Spy Charges Fueled Search for Scapegoats

Will America acknowledge the invaluable contributions made by immigrants who have chosen to make this country their home? Has the national conversation about race relations deepened our understanding about one another?

The Wen Ho Lee case represents a fascinating intersection of race, immigration and the media. Recent coverage of the findings in the Cox committee report on Chinese espionage suggests that significant breaches of security occurred during the past four administrations. While the mainstream press has looked for commentary from those who hope to capture the presidency in 2000, Asian Pacific Americans seek to expand the public discourse.

An analysis of media coverage by a coalition of national organizations, the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, reflects the impact of the changing demographics in the political arena. The questions and concerns raised show a new consciousness that is a direct product of America’s racial and ethnic diversity. Not only is there an appreciation by Asian Pacific Americans for the significance of the Lee case in the context of U.S. national security, relations with China and immigration, but there is also an understanding about its significance in domestic policies.

Asian Pacific Americans are concerned that a failure to engage in thoughtful analysis and discussion could harm long-standing efforts to bridge racial and ethnic divides. For Chinese Americans who have chosen scientific research as a career, the current climate in the professional arena has become hostile. The irony is that those who have made significant contributions to the nation’s preeminence in international intelligence and satellite technology cannot say a word to counteract the rhetoric that raises suspicion. This is due to the “classified” nature of their work and the awareness that national security requires silence. This silence has been interpreted by at least one senator as “crafty.”

The images of Asian Pacific Americans as corrupt political operatives, spies and a foreign threat have been reinforced in the media coverage of the Lee case. (That the Cox report was released and widely covered during Asian Pacific American Heritage month is a bitter twist.) The history, leadership, contributions and struggles common to the bicultural and intergenerational relationships are largely unreported and, frankly, non-Asians don’t even seem to notice.

When a problem such as the Lee case arises, there is a desire to believe in the fairness of the American media, that there is a decrease in bigotry against immigrants and that strong, inclusive political leadership will be asserted. The hope is that the nation will not be misled by stereotypes in a search for scapegoats. But the experiences of Asian Pacific Americans support all too well their concerns about the potential for tragedy. The World War II internment of patriotic Americans of Japanese descent, the denial of honorable treatment of Filipino war veterans, the stabbing death of a 15-year-old Vietnamese high school student in retribution for deaths during the Vietnam War, the targeting of immigrant Koreans in Los Angeles in 1992 and the recent shooting of a Japanese American grocer in Chicago for his apparent “foreignness” are just a few examples.

The rhetoric of nativism and hegemony are anachronistic remnants of the Cold War era. The world is shrinking and it is crucial for strategic relationships to be built both internally and externally. Negotiating solutions that keep a balance between national security and accountability with individual rights and integrity will be no easy task.

The media play a significant role in shaping public discourse. The Lee espionage inquiry presents a genuine test of our capacity to take advantage of America’s diversity as a resource to advance our national interests. Rather than contributing to the image of immigrants as a threat, there is an important story to be told about the many contributions made by Americans of Chinese ancestry to the fields of science, literature and military intelligence. And as these “unclassified” discussions begin to unfold and the many accomplishments are revealed, the silence will be lifted.