Statement of Committee of 100 on Wen Ho Lee's Release
Sept 13, 2000

Following announcement of the plea bargain reached between Dr. Wen Ho Lee and the U.S. Justice Department, the Committee of 100, a New York-based non-profit group that advocates on behalf of Chinese Americans and improved U.S.-China relations, has issued the following statement:

“We know the terrible ordeal this has been for Dr. Lee and his entire family, and we are relieved that the anxiety and horror of this case may finally be coming to an end.

“Nevertheless, despite the plea bargain, the Committee of 100 remains deeply concerned about two remaining issues. First, there is "racial profiling," particularly as practiced by federal security personnel at the national laboratories and in the defense industries. Americans of Chinese descent are unjustly singled out solely because of their ancestry.

“Second, the Committee fears that the anti-Chinese hysteria (such as the earlier and now discredited Cox Report) which led to Dr. Lee's indictment and prosecution may reappear whenever tensions or disagreements arise between China and the United States. Given the size and global aspirations of those great nations, such differences are inevitable..

Henry Tang, chairman of the Committee of 100, said the Committee “will press onto expose the pernicious nature and extent of profiling in federal law enforcement and national security programs at Los Alamos and other laboratories. It will join forces with other Asian Pacific American groups to seek the elimination of such discrimination at every level of government”.

According to Mr. Tang this basic prejudice was a root cause of the harsh and unjust way that Dr. Lee's case was handled from the outset. “We should not forget the thousands of loyal and dedicated Chinese American scientists and engineers who remain under an undeserved cloud of suspicion, even though Dr. Lee's case has now been disposed of without any finding of 'espionage.’”

The Mr. Tang went on. “Our society still needs to find out how to engage in a constructive dialogue with the People's Republic of China without knee-jerk paranoia about Chinese Americans surfacing every time there are bilateral differences of opinion. China's positions may well differ from those of the United States and her allies, but not every such disagreement need be viewed as a 'threat' to U.S. national security, nor should it cast any doubt on the loyalty of millions of law-abiding Chinese Americans or make them the targets of discrimination when those disagreements occur."

In conclusion, Mr. Tang made a plea for help in dealing with the enormous legal bills incurred by Dr. Lee and his family. “Even without a trial,” he said, “this case has cost them a fortune. We hope their supporters will continue to help ease that crushing financial burden."