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Physicist Claims Gagging Over Missile Defence System

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Physicist Claims Gagging Over Missile Defence System news Hopes of biotech Physicist claims gagging interest spur Latvian population genetics over missile defence system Alison Abbott, Munich Latvia has become the latest small European country to seek to gather AP/SEVANS genetic information on its population, in an attempt to entice the interest of international researchers and biotechnology firms. A law being considered there would set guidelines for collecting medical and genomic information from the population, as well as data on its lifestyle. The guidelines are based on those used in neighbouring Estonia, where a similar programme is under way. Iceland has already developed a more ambitious and controversial project (Nature 396, 395; 1998), giving one company, deCODE, rights to its genetic data. Latvia, with a population of 2.4 million, has a very small human-genetics research programme. The new initiative would allow this to be extended, as well as Indefensible: Postol, seen here with a model of a mobile missile launcher, says the system is ineffective. developing gene associations that might interest drug companies, says Elmars Jonathan Knight office at MIT. “I told them my policy is if Grens, a molecular biologist at the A physicist and expert on national security anybody asks me for the report I give it to University of Latvia in Riga, who helped says that the Pentagon is trying to silence them,” Postol says of the meeting. Earlier this to instigate it. his criticism of the US missile-defence year he provided it to the General Account- Grens is also co-founder of a start-up programme. ing Office, an investigative branch of the US company called GENDP, which he hopes Theodore Postol, Professor of Science, Congress. will win the contract for the high- Technology and National Security Policy According to Postol, who now stands to throughput genotyping. The law has at Massachusetts Institute of Technology lose his security clearance, the Defense the support of the Latvian Academy of (MIT), has said for years that the tech- Security Service’s request to MIT is a clear Sciences. Its vice-president, Juris Ekmanis, nology required to create an effective attempt to keep him quiet. He points out that says it will mean a lot for Latvian science. missile shield over the United States does the documents are freely available on the Grens says that a three-year pilot not exist. Internet. study, recruiting 40,000 patients, could The Defense Security Service, which Many academics who specialize in gov- start in 2002 if the law is passed, as many handles military clearance for the Penta- ernment or military affairs have security expect, by the end of this year. gon, has now asked MIT to recover the clearance, and if the government can prevent Kári Stefánsson, director of deCODE documents used by Postol to support his public information from being discussed Genetics, the company that controls much claims, and to persuade him to stop dis- merely by declaring controversial material of Iceland’s national genetic information cussing them. secret, says Postol, it could have a chilling programme, welcomed the Latvian Postol has security clearance because he effect on scholarship. “There are profoundly initiative, but warned that “these is a frequent adviser to the Pentagon on important issues of academic freedom at initiatives are not easily turned into national-security issues. stake here.” STEVE RAYMER/CORBIS STEVE business”. I Last year, Postol accused the Ballistic The Pentagon has declined to discuss the Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) of case, but argues that holders of security doctoring the results of a series of tests on clearance are required to keep secrets safe no the Pentagon’s prototype missile-defence matter how they were obtained, and even if system to make it appear to be effective. In they were obtained before they were made a letter to the White House in May 2000, secret. he wrote that the BMDO’s own data show MIT President Charles Vest says that that the system is less accurate than “MIT defends the right of our faculty to serve random guessing at telling real missiles from as responsible critics within the limits of the balloon decoys. law”. He did not say what action, if any, the As evidence, he provided an unclassified institute will take. But he expressed concern report by the Department of Defense, in a statement that the government would detailing the BMDO test results. He also try to classify widely available information disseminated the report over the Internet. as secret in order to limit the debate by I Capital gains? The Latvian capital Riga hopes But soon after, the Pentagon reclassified academic experts. to benefit from the information initiative. parts of the report as secret and sent three ➧ http://www.armscontrol.ru/start/archive/ agents to discuss the issue with Postol at his news0005.htm#postol 468 © 2001 Macmillan Magazines Ltd NATURE | VOL 412 | 2 AUGUST 2001 | www.nature.com.
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