Old Nuclear Data Release Blocked

The Energy Department and the Pentagon discovered sensitive nuclear weapons information in boxes of Cold War-era materials that were about to be publicly released. The discoveries sparked a hasty scramble by Congress to block the release of information that Energy officials warned could advance the capabilities of emerging nuclear states, such as Pakistan and India. The congressional solution, which critics contend will slow the release of Cold War documents, is part of the 1999 defense authorization bill awaiting President Clinton’s signature. An Energy Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “There have been some examples” of classified documents on nuclear weapons-related data having been made public inadvertently.