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Show TheSalt Lake Tribune OPINION Wednesday, May 26, 1999 Fallout From China Nuke Theft Could Be Another Cold War WASHINGTON— Ready for Cold W 11? Will the ghosts of the 1950s dance again? fell to Attorney General Janet Reno. She's SANDY GRADY a walk-on in the Cox report. But Republi cans who had howled for her scalp for Bring back Joe McCarthy with his of Commies infesting the government? in exhumedversionofexecutedspies nel and Julius Rosenberg? Which patsy ill play Alger Hiss? e That’ 's the danger whenRep. Chris Cox R-Calif., released his panel’s 700-pagere. port damning China for stealing Ameri. can nuclear secrets. Will we sink again into paranoia, Suspicion and hysteria of wouldn’t OK a wiretap on suspected Los Alamos spy Wen HoLee. (The FBI admits it had noevidence of Lee’s espionage. You can pick up the political drumbeat: “ “Who gave the lost nuclear missilesecret: And hear a fresh hunt for scapegoats that dreary charade of the McCarthy Tailgunner Joewouldfeel at home . Not to sneer at the Cox report. It’s as advertised — the Los Alamos Tabs an opencafeteria for nuke secre U.S. companies Loral and Hughes dishing out rocket technology, 3,000 Chinese a front-companies digging nuke data, China copycatting our deadliest W-88 warhead Even in Washington, wherescandals are a fun-and-games pageant, this one’s serious. The Monica operetta was sexual titillation. The China nukeheistis real. One was about thongs and cig: other aboutincinerating American You canbelieve straight-shooter Cox whenhesays, “The spying is stark and grave and continues to this very day Give credit to his panel offive Repub: licans and four Democrats for buttoning Mysteriously, after months of media hyp PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS ing Lee as master Chinesespymaster, he hasn't even been charged with up the report in a leak-crazed town. “We made a pact not to let out information,” jaywalking.) This smacks of ‘50s Red Scare dotti: ness. Tagging Renoas villainess behind said Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa In truth, they got lucky. In October they casually asked ex-Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld about China modernizing its nuke arsenal. “That's secret,” he snapped. CIA boss George Tenet unlocked the archives. “We opened a door and walkedintoa roomof amazing stuff,” said PorterGo: y Inevitably, lynching posses will form to string up Guys in the Black Hats, the blunderers who allowed China to pull off “DON'T WORRY...EVERYTHINGS UNDER CONTROL..." the Chinese spy scamis like blaming the Johnstown flood on a leaky toilet in Altoona. Herboss maybe moreculpable of mis handling the China heist at least fib: bing to duck thetaint. Clinton on March 19 deniedany spying at nuke labs during his presidency “and no one hasre portedto mesucha thing occurred.” Both untrue. the Balkan War wereout of the loop when sleuthing. “We're anopen, affluent, happy China stole the Los Alamos door keys. here will be no heroes in this nuke fiasco. But Energy Secretary Bill Rich ardsondeserves honor for tightening the labs’ security. Smartest move since he refused to hire Monica. Before Red Scare society.” hysteria explodes, a deep breath. Sure China spies. So do we. High-tech give- its nuketheft. he brushedoff the nuke thefts? Foreign Was Clintonsodistracted by Ken Starr aways by U.S. rocket companies were scandalous. Running ournukelabslike Never mind that the Cox report says Chinese spying was rampant through the Carter, Reagan and Bush ye: The adviser Sandy Berger recalls warning candystores was stupid. But for 20 years there was a U.S.-China swap of students, tourists and scientists. Suddenly, when China mounts 23 strategic warheads (the US. ue aS eos rms rang. Clinton team is the target of choice Rightlyso, if it ineptly shrugged off the Chinathreat. The honorofplaying scapegoat No. 1 Clintonlast year that China was swiping secrets. But all Clinton players areduck: ingfor tornadoshelters. “Nobodybriefed me,” Secretary of State Madeleine Al- asy,” said Coxpanelist Nor bright says angrily. Not reassuring that poobahs running maneke D-Wash., of China’s nuke New King of Jordan Will Continue His Father’s Legacy WASHINGTON He's suregothisfa ther's touch. The newyoung King Abdullah of Jordan is alternately boyishas a pup, upright months cometo personifyreal new possi bilities for that long-tormentedregion. And changes there are and, for once, they could actuallybepositive! GEORGIE ANNE GEYER as the serious military man he is, and possibly asfarsighted a visionary ashis One minute he is talking soberly about “c: ing my father's banner forward and completing his message,” and the next minute he is riding a Harley-Davidson from downtown D.C. to Maryland and back with 70 mem bers of the Metropolitan Police who had escorted King Hussein's motorcadeshere ver so many years. They had massedin front of the Jordanian Embassyin a show of respect when theking died last F ebruary. is for the six-car motorcadethat now accompanies him everywherewhileheis here, the new king reminisced with a small group of us here, winning everyone over immediatelyby saying, “It used to be cade,| felt like putting myjacket over my head, I was so embarrassed.” So when King Abdullah of Jordan came to Washington this week on the heels of the stunning Israeli electoral earthquake the result was something of a love-in. It was also morethanthat. Al though onehesitates ever to evince any optimismover the Middle East, the factis that the 37-year-old monarch, Jordanian brigadier general who never dreamed he would be named king, has in three short N.H., demanding a Senate-Houseprobe. That's proper but not ifit spins into a witch hunt for villains. The China nuke heist could plungeus again into fear, xenophobia andanti-Commie pathologyof the McCarthyite nuttiness. At least in the ‘30s we had Dwight Eisenhower's steady calm. If you see anotherIkeoutthere,let me know rewrite certain standards of what we ex: pect of countries. “If the Kosovarsdo not return to their But there are other changes inthe re- gion, andthey are equallyimportant. homeland, thena secondsetofrules will havebeenestablished.This is a moral war that is being fought. I know it is hardfor Syrian hard-liner, President Hafez al- rightist and peace-resistant government the sideof good, or on the sideof evil? You bor prime minister, the former general Ehud Barak. Not only is Barak a manof flection of new economic andpolitical necessities in the Middle East: Everybody of Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, replacing him with the newLa I would grab a cab and go to a movie. The other day, as I stepped out of this motor- ing on and doing nothing, man, tha doesn’t cut it. I'm going to find who's ai fault,” bellowed Sen. Robert Smith, R. Assad, is seeking to arrive at a negotiated agreement withIsrael. In part, this is because of his recent, imperiling illness (prostate cancer and serious flu) and be- May17 overwhelmingly overthrew the UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE weresoft on China. “Knowing it wasgo: peopleto see the collateral damage from the bombing, but we have to remember The young king came to Washington this time just as the Israeli elections of father. He is charming andnaturally con: fident, yet also modest; deadly serious about the problems in the MiddleEast andat the same time preparedto welcome a future that could be a “paradise” for the MiddleEast. Maybenot anymore. There will be 10 congressional com mittees blood-hounding after perps who great intelligence, moderation and strength, butheis fully expectedto lead Israel away from the paranoidstyle ofBibi, who played shamelesslyon the worst Israeli fears in order to stay in power “The new government is a government ofsoldiers,” the king told those of us who. met with him at the Center for Strategic and InternationalStudies here. “I've had the honor of knowing many seniorofficers across the river for manyyears, and we hadto coordinate with them.” As to Gen. Barak himself, he said: “I liked the Really forthe first time, the long-time causeof his wish to put his son Bashar in powerbeforehedies. In part, it is a re. is increasingly tiredof the conflict. Here. thekingsaid, witha slightlyse cretive smile, “I think that tremely committed to peace.” Syria is ex He added, “I think we'll all be very surprised.” Thenthereis a third element one that may be surprising to many Ameri cans and the themethat the king spoke longest about: the Arab view toward NATOandthe United States’ role, both military andmoral, in Kosovo. “Kosovo is more important than most man. He seemed to be very focused. Sol. diers tend to be very direct with each Americansbelieve,” hetold us, in a tone that reflectedhis late father’s seriousness whenit cameto moralissues. “It is a fight between good andevil. It is the interna- possibilities.” tional community’s coming together to other. I'm very excited about the STE pa What NATO does in Kosovo affects the whole world.Thisis anewclub: Are we on doit right; you set a whole new set of standardsandrulesfor the world.” Beforeheleft the meeting andbefore graciously standing in line to greet ev- eryone there, just as his father would have done he wasasked a simple but revealing question: What doesitfeel like to be king? First he laughed. Then hesaid, as though he were thinkingit over, “I don’t know. I haven't had a momenttore. flect. This was a moment thatwefell into. I had to immediatelygive a feeling of security to my friends, to myfamily, to Jordan. I don’t think it's dawned on meyet, theloss of His Maj Heconcluded,“I'dlike to continue and complete myfather’s message — and | knowwhat it is. Looking at myfather’s legacy, I can see that he never shied away from the tough fight either.” — and I won't FAMILY CONNECTION CALLING PLAN UC an os Bs ea te 1 tall Sign up for the Family Connection Plan today and share 100 anytime minutes on two separate lines of service for $29.95 per month on one bill. You also get two free phones. And it’s all backedby the six point AirTouch promiseto helpyoulivelife on your ownterms. Crt 6 noch Shappeng and sent ot inched Whale supple ta LTE a Get two FREEphones. PT EE t Pr | SeST URS au SS ONE BILL $29. a the big picture: probably 100,000 dead. Le the Red Scare era? Probably, yes. rs had a tomahawk. “She oughta ” thundered Sen. Richard Shelby, en ally Sen. Robert Torricelli , Suggested Clinton talk to Reno about an exit. Reno’s sin? The Justice Department Six simple promises that assure you extraordinary service. fs SALT LAKE CITY 2274 South 1300East, Ste. G14 12. 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