Unlock China Espionage Data

The conclusions of a House committee report are disturbing: that U.S. national security interests were harmed by China’s acquisition of American military technology over the past 20 years. But because the report is classified top secret, details of those conclusions remain under lock. Secrecy is understandable, but findings like these warrant making key parts of the report public--the sooner, the better.

Declassifying the report, or at least those parts of it that would not jeopardize U.S. intelligence procedures, could present a clearer picture of how China got its hands on such important technology. The committee’s findings obviously have serious implications for U.S.-China relations. A prime question is whether the committee has uncovered new evidence of Chinese espionage or simply collated information known from years past.

Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach), the committee chairman, wants to publish an unclassified version of the report. He told Times staff writer Jim Mann last week that about 50% of the information in the 700-page document has been in the press before, “but our significant findings are new.” That is impossible to judge so long as the report is secret. Key intelligence data aside, the public deserves as comprehensive a look as possible, especially given apparent security breakdowns. The document reportedly describes, for example, how China got hold of nuclear weapons design information from laboratories operated by the Department of Energy.

Declassifying parts or all of the report would require concurrence by the White House, the CIA and other intelligence agencies and the House committee. The committee began its six-month investigation after press reports that some U.S. satellite firms may have shared information that helped the Chinese to improve their ballistic missile technology.

If China’s espionage activities are as extensive as the committee indicates, a review of American intelligence policies clearly seems in order.