Mr. Hamilton are to recommend security fixes for Los Alamos, the nation's premier nuclear laboratory.

- Reuters

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Section  : International
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