The Honorable Bill Richardson
Secretary of Energy
Department of Energy
Forester Building
1000 Independence Ave.,  SW
Washington, DC  20585

Dear Mr. Secretary:

We write to you on behalf of the Committee of Concerned Scientists regarding
the case of Dr.Wen Ho Lee, formerly of the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The Committee, established 28 years ago, has worked to protect the human rights
of scientists, physicians and engineers around the world.

We recognize that Dr. Lee has been charged with serious crimes, and trust that he
will be given a fair trial to determine the validity of these charges.  In this letter we
wish to express our concerns about the possible consequences of his arrest and
urge upon you ways of addressing those concerns.

A number of observers, particularly in the Asian-American community, including
scientists, are concerned that ethnic prejudice has played a role in the Wen Ho Lee
case.  Such prejudice is, of course, profoundly unacceptable, and it is crucial that you
make clear, in word as well as deed, that it is utterly impermissible both in this case
and in any of the operations of the national laboratories.  This is not only the right thing
to do; it is also crucial in the service of assuring that all scientists, of whatever ethnic
background, will wish to contribute to the work of the national laboratories.

A statement by you stressing your Department’s commitment to treating foreign-born
scientists in ways that are no different from other scientists, and to providing them with
working conditions and opportunities no different from those of other scientists, would
be important and reassuring.

Sincerely yours,

Co-Chairs
Joel L. Leibowitz, Rutgers University
Paul L. Plotz, National Institutes of Health
Walter Reich, George Washington University.