How Nuke Secrets Left Los Alamos

CBS News Exclusive: Young Archiver Downloaded Weapons Secrets To Thumb Drives

(CBS)  After seven years of security scandals at the nation's premier nuclear weapons research facility, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the latest incident shows security — at least for some — amounts to little more than an honor system.

CBS News has learned how shockingly easy it was for a young employee to walk out of Los Alamos with classified data — data related to decades of U.S. underground nuclear weapons tests.

Underground nuclear weapons tests were conducted in the U.S. for decades in secrecy, the data from the tests kept as closely-guarded national secrets.

It was that data that Jessica Quintana was hired to archive, reports CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson. The lab gave her top-secret security clearance when she was just 18. Sources say she also had access to the documents telling how to deactivate locks on nuclear weapons.

In August, she was allegedly able to walk out the door with 400 pages of classified documents, contained in "thumb drives" — small portable computer storage devices about the size of a thumb.

CBS News has learned that, at what's supposed to be one of the most secure facilities in the world, nobody even bothered to check Quintana's backpack when she left, that day or any other.

"They just waved," says a source. "There is no oversight."

The documents were found six weeks later by accident in a drug raid on Quintana's roommate at their trailer home. Quintana, now 22, says she never gave the data to anyone.

But the case is baffling watchdogs such as Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, who thought security holes had been tightened after the scandals.

"These are secrets that could be valuable for al Qaeda," Markey said. "9/11 was a warning to us. Our enemies want to have access to the most dangerous technologies to hurt our country."

The case also has the FBI scrambling to see if the material got into the wrong hands. Agents have spent about six hours in two interviews with Quintana, so far.

Sources say she worked in a secure office space called a "vault," but monitoring of the super-secret area is so lax that, more than once, she got locked inside and had to pound on the door to get out because nobody even knew she was in there working.

The computers in the vault had working USB ports, which means it was scandalously simple to copy classified documents onto a small, portable storage device.

And as odd as this may seem, Quintana had a higher security clearance than the FBI agents questioning her, so "they couldn't talk (with her) about everything," a source told Attkisson.

Markey says the lab is the opposite of the song "Hotel California" where "you can never leave." At Los Alamos, "You can leave anytime you want. Take whatever you want. We're not even going to be looking at your bags," he says.

The Energy Department inspector general has already weighed in, calling the incident "especially troubling," since taxpayers have spent "tens of millions of dollars" to upgrade security there in recent years.

A spokesman for Los Alamos tells CBS News that after the October raid on Quintana's trailer, many new security measures were installed. These include disabling the ability to download classified materials to unauthorized electronic devices and banning computer memory devices in certain areas. However, an official with the Department of Energy tells CBS News he thought those measures had been taken long ago.

"It is clear that despite almost a decade of repeated warnings and problems regarding the security associated with classified materials, the department has failed time and time again to actually do anything about it," Markey stated in a letter to Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman. "It appears that there are significant institutional barriers within the Department and at the Laboratories that have prevented real reforms from moving forward."

Markey, in his letter, posed a series of questions to Bodman and asked for answers by Jan. 5, 2007.

Two billion tax dollars are spent each year to operate the lab.

Starlady2.....it has been disclosed, do some research, you didn't expect someone to hand it to you personally did you?

[starlady2]

We should be asking how those *secret* underground nuclear weapons test have irradiated and caused cancer and reck havok with the environment. Where did they nuke Americans? What was the result in the environment? Are there misterious cancer clusters in those areas? We should demand disclosure. Are we being *nuked* to this day in secret? Enquiring minds whant to know.
;(

antoniof123, nuclear warheads can be classified as WMD's however you will not find information on how to build a nuclear weapon, yes you may find the basic information on how they work, but not actual plans. It's rather like looking information on how your processor works in your computer, the library will tell what it does, how it works, but I doubt you will plans how to build one. I'm sure a lot you have seen the movie Manhatten Project, however it is not quite that simple. So as you can see not all WMD's are nukes, a pipe bomb is considered a WMD

[firststate]

ncolsens, I understand your not answering. Thank you for your service and integrity.

[antoniof123]

This has been happening for a very long time. For those of you who do not know you can get the infomration to build a WMD from the public library. You just need to know what you are looking for then all you need is about 8 pounds of Plutonium and there you have it a real WMD. Anyone can do it if you have the time.

It's not unusual for an 18 year old to get a Top Secret security clearance, although I doubt she was 18 then, it takes 6-8 months to obtain one, even still at the age of 19 it is common practice. There are many questions asked to many people before one can get such a clearance. Such inquiries into departments such as Department of Corrections, DMV, health departments, to name a few. Even your relatives and neighbors are questioned. So I doubt that the girl living with her was there when she obtained the clearance. Security Clearances are not handed out like candy. Despite all that is going on in the world today, this issue is still taken very seriously, don't judge everyone because of a few that did not follow procedure.

[bluestardad]

This facility is run by a bunch of local yocals trailer trash and they are given government jobs most people would die for but they use them to buy dope and drugs and eat government cheese and butter waiting on their next checks!

[mjv2944]

Why not just shut the doors. Do we really need this facility? I suppose we could get the info we need from Pakistan or China or North Korea or Iran as they probably got it from us, and I am sure they would be more than happy to sell it back to us. Now this is a plan that ole Dubya should like.

firststate, as much as I would love to answer your questions I can not due to a non-disclosure statement I signed upon retirement, I can say that the U.S. Department of Energy has nothing to do with it.....Sorry

[aeasus]

This is a HOMELAND SECURITY issue. If homeland security is nonfunctioning,the president needs to fix the department he established!!

[firststate]

18 years olds can die in Iraq or anywhere they serve in any of the services.

[amjp1]

What insanity! Top-secret security clearance given to this woman at age 18!! The idiots who hired her need to be fired for this. Who knows how many other teenagers are working at the Los Alamos facility? How about other DOE facilities? It is high time for Mr. Bodman to explain how unqualified kids can be given sensitive security jobs.

[firststate]

ncolsens
Thanks for the new information about the locks, the way it has been reported was the most worrisome part. Thanks to guys like you, I have never spent time with a nuclear weapon. I understand the term "archive," now we are into any area with which I am familiar. An archive of data produced from test results, any test results would provide information for anyone who follows that can only be gained through the test. These archives allow someone else to pick up from the last data to prevent having to reinvent the wheel every time there is a technical question. In that respect, unless the data wasn't actual test data, its age doesn't equate with uselessness. My question for you is that if all the details for the electronics schematics and production requirements for deactivating those locks were to exist in one place, though not necessarily together, wouldn't that place be somewhere like the secure files in a vault in the National Labs? I'm not asking to be a smar tass, it just seems logical to me, it is the government after all unless energy is different the department has at least a microfiche version of every piece of paper, ever.

I would first like to say that I am a republican always have been, and always will be however this does not mean that I agree with what the republicans are doing today, in fact I am disgusted with them. Second of all Jessica Quintana had no idea what she took, nor do any of you. I worked with nuclear weapons my entire career in the Air Force of 21 years and what she took home to "archive" was so outdated that it was of no consequence to anyone unless you know how to turn back the clocks 40 years. Does the word "archive" mean anything to you? don't get me wrong I am not defending her, what she did was against the law. She got complacent like the rest of the government. To deactivate locks on nuclear weapons is not as simple as the term implies. And the media has very much over reacted to this. But to deactivate locks on nuclear weapons takes a sufisticated piece of electronic equipment that you will not find in any one piece of documention anywhere. nor the electronic schematics to build one. Relax America is still safe from trailer trash.

[firststate]

janem4
Is the Barbie-news site down?

[firststate]

sandycat2
In your zeal to defend Bush & co., this time in your haste to post a response, you have confused some of the facts. that's something most of us have done. The article starts, "After seven years of security scandals ... the Los Alamos National Laboratory, ..." Later, "Underground nuclear weapons tests were conducted in the U.S. for decades in secrecy, the data from the tests kept as closely-guarded national secrets."

I'm sure are aware that 7 years isn't decades. You're also right 1 of the 7 years wasn't Bush. The lady who copied and stole the data got her security clearance about 4 years ago when she was 18. Her entire tenure has been under Bush and his appointments at Homeland Security and Energy.

This administration hasn't followed up on correcting specific security lapses with information that would help any enemy do the worst possible harm. Islamic terrorist are the only people who would harm us. The science of a basic atomic bomb isn't complicated, but the data discussed here would give any enemy information to make a smaller, deadlier Nu-Ku-Lar weapon. They let information that we know can literally help wipe out millions of us at one shot go God knows where and to whom.

Meanwhile the FBI agents can't even ask her pertinent questions because the person whole stole data has a higher security clearance. That's Classic! I admire your spirit, but the administration's record here is indefensible.

[sandycat2]

Why are you blaming Bush for this Los Alamos mess? The article says that there has been decades of security problems at Los Alamos. That means the problems cross over presidential terms. Some of you people will stoop to anything to blame Bush.

[pakaal]

Chalk it up to another Bush Administration "get serious about homeland security by not really doing anything" policy. Why is it Homeland Security can give money to help fund a Texas mushroom festival, but they can't keep Los Alamos safe from no-brainer security issues like this?

Oh that's right, I forgot. Gross incompetance is why.

[kjgal]

HumanCitizen

With all that is going on in the world, you're worried about a persons appearance? How about posting a picture of yourself!

God Help Us All!

[love2live1]

I hope they lock this woman up for life! Enough is enough and the incompetance of Los Alamos is staggering!

Who is the nitwit who gave her such high clearance? They should be fired too!