June 20, 2000
The Honorable Tom Bliley
Chairman
Committee on Commerce
U.S. House of Representatives
2125 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Mr. Chairman:
I am in receipt of your letter of June 20. I stand by my comments to the national
press, and make the following observations:
1. If you review the transcripts of my remarks, you will see that I noted the
longstanding nature of the difficulties (reaching back to the establishment of the
program) and I laid the problem directly at the doorstep of the Department of Energy (DOE)
and its contractors.
2. Had your staff conducted a rudimentary inquiry, they would have discovered that the
Subcommittee staff continued its work on security through informal discussions with DOE
officials in 1993-1994 (as a new Administration entered office), monitoring of
whistleblower complaints, and work with the General Accounting Office. A more thorough
review of committee records, as well as a cursory search of one of the many databases
containing news articles, would have uncovered extensive documentation of the
Committee’s many activities in this area, spanning two decades.
3. When you took over as chairman, the Republican staff member most knowledgeable and
experienced on DOE security matters was pulled off that work, and told to seek other
employment. Of course, the Democratic staffers knowledgeable on these issues were not
hired by the new majority. Thus, all ongoing work ceased. It has taken years to begin to
recover from the loss of that collective memory, while problems at the labs continued.
Your letter to me appears to be largely a staff-driven diatribe, reflects a curious
sensitivity to criticism, and calls to mind the adage that "the guilty flee where no
man pursueth." Nonetheless, I applaud your efforts in recent years to oversee
security at the Department.
With every good wish.
Sincerely,
JOHN D. DINGELL
RANKING MEMBER
