About this Project: AAAS Project Summary

While a number of scientific societies have taken action on this matter, it has primarily been in the form of issuing statements and declarations. The American Physical Society has issued a statement on national security and the open conduct of science. The National Academies issued a public statement on 21 May 1999 on scientific openness and national security, and held a workshop to examine these issues. The National Science Board drafted a statement, and the Society of Hong Kong Scholars and the Hong Kong Institution of Science wrote a joint letter to President Clinton, requesting that he take action to affirm the principles of scientific freedom and mitigate the negative impact of the Wen Ho Lee case on scientists of Chinese descent.

Clearly missing from these actions is an effort to inform the scientific community about current developments and the consequences of Congressional proposals, as well as the ramifications of some of the changes that have been implemented at the Department of Energy.

Issues of critical importance to the scientific community that have emerged from the U.S. government's response to the security breach at the nation's laboratories include:

AAAS has initiated a project to inform scientists about current developments and their ramifications and to develop a coordinated plan of action to respond to the current political environment. A meeting, held on August 31, included presentations by scientists, government officials, representatives of Congress and the Department of Energy, and a representative of Chinese and Chinese-American scientists. The discussions were followed by an afternoon of working sessions to develop strategies that could be undertaken by the societies.

To further assist scientists, AAAS is developing a Website to monitor these important issues. The site includes links to relevant information about current congressional decisions, news articles on the subject, actions taken by scientific societies, and notices about meetings and publications on related issues. AAAS will also monitor instances of infringements of scientific freedom and establish a database of cases that will serve as a central location where such information is gathered and disseminated. AAAS will publicize cases by informing the scientific community of instances where scientific freedom has been infringed. We will consider taking action on cases where scientific freedom has been denied by intervening on behalf of the individuals affected. When additional advocacy is needed to preserve scientific freedom, AAAS will call upon its extensive network of scientists to urge authorities to assure that scientific freedom is not abridged. The database should also inform federal policy makers as they consider the impact of their decisions on science.