Lee Case Prompts Racial Safeguards

Amid lingering resentment among Asian Americans over the Wen Ho Lee case, Energy Secretary Bill Richardson announced safeguards against racial profiling within the department or among its private contractors. Richardson said he would “not tolerate even hints” of racial profiling and ordered his inspector general to investigate whether any such activity has occurred. Richardson said he remains convinced that Lee, a Taiwan-born former Los Alamos nuclear weapons scientist, was not singled out in an espionage investigation because of his Asian background, but he expressed concern about the possibility of other incidents. Richardson also ordered revision of outside contracts to include guarantees against racial profiling and ruled that a contractor can be penalized for profiling.