Legal Documents, January 2002
File — Box: 12, Folder: 6
Scope and Content
From the Collection:
The collection consists of personal correspondence, background materials, and legal documents pertaining to the U. S. Government's investigation of Dr. Wen Ho Lee, scientist at Los Alamos National Labs, accused (and ultimately vindicated) of espionage. The collection provides valuable documentation of the Wen Ho Lee investigation and the controversial manner in which it was carried out. The materials provide useful information on broader topics such as: executive-legislative relations, inter-agency relations (or lack thereof), political manipulation of 'impartial' bureaucracy, the role of race in US politics and society, international relations (cooperation and antagonism), the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and the role of the university in weapons production.
In the case that resulted from the investigation, the Department of Energy’s Chief Counter Intelligence officer, Notra Trulock, sued Vrooman, Charles E. Washington, and Bill Richardson for defamation and civil conspiracy. The case filed in the United States District Court of Eastern Virginia, Trulock v. Washington et al, was dismissed. Trulock appealed and lost his appeal. The "Memorandum of Law in Support of Defendant Vrooman’s Motion to Dismiss and for summary Judgment," filed January 22, 2001, provides a solid overview of the defamation case resulting from the investigation and Vrooman’s belief that Lee’s Chinese ethnicity contributed to him being a suspect. Other motions filed provide insight into the investigation.
"Clinton's Scapegoat: The Persecution of an American Scientist" provides first hand documentation of Vrooman's experience with the investigation.
The collection is divided into 3 series:
Manuscript and Source Material: contains personal correspondence, news clippings, speeches, statements, press releases, reports, and interviews related to Robert Vrooman's involvement in the Wen Ho Lee case. A copy of Vrooman's manuscript, "Clinton's Scapegoat: The Persecution of an American Scientist" is included (Box 2, Folder 6).
Trulock v. Vrooman: contains legal documents and court materials about the Wen Ho Lee investigation, from the perspective of Los Alamos National Lab counterintelligence officers, such as Vrooman and Charles E. Washington, a DOE subordinate, who objected to the lab being depicted as having lax security.
Requests for Information: consists of information requested and accumulated by Vrooman in preparation for legal proceedings. Included are documents relating to Los Alamos National Labs, Wen Ho Lee, the Department of Energy, FBI investigation of espionage, and China.
In the case that resulted from the investigation, the Department of Energy’s Chief Counter Intelligence officer, Notra Trulock, sued Vrooman, Charles E. Washington, and Bill Richardson for defamation and civil conspiracy. The case filed in the United States District Court of Eastern Virginia, Trulock v. Washington et al, was dismissed. Trulock appealed and lost his appeal. The "Memorandum of Law in Support of Defendant Vrooman’s Motion to Dismiss and for summary Judgment," filed January 22, 2001, provides a solid overview of the defamation case resulting from the investigation and Vrooman’s belief that Lee’s Chinese ethnicity contributed to him being a suspect. Other motions filed provide insight into the investigation.
"Clinton's Scapegoat: The Persecution of an American Scientist" provides first hand documentation of Vrooman's experience with the investigation.
The collection is divided into 3 series:
Manuscript and Source Material: contains personal correspondence, news clippings, speeches, statements, press releases, reports, and interviews related to Robert Vrooman's involvement in the Wen Ho Lee case. A copy of Vrooman's manuscript, "Clinton's Scapegoat: The Persecution of an American Scientist" is included (Box 2, Folder 6).
Trulock v. Vrooman: contains legal documents and court materials about the Wen Ho Lee investigation, from the perspective of Los Alamos National Lab counterintelligence officers, such as Vrooman and Charles E. Washington, a DOE subordinate, who objected to the lab being depicted as having lax security.
Requests for Information: consists of information requested and accumulated by Vrooman in preparation for legal proceedings. Included are documents relating to Los Alamos National Labs, Wen Ho Lee, the Department of Energy, FBI investigation of espionage, and China.
Dates
- January 2002
Language of Materials
From the Collection:
English
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Extent
From the Collection: 17 boxes (6 cu. ft.)
Repository Details
Part of the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections Repository
Contact:
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451
cswrref@unm.edu
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451
cswrref@unm.edu