The most important secret held by the U.S. Government concerns the
targeting of U.S. nuclear weapons.  Targeting plans -- contained in the
so-called Single Integrated Operational Plan (SIOP) -- dictate the
structure of U.S. nuclear forces and constitute a seemingly insurmountable
obstacle to deep reductions in nuclear weapons.

Incredibly, information about the SIOP is withheld even from senior members
of Congress, as Senator Bob Kerrey noted with concern on Friday, June 30.

"We find ourselves in an uncomfortable and counterproductive Catch22,"
Kerrey said.  "Until we as civilians provide better guidance to our
military leaders, we are unlikely to effect the kind of changes needed to
update our nuclear policies to reflect the realities of the postcoldwar
world. Yet, providing improved guidance is difficult when we are unable to
learn the basic components of the SIOP."

Sen. Kerrey's full statement is posted here:

        http://www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2000/kerrey.html

In a remarkable confusion of means and ends, Senator Jon Kyl has introduced
a resolution that states:  "The Administrator of the National Nuclear
Security Administration shall take all appropriate steps to ensure that the
protection of sensitive and classified information becomes the highest
priority of the National Nuclear Security Administration." But if
protection of classified information is the highest priority, as Kyl would
have it, then by definition the mission of the laboratories becomes a
secondary priority, and they should be shut down in the interests of
security.  Sen. Kyl's amendment is posted here:

        http://www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2000/kyl.html

"We cannot drive scientists into our laboratories," President Truman told
the American Association for the Advancement of Science on September 13,
1948, "but, if we tolerate reckless or unfair attacks, we can certainly
drive them out."  Reckless or unfair legislation may have the same
effect.  Ian Hoffman of the Albuquerque Journal reports on Los Alamos
scientists' dismay at recent polygraph legislation, here:

        http://www.abqjournal.com:80/news/69820news070200.htm

"It is critical to maintain national secrets regarding nuclear weapons,"
according to a new amendment introduced by Senator Tom Harkin, "but more
openness on nuclear weapons activities now consigned to history is needed
to protect the health of former workers and the public."  See:

        http://www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2000/harkin2.html

"The University of California's performance in managing security at our
weapons laboratories is unacceptable and must be immediately addressed,"
said Energy Secretary Bill Richardson in a June 30 press release announcing
pending changes to the University's contract for managing the labs:

        http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/2000/07/ucdoe.html

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___________________
Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
http://www.fas.org/sgp/index.html