Nuclear nonproliferation

The Department of Energy has taken some actions to implement a 1981 congressional mandate to limit the dissemination of unclassified information related to atomic defense activities. Nevertheless, sensitive countries--communist-controlled nations, countries suspected of developing nuclear weapons, or those viewed as a national security risk--have obtained information dealing with detonators, explosives, and firing sets that could assist or enhance nuclear weapons development. Foreign nationals obtain some information directly from DOE's weapons laboratories; DOE does not require the laboratories to track these requests. DOE recognizes that continuing to disseminate some unclassified information raises questions about its compliance with U.S. nonproliferation policy and in January 1989 issued internal guidance to identify data that should not be distributed to proliferation-risk countries