Part Of The Wreckage

By Linda A. Prussen-Razzano
Tlrazz@cyberramp.net
Featured Rightgrrl April 1999
May 2, 1999

When someone mentions the name Notra Trulock, most Americans will not recognize it. I strongly urge people to get used to the name, to remember it, because Notra Trulock is a key figure in the unfolding China Scandal.

According to Poly Sci Magazine, in 1970 Notra Trulock earned his BA from Indiana University; his did graduate work at Georgetown. Because Russia was perceived as our greatest threat, he studied Russian at the Defense Language Institute. He eventually came to work at the Los Alamos Lab in New Mexico, the veritable epicenter of the China Spy Scandal. In 1992, he was the recipient of the Los Alamos Distinguished Performance Award. He also earned the Intelligence Community Seal Medallion. He was the Chief Intelligence Officer for Los Alamos within the Department of Energy.

In 1995, officials at the lab discover what they believe to be evidence of spy activities.

In March of 1996, Notra Trulock obtained a copy of a Chinese report which indicated that China had stolen our secrets for the construction of the W88 and other weapons. "The W-88 technology could be used as part of a plan to rely on the mobility of truck-launched missiles with small warheads to better survive a counter-nuclear attack by the United States, " (H2122, Chinese Espionage, Mr. Burton, House of Representatives, April 15, 1999).

Notra forwarded a copy of the report to the FBI. Just a few weeks later, he met with Sandy Berger, Head of the National Security Council (NSC), to discuss his grave concerns over the potential espionage at the lab.

While the FBI conducted its investigation, Notra continued to conduct his. In March of 1997, he attempted to arrange a meeting between himself and Federico Pena, the new Secretary of Energy. The purpose of that meeting was to address his concerns about espionage at the lab. Officials refused his request.

He went so far as to issue a memorandum to Elizabeth Moler of the Energy Department. He considered the threats serious enough to bring to the attention to the appropriate committees/sub-committees within the House of Representatives. Ms. Moler denied his request, and later denied ever receiving his memorandum. Notra's memorandum later turned up in Moler's safe after she left the Department of Energy.

His concerns unabated, Notra issued his second report to Sandy Berger, Head of the NSC, in July of 1997. In August, he also met with Gary Samore of the NSC. Both times, he addressed the threat of espionage at the Los Alamos Lab.

In May of 1998 he issued his third report to NSC. He was later removed from his post and given another position at the Department of Energy.

In October of 1998, he was called before the House of Representatives. He and Elizabeth Moler answered questions from the Cox Committee concerning security at the lab. Despite the fact that they are specifically asked about potential espionage at the lab, Notra Trulock did not supply that information. Why would he withhold this information, when he had tried on many other occasions, to bring it to the forefront? Elizabeth Moler admitted to ordering him to strike that information from his notes because it didn't pertain directly to the program in question, which was "Foreign Visitors." She effectively silenced Trulock.

Some folks are apt to point fingers at Trulock and consider him part of the problem. I don't. I see him as a victim of the spin Regime, just like Linda Tripp, Billy Dale, and others.

The problem is widespread, you see. It is not limited to just nuclear secrets and launch technology. For example, no one in the Clinton Administration has been able to adequately explain why, of the 191 supercomputers sent to China in 1998, "only one underwent the 'end-use verification' that the Commerce Department is required to conduct to ensure that the computers are not intended for military uses," (MSNBC, NBC, AP, Rueters, "Lawmaker [Congressman Hunter] Says Administration Concealed Spying," Robert Windrem, March 16, 1999).

This Administration is a national security disaster. Trulock's now stained reputation is just part of the wreckage.
This article copyright © 1999 by Linda A. Prussen-Razzano and may not be reproduced in any form without the express written consent of its author. All rights reserved.

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