Wen Ho Lee/ Veteran's Oral History

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CHINESE AMERICAN CITIZENS ALLIANCE Contact: Carolyn H. Chan, VP, Communications (505) 298-1727 or alianzchc@aol.com or Munson A. Kwok, Ph.D. Grand President Chinese American Citizens Alliance MunsonAK@aol.com ON THE SETTLEMENT OF DR. WEN HO LEE'S PRIVACY LAWSUIT JUNE 6, 2006 - Dr. Wen Ho Lee, the former nuclear scientist once suspected of being a spy, settled his privacy lawsuit and would receive $1.6 million from the government and five news organizations, including AP, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and ABC. In response to this news, Munson Kwok, Grand President of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance issued the following statement: The entire Dr. Wen Ho Lee case has exposed a series of racist and stereotypical assumptions and attitudes that unfortunately still remain entrenched within our most respected institutions, government and media. On the positive side, our American system allows dialogue and improvements of our system. The settlement is a symbol of that we as an ethnic community must remain vigilant, and be willing to voice concernsÝinstantly should such incidents occur in the future. Involvement by the the Chinese American Citizens Alliance in the case was unavoidable. Since the events took place in New Mexico, Albuquerque Lodge members who were employed at Sandia National Laboratories, brought attention to the problems to our Grand Board. In 1999 during the biennial convention held in Albuquerque, members and friends who worked at Sandia approached then-Grand Marshal Carolyn Chan to approach Nancy Gee, the Grand President, with their concerns about increasing hostility and racial stereotyping that was occurring in the work environment. Fears were expressed that racial profiling would lessen the number of Chinese American applicants for positions at the national labs. Chan and Chui Fan Cheng, an employee of Sandia Lab, provided a local perspective to Henry Tang of the Committee of 100. Then-Grand Secretary Munson Kwok, on behalf of Grand President Nancy Gee, worked with Tang and others to craft language for a joint statement from leading Asian American organizations, including the Alliance. Grand President Kwok recalls that ìthe statement expressed the greatest concern that the Chinese American community not be stigmatized and stereotyped, as the media was trying to do The premise was that One caught, therefore there must be lots of others. That was an affront to the loyalty of Chinese Americans. Further, we had to be vigilant and voice concern about that. Third, that we wanted to insure proper due process for Dr. Lee. As it turned out that summer, that became a bone of contention. Yvonne Lee, then a Civil Rights Commissioner, contacted Carolyn Chan to gather representatives of Albuquerque's Asian American Community, who were not associated with the labs, for a meeting with her and representatives of the Department of Energy. Participants expressed the hope that when Dr. Lee's trial would occur, that the public would not question the loyalty of all Asian Americans and stereotype Chinese Americans in particular, as spies. Shortly after, then-Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson (currently the Governor of New Mexico) went to the laboratories to issue a statement that racial profiling and stereotyping of Chinese Americans would not be tolerated at the national laboratories, including the ones in California. Many members of the Albuquerque Lodge of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance were at the first day and subsequent days, of Dr. Lee's trial. Outside the Court House the first day, Carolyn Chan was interviewed by reporters. Chanís call for due process and a fair and speedy trial from the judicial system based on the evidence presented, and not a trial by the media, aired on radio and television over several days. Never charged with espionage, Dr. Lee was released in August 2000 after having served nine months in solitary confinement and pleading guilty to one count of mishandling computer files. Judge James Parker apologized for the treatment Lee had received and the Asian American community heaved a sigh of relief. The C.A.C.A. presented its first-time National Recognition Award to three major law firms that comprised the Legal Defense Team for Dr. Lee at the National Convention in Portland in August, 2001. President Nancy Gee made the award ìto express recognition and appreciation for the professional courage and financial sacrifice made by the team leaders on behalf of preserving and reaffirming the rights of an accused individual under the American legal system. When accepting the plaque, Brian Sun, of Los Angeles, acknowledged the early support of Asian American organizations, including the Chinese American Citizens Alliance. From the experience of the Wen Ho Lee trial, Sun forcefully admonished ìWe must always react in a positive way, and must remain vigilant to prevent this type of incident from repeating. We must remember that the next generation should not have to keep doing this.î One positive outcome, in Sunís view, was that Asian Pacific American advocacy groups, including C.A.C.A., came together as never before in a common cause. Plaques were also presented to Mark Holscher of Melveny & Myers of Los Angeles, and to Nancy Hollander and John Cline of Albuquerque by local chapters, on behalf of Grand Lodge, in later ceremonies. Carolyn H. Chan First Grand Vice President VETERANS' ORAL HISTORIES PRESENTED to LIBRARY OF CONGRESS To honor the service and dedication of Chinese American veterans, the Chinese American Citizens Alliance has participated since 2004 in the Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. The Alliance's DC Team met with Bob Patrick, the Director of the Veterans History Project, and other staff on Thursday afternoon, May 18, 2006, in the Madison Building of the Library of Congress. Mr. Patrick welcomed the delegation and thanked the Alliance for its important work of preserving the history of those who have been interviewed. Grand President Munson Kwok responded that history has always been important to the Chinese people. Carolyn Chan, First Grand Vice president and Alliance Chair of the Veterans History Project, formally presented the 22 oral histories that have been collected so far. Both Kwok and Chan pledged to continue to collect the histories that attest to the loyalty of Chinese Americans in America's wars, even as far back as the Civil War. The cordial staff was delighted to add to their collection the interviews conducted by Mississippi Lodge, Houston Lodge, Los Angeles Lodge, San Francisco Lodge, Oakland Lodge, Phoenix Lodge, and Portland Lodge to their collections. About 30 per cent of the membership of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance is veterans. Although priority has been to interview World War II veterans, we have interviewed Korean War and Vietnam War veterans. We can expand our efforts to include veterans as recent as the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. We've only scratched the surface. To remain a Collecting Partner in 2006, all lodges can help Grand Lodge collect the required minimum total of 25 oral histories per year. Although it requires some time to conduct the interviews, it is really worthwhile to give Chinese American veterans a voice in history. These histories add to our legacy for the future. And C.A.C.A. is unique in gathering the histories of Chinese American veterans. The guidelines and interview forms are available at the Veterans History Project website http://www.loc.gov/vets/. Completed interview forms and videos are sent to Carolyn Chan, 8515 La Sala Grande NE, Albuquerque, NM 87111. The videotapes are then edited by Rusty Chan, Secretary of the Albuquerque Lodge, who adds captions to identify the interview subject, the date and place of the interview, along with some military music, and labeled with the Grand Lodge C.A.C.A. logo after their transfer to DVD-R format. Five copies are made. One copy is sent to the veteran, one, to the local lodge, one copy to the Library of Congress and one is retained for the Grand Lodge and we keep a master copy. If you wish to have another training session at the next retreat, we would be glad to offer one. However, by using the online VHP kit and some consultation with me by e-mail and phone, you may be able to conduct interviews on your own, as Portland Lodge has successfully done. - - Carolyn H. Chan First Grand Vice President