(New York, NY, February 16, 2018) — In recent remarks to the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, FBI Director Christopher Wray opined that Chinese academics or “non-traditional collectors” — “professors, scientists, students” studying and working in the United States in “basically every discipline” — may be covertly gathering intelligence for the Chinese government. The Committee of 100 (C100), a non-partisan organization of illustrious Chinese Americans committed to promoting constructive dialogue and relationships between the peoples and leaders of the U.S. and China, and the full inclusion of Chinese Americans in the U.S., finds these comments to be disturbing and prejudicial. To target a whole group of people as being subject to greater suspicion, based purely on race and national origin, and in advance of any facts or evidence, goes against the fundamental American ideals of the presumption of innocence, due process and equal protection for all. It also fans the flames of hysteria.

We have seen instances in our history when Asian Americans have encountered such racial prejudice resulting in discriminatory laws and harmful actions, whether through the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 or the internment of 110,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. These incidences have been shameful chapters in American history, ones that we must collectively, as a nation, commit to not repeating. We need to learn the lessons of history, we need to do better by one another.

The Committee of 100 is unequivocally committed to America’s national security and recognizes the importance of ensuring our nation is able to counteract perils from espionage. However, C100 supports fair and appropriate investigation, prosecution, and punishment of espionage that is based on the evidence and not on profiling or suspicion based on race, ethnicity, or national origin. Within the last two decades, we have seen this rush-to-judgement in the cases of Dr. Wen Ho Lee, Dr. Xiaoxing Xi, and Ms. Sherry Chen — all Chinese American scientists or federal employees who were unjustly prosecuted based on suspicion of their ancestry, but who were later found to be innocent of wrongdoing, though not before having their lives ruined.