The Turks and Israelis had planted "moles" in military and academic institutions which handled nuclear technology. Edmonds says there were several transactions of nuclear material every month, with the Pakistanis being among the eventual buyers. "The network appeared to be obtaining information from every nuclear agency in the United States," she said.

They were helped, she says, by the high-ranking State Department official who provided some of their moles - mainly PhD students - with security clearance to work in sensitive nuclear research facilities. These included the Los Alamos nuclear laboratory in New Mexico, which is responsible for the security of the US nuclear deterrent.[1]

There are also Saudi's implicated in the selling of nuclear technology.

Now, two weeks after the original article, The Times has followed up with "FBI denies file exposing nuclear secrets theft - The FBI has been accused of covering up a file detailing government dealings with a network stealing nuclear secrets".

She says the FBI was investigating a Turkish and Israeli-run network that paid high-ranking American officials to steal nuclear weapons secrets. These were then sold on the international black market to countries such as Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

One of the documents relating to the case was marked 203A-WF-210023. Last week, however, the FBI responded to a freedom of information request for a file of exactly the same number by claiming that it did not exist. But The Sunday Times has obtained a document signed by an FBI official showing the existence of the file.

Edmonds believes the crucial file is being deliberately covered up by the FBI because its contents are explosive. She accuses the agency of an "outright lie". [2]

While details will remain sketchy due to gag orders placed on Ms. Edmonds, why do Americans learn of such news from the foreign press? Why is this story not news worthy to American media? A high level State Department official selling secrets and compromising US national security should be more than enough to satisfy the US media's lust for sensational coverage.

[1] - For sale: West's deadly nuclear secrets, The Sunday Times, January 6, 2008, Insight: Chris Gourlay, Jonathan Calvert and Joe Lauria.

[2] - FBI denies file exposing nuclear secrets theft - The FBI has been accused of covering up a file detailing government dealings with a network stealing nuclear secrets, The Sunday Times, January 20, 2008, Insight: Chris Gourlay, Jonathan Calvert and Joe Lauria.

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1.20.2007