June 26, 2000
All UC Employees at the Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos National Laboratories
Dear Colleagues:
For more than 50 years the University of California has been entrusted with one of
the most critical components of our national defense. You have fulfilled this responsibility
with extraordinary success and the nation is indebted to you. However, the recent
security incidents have raised questions in the minds of some as to whether the University
and the Laboratories are as committed to security as we are to science. I believe
that it is important for each of us to demonstrate--now more than ever--that the
nation's trust has been well placed. I have written to Laboratory management about
the responsibilities that all of us share, and I would like to express my thoughts
to you.
As employees of a public institution engaged in research critical to the national
security, we must and will be held accountable for our stewardship, both individually
and institutionally. We value the public confidence the University has earned as
the operator of three Department of Energy laboratories since their inception. The
University, through you, can continue to perform a critical national mission in a
manner unmatched by any other institution.
While we can be justifiably proud of the scientific and technological achievements
of our institutions, we must treat security issues with the highest standards of
care. Although all the facts are not yet known, the recent security incident at Los
Alamos underscores three things:
* The need to be ever vigilant and disciplined in the handling of classified material,
even if the rules have given you latitude in your conduct.
* The need to bring problems promptly to the attention of responsible individuals
in the Laboratory, the University, and DOE.
* The need for personal commitment and action to identify improved security practices
and prevent problems.
No one should assume that security is someone else's responsibility. It is essential
that everyone bear this responsibility, especially those of you who have first-hand
knowledge of the importance of the laboratories' national security mission.
This is a challenging time for all of us. Together we have accomplished things that
are unique in the history of mankind, and together we can continue to provide a vital
public service. We must maintain the trust of the American people. This must be uppermost
in our minds as we approach every task. I appreciate your dedication to the University
and I know that you will preserve this trust.
Sincerely,
Richard C. Atkinson
President
June 26, 2000
All UC Managers at the Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos National Laboratories
Dear Colleagues:
The recent security incident at Los Alamos is a stark reminder to managers at all
levels of the seriousness of the national security endeavor entrusted to your supervision.
The University has flourished through a system that delegates broad authority in
the management of its campuses, schools, research institutes and national laboratories.
As managers in a public institution who are engaged in research critical to the national
security, we must and will be held accountable for our stewardship, both individually
and institutionally.
We need the commitment of every manager to ensure that all aspects of security related
to your respective areas of responsibility are appropriately designed, effectively
implemented and consistently practiced. Over the coming months we will assess carefully
our security practices and how the culture of our workplaces affects security. We
must have your participation and leadership in support of timely and effective security
improvement.
I know that some question the University's ability to reconcile a culture of openness
in conducting outstanding science with the culture of secrecy and rigorous accountability
that is properly required to protect the United States' most vital nuclear weapons
secrets. The University's fifty-year history of operating the Los Alamos and Lawrence
Livermore Laboratories demonstrates that these challenges are manageable and that
the University's ability to recruit and retain the best scientific minds has been
essential to the laboratories’ extraordinary mission successes.
I have enormous confidence in your ability to identify and change any practice or
attitude that is not fully consistent with the protection of classified material.
We must quickly reinvigorate our security posture in order to regain the nation's
full confidence in the University's and the laboratories' role in national security.
Sincerely,
Richard C. Atkinson
President